Comments on: Odds and sods (of good Pyrenean earth) http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/blog/franceprofonde/odds-and-sods-of-good-pyrenean-earth/ Tim King on French politics Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:00:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: everydaysocialdemocracy http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/blog/franceprofonde/odds-and-sods-of-good-pyrenean-earth/#comment-905 Sat, 03 Mar 2007 16:33:51 +0000 http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/blog/franceprofonde/odds-and-sods-of-good-pyrenean-earth/#comment-905 After a debate we organised between young activists of the respective political parties campaigning for the French elections, I got chatting to a Sarkozy supporter about the exhaustion and excitement of being an activist during the elections and we were both puzzled by the lack of UDF activists on the streets. Given their victimist campaign about being excluded from the media, you'd think that's where they'd concentrate their efforts. While Segolene and the PS transformed the way they campaign and didn't play the traditional "election game" with the photo-opps in the village, the soundbite for the news - rather organising participative debates across the country (some places I'm sure probably are too small to be on most parties' radars! and where you could count the number of socialist supporters on one hand) and being criticised for it. We were also puzzled by why Bayrou seems so popular in the opinion polls and now in the media. One poll even goes to suggest he would beat either Royal or Sarkozy in the second round. It seems this extreme centrism he proposes is not what Sarkozy proposes nor what Royal proposes. Given they propose completely opposing reforms and solutions to transforming France, then what policies could he propose which wouldn't copy one or the other? Bayrou the tortoise indeed knows good old France - Sarkozy and Royal are either mad or liars to propose to reform this country. As the "affable, intelligent farmer", he knows that it's not as good as it used to be, the postcard France - you know the "a year in Provence" image. He knows that the problem with Sarkozy and Royal and their respective parties, is that they disagree with each other. Why don't they like Bayrou just not propose anything and just smile at the camera and see who gets the more votes. Bayrou the tortoise has like the fable, always got there in the end. Campaign against the right during the elections in 2002, get ministerial posts for yourself and your colleagues in a right wing government, vote for most of the government laws that Sarkozy passes until you see the elections coming up, vote against them once on privatisation of the motorways and then claim you're against them, despite the fact all of the council the UDF controls...it does in coalition with the UMP and never with the left. Tempt the centre-left by saying you've already got someone on the centre-left within the PS to be your next prime minister and all those on the centre-left of the PS publicly state they would never enter government with you, as do the UMP. As for its proposals, while Segolene introduced her presidential pact on the problem with the national debt and detailed how this would be resolved, Bayrou defends he hasn't got a magic wand to solve the problems for France, its more "backwards not forwards" or for the more cynical a sweet package of Sarkozy's proposals wrapped up in motherhood and apple pie. Can't argue with that, but how are you going to do it? Since we still haven't heard any real proposals from Bayrou in France then if someone in the UK has then I will eagerly translate them into French so my compatriots can finally work out what Bayrou wants to do with this country.. Sorry, I forgot Bayrou's only proposal...to form a government of national unity. Like in Italy (government lasted nine months)...with the right added into the mix, or like in Germany...which is a federal state and where neither of the two ruling parties have as little as 20 MPs like the UDF does (after the 20002 elections, 80% of the UDF MPs joined the Sarkozy led UMP). After a debate we organised between young activists of the respective political parties campaigning for the French elections, I got chatting to a Sarkozy supporter about the exhaustion and excitement of being an activist during the elections and we were both puzzled by the lack of UDF activists on the streets. Given their victimist campaign about being excluded from the media, you’d think that’s where they’d concentrate their efforts. While Segolene and the PS transformed the way they campaign and didn’t play the traditional “election game” with the photo-opps in the village, the soundbite for the news - rather organising participative debates across the country (some places I’m sure probably are too small to be on most parties’ radars! and where you could count the number of socialist supporters on one hand) and being criticised for it. We were also puzzled by why Bayrou seems so popular in the opinion polls and now in the media. One poll even goes to suggest he would beat either Royal or Sarkozy in the second round.

It seems this extreme centrism he proposes is not what Sarkozy proposes nor what Royal proposes. Given they propose completely opposing reforms and solutions to transforming France, then what policies could he propose which wouldn’t copy one or the other?

Bayrou the tortoise indeed knows good old France - Sarkozy and Royal are either mad or liars to propose to reform this country. As the “affable, intelligent farmer”, he knows that it’s not as good as it used to be, the postcard France - you know the “a year in Provence” image. He knows that the problem with Sarkozy and Royal and their respective parties, is that they disagree with each other. Why don’t they like Bayrou just not propose anything and just smile at the camera and see who gets the more votes.

Bayrou the tortoise has like the fable, always got there in the end. Campaign against the right during the elections in 2002, get ministerial posts for yourself and your colleagues in a right wing government, vote for most of the government laws that Sarkozy passes until you see the elections coming up, vote against them once on privatisation of the motorways and then claim you’re against them, despite the fact all of the council the UDF controls…it does in coalition with the UMP and never with the left. Tempt the centre-left by saying you’ve already got someone on the centre-left within the PS to be your next prime minister and all those on the centre-left of the PS publicly state they would never enter government with you, as do the UMP.

As for its proposals, while Segolene introduced her presidential pact on the problem with the national debt and detailed how this would be resolved, Bayrou defends he hasn’t got a magic wand to solve the problems for France, its more “backwards not forwards” or for the more cynical a sweet package of Sarkozy’s proposals wrapped up in motherhood and apple pie.

Can’t argue with that, but how are you going to do it? Since we still haven’t heard any real proposals from Bayrou in France then if someone in the UK has then I will eagerly translate them into French so my compatriots can finally work out what Bayrou wants to do with this country..

Sorry, I forgot Bayrou’s only proposal…to form a government of national unity. Like in Italy (government lasted nine months)…with the right added into the mix, or like in Germany…which is a federal state and where neither of the two ruling parties have as little as 20 MPs like the UDF does (after the 20002 elections, 80% of the UDF MPs joined the Sarkozy led UMP).

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