Comments on: Is Sarkozy in trouble?

by: Hermes

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 22:10:17 +0000

I know some people that consider Le Pen as less dangerous than Sarkozy. People who are well informed here in France know that Sarkozy is a real fascist, in the new neo-cons fashion.

This kind of fascism is not clearly identified by people because its history is just happening know.

This is the main reason why it will be difficult to avoid it.

by: Marc

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 13:47:28 +0000

Sarkozy is very different from Chirac. In 2002, when France has to choose between Chirac and Le Pen, Chirac has received a big support from leftist people and won with 87%. Chirac has always been considered as a democratic leader.

Nowadays, for lots of people on the left wing, there is no difference between Sarkozy and Le Pen. On the genetics, on the Holocaust (Sarkozy thinks that France haven’t to feel ashamed), on the immigration, … Sarkozy seems to be even worst than Le Pen.

No doubt that Sarkozy would win if there were a second turn Sarkozy/Le Pen, but he will certainly win by *only* 60%, not 87% like Chirac.

by: Tim

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 06:56:34 +0000

Umm. Yes, Sarkozy’s comment about Le Pen moving right can be seen as a joke - but the comment he made straight afterwards I think shows the non-joking thought behind it.
I am not quite sure what is meant to be scaremongering - if my blog, then I hope not. After all neither I nor most of the blog’s readers have the vote, my intention is to observe and express my fascination. If Sarkozy is holding out an olive branch to Le Pen it is intriguing, but also almost inconceivable - I make the difference between seeking Le Pen’s voters by saying what they want to hear and actively holding out an olive branch to the man Le Pen before the first round. And as I have said elsewhere, I don’t believe there is anything to be scared of in Le Pen: short of a quite exceptional event between now and Sunday (always possible, as in Madrid in 2004) he is not going to be president. However I would understand anyone wanting to vote Le Pen because at least they know who they are voting for: he has not changed (well, he has moderated) his stand over the years. What intrigues - and exasperates - me as a non-voting observer is how other politicians chop and change their policies cynically to attract a few more votes. Also as an individual and regardless of his ideas, Le Pen is a charming interviewee, his sense of humour probably very close to the British.

by: Tim Jones

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 22:22:13 +0000

Sarkozy’s comment that every candidate had moved right except Le Pen was meant as a joke … it’s also true. Your comment that a Sarkozy/Le Pen alliance is “almost inconceivable” isn’t quite right; it is iboth nconceivable and misunderstands Sarkozy’s bid for the FN vote. He has said this explicitly: that he is courting a vote (for order, for control of immigration, and for and to politics-as-usual) and not a party. In his view, all the main parties, including the workers’ parties, abandoned this vote to Le Pen without a fight. In the second round, he will talk less about order, morality and the nation and will appeal to the right wing of Bayrou’s base. This is just scaremongering.