[Alx]

They will get their signatures, I don't doubt it one second. They play their usual card, but there's no way they can't find 500 elected sympathizers : any mayor can give his signature, even and especially in small cities or villages, where the FN can be strong.

[Kurtofan]

According to two Constitution experts (one in Direct Matin newspaper and one from France Info radio) the current rule is constitutional (however unpleasant it is) so it's unlikely anything's getting change for the current election.

Well yeah in the end polls are not relevant, they are just polls.
I mean I don't think it's right that 18% of people might not be able to vote for their candidate, but that's the law.
I don't know if that should change, since the FN is always complaining about this shit and they always get their signatures, other small or fringe parties never seem to complain as much as they do.

[Computer]

Well yeah in the end polls are not relevant, they are just polls. I mean I don't think it's right that 18% of people might not be able to vote for their candidate, but that's the law. I don't know if that should change, since the FN is always complaining about this shit and they always get their signatures, other small or fringe parties never seem to complain as much as they do.

The FN's argument is that mayors who might give their signatures to them are pressured by even higher officials not to do it or else they'll lose their subsidies.

It doesn't apply to the more minor candidates because they aren't dangerous to the UMP/FN to begin with.

[G.O.O.]

Then again Coluche got 15% in polls.

They wouldn't have to complain if they just managed to get their candidates elected as mayors. Problem is, they are so bad that they can't even keep the cities they win. So I'm OK with seeing them failing with their signatures.

http://www.maitre-eolas.fr/post/2007...500-signatures (is anyone else reading Eolas, btw ? Because everyone should)

The only thing I'm not OK with is major parties forbidding mayors to give their signature to smaller ones. But even with that, if Poutou manages to get more than Le Pen with his score in the polls, then she should just deal with it.

[Computer]

Sarkozy hasn't got any higher in the polls since he announced his candidacy:





http://fr.news.yahoo.com/presidentie...dynamique.html

[Kurtofan]

Sarkozy hasn't got any higher in the polls since he announced his candidacy: [IMG]http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/vKiBEQulMWKH8x3qdH6nkg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://l.yimg.com/i/i/fr/ne/x/tour.png[/MG] [IMG]http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/gmbmlWdiL57N3ev7EARcWg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://l.yimg.com/i/i/fr/ne/x/tour1.png[/IG] http://fr.news.yahoo.com/presidentie...dynamique.html

Looking at other articles...http://fr.news.yahoo.com/sarkozy-att...180514697.html

Sarko really went full nationalist this time holy shit!

Also former socialist minister of Education and notorious asshole Claude Allègre supports Sarkozy and bashes Hollande:http://www.francetv.fr/info/claude-a...lui_63727.html

Fucking traitor.

[Computer]

Sarkozy is catching up on Hollande, according to the latest poll:

FIRST ROUND 1) François Hollande - 29 % 2) Nicolas Sarkozy - 27 % (+1.5) 3) Marine Le Pen - 16.5 % (-1.5) 4) François Bayrou - 13 % (± 0) 5) Jean-Luc Mélenchon - 8 % (+ 1) 6) Eva Joly - 2 % (-1) 7) Dominique de Villepin - 2 % 8) Nathalie Arthaud, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Philippe Poutou, Corinne Lepage - 0.5 % SECOND ROUND 1) François Hollande - 56 % 2) Nicolas Sarkozy - 44 %

Source: http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/sonda...-hollande.html

[G.O.O.]

He's been exposing himself a lot during the last few days, so that's quite normal.

Next challenge : keep the rhythm, while making sure people don't remember why they can't bear him anymore.

[Computer]

Far-right candidate attacks 'deadly' globalisation, immigration In a key campaign speech almost nine weeks ahead of France's presidential elections, French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen slammed globalisation and immigration, warning of adverse effects on the country's economy and national identity. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen slammed rival candidates on Sunday, calling them servants of the the banking and finance industries in a key election campaign speech in the northern city of Lille, only nine weeks ahead of presidential elections in France. “There is no left, there is no right, just two candidates who represent the interests of financial markets and the banks,” Le Pen said in reference to incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Party candidate François Hollande. With roughly 15% of voter intentions, according to opinion polls, the National Front candidate is in third place and battling to pull closer to leading candidates Sarkozy and Hollande. Le Pen's speech packed the 1,500-seat auditorium in the northern city of Lille, where her party's two-day presidential convention has been organised ahead of the April 22 first-round poll. In an hour-long address, the far-right candidate took aim at the globalised economy and immigration, claiming they're having a ravaging effect on France. “We need to resist the free market policies that threaten our economy, and yes, even our identity,” Le Pen told cheering supporters. "And those princes of the finance and banking world who are nothing more than a global mafia and exploit man with no-one controlling them, ” the 43-year-old former lawyer added, once again infusing her speech with language more characteristic of the left than of the right. “Patriots of the world, unite!” Le Pen clamoured at one point in her speech, and later argued that the human person needed to be “placed at the centre of the economy.” Le Pen also announced a raft of policies in January aimed to balance France's books, including taxing imports, tapping the central bank for cheap loans instead of debt markets, and giving French citizens priority over foreigners for jobs. Her anti-euro and protectionist stance has struck a chord here, especially among working class voters disillusioned by economic hardship since the start of the global financial crisis. Taking on Merkel Le Pen began her speech by mentioning the economic woes of France's north. The region surrounding the city of Lille has suffered from chronic unemployment for decades, ever since the decline of its once-important coal and textile industries. She said she had personally travelled through the “industrial graveyard” that could be seen in the abandoned factories in the outskirts of the city. “They are a sad reminder of our glorious past,” Le Pen claimed. However, she quickly turned her attention to the EU policies she said were stealing France's sovereignty and threatening to cripple the country's economy. “Brussels is destroying Greece. It will next ravage Italy and Spain, and eventually... us.” The far-right leader slammed Sarkozy for his involvement and interest in the European Union, and on two occasions criticized German Chancelor Angela Merkel, telling the leader to stop meddling in France's affairs after Merkel's January announcement that she would be personally endorsing Sarkozy's re-election bid. Le Pen also criticised what she called the EU's “pourous borders” but spent little time discussing the issue of immigration -- a traditionally key campaign issue for the National Front, along with insecurity -- and preferring instead to focus on the 'deadly' effects of high finance. Le Pen vs Sarkozy As Marine Le Pen tried to boost her support in northern France, her key rival Nicolas Sarkozy chose to present his re-election manifesto on the exact date and time in a massive party meeting at the opposite end of the country, in the southern city of Marseille. Sarkozy’s victory in 2007 was in part due to his ability to siphon votes from the far-right party -- a strategy that Le Pen is hoping to counter in 2012. "Nicolas Sarkozy is trying to renew 2007 by encroaching on our turf," Nicolas Bay, Le Pen's adviser on immigration issues, told reporters in Lille. "That means we have to go on the offensive, as we have no intention of letting him do it again." The two candidates have been trying to lure voters with their anti-immigration rhetoric. Sarkozy has vowed to limit immigration, setting himself the goal of cutting legal migration to France to 150,000 people a year, having already cut the quota to 180,000 from 200,000 in past years. In a bid to draw more far-right voters, he also proposed a referendum on battling illegal immigration, something the far-right has been championing for several years. For Le Pen, Sarkozy’s immigration and security policies are only a ploy for electoral gain. After two days of avoiding too much focus on immigration, she naturally and effortlessly returned to controversial anti-immigration territory by claiming she had proof that all meat in Paris was Halal. According to Bay, speaking to the public on such issues such as halal meat is important for they show the influence of Muslim values in local policies and the danger that they pose to France’s secular tradition.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120219-...ention-sarkozy

[G.O.O.]

For Le Pen, Sarkozy’s immigration and security policies are only a ploy for electoral gain. After two days of avoiding too much focus on immigration, she naturally and effortlessly returned to controversial anti-immigration territory by claiming she had proof that all meat in Paris was Halal. According to Bay, speaking to the public on such issues such as halal meat is important for they show the influence of Muslim values in local policies and the danger that they pose to France’s secular tradition.

I find this hilarious for some reason.

[Kurtofan]

I find this hilarious for some reason.

Halal food, the ultimate threat to France's secular tradition.

[Mael]

I find this hilarious for some reason.

Ah yes I nearly posted a new thread for this shitty controversy.
End result : my RSS is full of shitty stories debunking what the moron was saying :/
Something like there's 4 places where animals are killed for food in Paris and they don't cover even a fraction of Paris's need in food.
Heck I got a friend who knows how that work and basically he has the opposite claim that Hallal food is actually not Hallal most of the time.
In short like every fucking time she opens her mouth, she's bloody wrong.

I don't give a shit about the 500 signatures she claims she can't get (like every fucking year, look back and you'll see how they always pull that shit) but I won't cry if she can't get part of the election. I've got enough BS to sift through as it is.

I also love how they fucking claim to represent some part of the population or something and they can't get deputes, mayors or anything.
They represent shit and the shitty presidential election give them a bigger platform they have any right to.

[Sickboy007]

lol DSK...at least Berlu paid for his whores.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/d...p-suspect.html

[Kurtofan]

lol DSK...at least Berlu paid for his whores. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/d...p-suspect.html

The New York case was a blessing in disguise...

Can you imagine Sarkozy's main challenger embroiled in a sex scandal like this?

[G.O.O.]

And now I'm thinking of a DSK-Berlusconi meeting.

Anyway, the CC basically told Le Pen to fuck off : sponsorships to remain public

[Jubern]

The New York case was a blessing in disguise... Can you imagine Sarkozy's main challenger embroiled in a sex scandal like this?

Tell me about it. I'm so glad we found about all of this last year rather than, like, RIGHT NOW.

[Computer]

Nihous gives up and now supports Sarkozy: http://lci.tf1.fr/filnews/politique/...y-7011304.html

[Kurtofan]

Nihous bails out and gives his support to Sarkozy: http://lci.tf1.fr/filnews/politique/...y-7011304.html

There can only be one.

Edit:lol at "urgent".

[G.O.O.]

A true winner magnet.

[Mael]

http://vidberg.blog.lemonde.fr/2012/...se-porte-bien/


Vidberg as always so topical...

And since I'm browsing lemonde....

Actually someone who imported Halal food was working for the FN and had to lose his elected position becuase of this

classy as always on the far right.

[Computer]

CAMPAIGN CHRONICLES Marine Le Pen: back to basics This week we meet Marine Le Pen, the National Front’s candidate for the French presidential elections. Next, we discuss last night’s clash on TV between Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the far-left candidate, and Marine Le Pen. Finally, we meet a top executive in an insurance company who is angry about rising property prices.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120224-...-election-2012

Duration: 11 min. 32

[Kurtofan]

So apparently this week and the next is Salon de l'agriculture time...

Anyone cares?I always thought it was ridiculous to see candidates eating cheese and petting cows to gain votes.

[G.O.O.]

Since agriculture is quite massive here, it makes sense. Also because being a farmer nowadays sucks big time, so it's good for the candidates to pretend they do care about them.

Otherwise, MLP refusing to talk to Mélenchon was amazing. Daddy's little princess.

[Alx]

So apparently this week and the next is Salon de l'agriculture time... Anyone cares?I always thought it was ridiculous to see candidates eating cheese and petting cows to gain votes.

I don't really care, but some candidates can pull it off better than others. There's a reason why it was Chirac's specialty, he always had a strong bond with the "paysans", and was famous for his enthusiasm for tasting everything.

[Computer]

Jean-Marie Le Pen s'en prend violemment à Mélenchon Entre autres considérations sur la "pensée unique résistancialiste", le dirigeant du FN a indiqué vouloir rencontrer Mélenchon en débat et lui "retirer son caleçon". Le président d'honneur du Front national Jean-Marie Le Pen a traité dimanche Jean-Luc Mélenchon de "voyou" pour avoir pris "à partie une femme", Marine Le Pen jeudi sur France 2, et proposé un débat au candidat du Front de gauche à la présidentielle. "Je trouve scandaleux qu'un voyou comme Jean-Luc Mélenchon se croit autorisé à prendre à partie une femme", a déclaré Jean-Maire Le Pen, commentant à l'émission Radio France Politique le face-à-face télévisé entre sa fille et le dirigeant du FG jeudi dernier. "Parce que ce sont des méthodes de voyou", a-t-il insisté. Le dirigeant du FN a dit, semblant le regretter, que Marine Le Pen "n'a pas voulu, pour des raisons que je respecte, discuter avec Mélenchon". "Moi, j'offre un débat à M. Mélenchon et je vais lui retirer son caleçon, et je vais montrer ce qu'il est: le candidat des communistes, qui ont du sang sur les mains jusqu'aux coudes". "J'attends M. Mélenchon dans un débat quand il veut, où il veut", a-t-il repris. Le Pen s'en prend à "la mémoire obligatoire" D'autre part, Jean-Marie Le Pen a justifié la lecture qu'il avait faite, le week-end dernier à Lille, d'un poème de Robert Brasillach, fusillé à la Libération pour collaboration avec l'occupant nazi, récitant à nouveau ce poème à la radio. Robert Brasillach, "c'était un journaliste, comme vous", a-t-il dit, tout en déclarant qu'il ne se croyait "pas obligé d'avoir les mêmes opinions" que "Je suis partout", un organe de presse antisémite où écrivait Robert Brasillach. Au passage, le fondateur du FN s'en est pris à "la dictature de la pensée unique résistancialiste" et à "la mémoire obligatoire (qui) nous rappelle tous les deux jours la Shoah" entre autres événements.

http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/elect...melenchon.html

I may not agree with Jean-Marie Le Pen but God do I like to hear him talk.

[Alx]

Le président d'honneur du Front national Jean-Marie Le Pen a traité dimanche Jean-Luc Mélenchon de "voyou" pour avoir pris "à partie une femme", Marine Le Pen jeudi sur France 2, et proposé un débat au candidat du Front de gauche à la présidentielle.

Now that's completely ridiculous. First if he doesn't want a woman to be in rough discussions, he shouldn't have put his daughter in this place. Second, we live in a modern country where politics are (should be) the same for men and women. And third, maybe he should remember how he handled women in the past, for example when he was condemned for hitting a socialist depute in the middle of the street...

[Kurtofan]

Now that's completely ridiculous. First if he doesn't want a woman to be in rough discussions, he shouldn't have put his daughter in this place. Second, we live in a modern country where politics are (should be) the same for men and women. And third, maybe he should remember how he handled women in the past, for example when he was condemned for hitting a socialist depute in the middle of the street...

Seriously what the fuck? The Lepens are the champions of hypocrisy, it's hilarious.
"Treat my daughter like a real candidate, but don't argue with her because she's a lady!"

And then he goes on to blame the communists for some reason.
At least they didn't collaborate, asshole.

Edit: and he keeps ranting about the Holocaust too haha.

Don't even know what he means with "la dictature de la pensée unique résistancialiste".

Holy shit he outright recites collaborationist poetry, that's something.

[Black Republican]

i find it kinda funny/cool u can join radical left or right wing major parties in some europeans countries and shit would be ok.

[G.O.O.]

So Hollande is going fist of the north star on the higher revenues and want to tax 75% for those earning more than 100'000 € a month.

That's almost a revenue cap...

[Computer]

So Hollande is going fist of the north star on the higher revenues and want to tax 75% for those earning more than 100'000 € a month. That's almost a revenue cap...

This country is fucked.

[G.O.O.]

Jérôme Cahuzac says he didn't know about this :lol

oh boy, what the fuck is going on. Get it together, guys !

[Mistouze]

It's as if he said this only to provoke batshit insane reactions from the UMP.

shyamalan.jpg

[Computer]

French Socialist presidential frontrunner Hollande wants 75 per cent tax on super-rich Socialist presidential candidate François Hollande sparked debate on Tuesday with his surprise announcement the previous night on French television that if elected in May, he would impose a 75 per cent tax rate on France’s top earners. He says the rate would apply to everyone who earned more than a million euros per year. Hollande declared that it was “patriotism to accept to pay more tax to help the country get back on its feet.” In January, Hollande declared that his “enemy” was the “world of finance”. DOSSIER Politicians on the right were swift to attack the idea on the airwaves on Tuesday, raising the possibility that money would simply move to Switzerland or Belgium. Education minister Luc Chatel said that while Hollande wanted fewer rich people, Sarkozy wants fewer poor people. Hollande "invents a new tax every week without ever proposing the smallest saving," said Budget Minister Valerie Pecresse, while Foreign Minister Alain Juppé denounced the plan as "fiscal confiscation." When Sarkozy came to power in 2007, he introduced a "tax shield" that capped tax at 50 per cent of all income. Opinion polls consistently put Hollande comfortably ahead of Sarkozy in the presidential race.

http://www.english.rfi.fr/economy/20...tax-super-rich

[Mael]

Jérôme Cahuzac says he didn't know about this :lol oh boy, what the fuck is going on. Get it together, guys !

Oh Lord, this is Royale 2007 part 2....

[G.O.O.]

Oh Lord, this is Royale 2007 part 2....

I posted when I heard it. Hollande and Cahuzac okay'd and now it seems to be over.

But yeah, that was bad. That was really bad.

More about the 75 % tax thing : http://www.lemonde.fr/election-presi...9_1471069.html

[G.O.O.]

Sarkozy boo'd in Bayonne, blames the PS

http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/arti...ens_id=1588921

Il a ensuite interpellé directement le parti socialiste : "Je suis désolé de voir que des militants socialistes, de M. Hollande, s'associent à des indépendantistes dans des manifestations de violences (...) si c'est ça leur conception de la démocratie, le débat doit vraiment s'engager car nous n'avons pas la même. Ce sont des comportements indignes d'un parti politique". "François Hollande, toute son équipe, condamnent toute violence. Il peut toujours y avoir des provocateurs, mais il n'y avait aucun militant socialiste, évidemment, dans ces incidents, dans ces violences", s'est empressé de réagir Manuel Valls, directeur de la communication de François Hollande, sur BFM-TV. Tandis que le président-candidat s'envolait vers Bruxelles, sa porte-parole, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet a, à son tour, mis en cause le PS : "Il semble que le Parti socialiste ait organisé à Bayonne des manifestations de rue contre Nicolas Sarkozy et qu'il n'ait pas hésité à s'associer à des indépendantistes basques à cette occasion", a-t-elle déclaré à l'AFP, invitant le PS à "respecter les règles du débat démocratique". "La déclaration de la porte-parole de Nicolas Sarkozy n'a pas le moindre fondement. C'est une déclaration par laquelle elle se décrédibilise" a réagi Delphine Batho, l'une des porte-paroles de François Hollande, demandant que l'équipe de Nicolas Sarkozy "ne cherche pas à cacher son désarroi en manipulant la réalité". A son arrivée au Conseil européen en début de soirée, Nicolas Sarkozy a une nouvelle fois interpellé son rival sur les incidents de l'après-midi :"Je ne peux pas imaginer une seconde que M. Hollande ne condamne pas ces méthodes (...) François Hollande se grandirait en condamnant ces comportements".

Those damn socialists.

[Computer]

Marine Le Pen claims to have 452 signatures: http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/pol...ml#xtor=AL-447

[Kurtofan]

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/pol...t_1089275.html

Now Gueant says that foreigners will make Halal food compulsory in kids' cafeterias.
Jesus the UMP doesn't even try to cover their tracks while sucking the far right votes now.
They just don't give a shit anymore.

Next time they will ally with the FN, Berlusconi style.

He also called Correze (Hollande is the president of the general council of Correze) "the Greece of France".

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/pol...e_1082427.html

The article says the Correzian debt went from 35 millions to 300 millions under a right wing presidency, so Gluant is full of bullshit.

[Computer]

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/pol...t_1089275.html Now Gueant says that foreigners will make Halal food compulsory in kids' cafeterias. Jesus the UMP doesn't even try to cover their tracks while sucking the far right votes now. They just don't give a shit anymore. Next time they will ally with the FN, Berlusconi style. He also called Correze (Hollande is the president of the general council of Correze) "the Greece of France". http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/pol...e_1082427.html

Why ally with a party that absolutely hates them, especially when Sarkozy, NKM, Chirac, Fillon AND Copé said it would never happen?

[Kurtofan]

Why ally with a party that absolutely hates them, especially when Sarkozy, NKM, Chirac, Fillon AND Copé said it would never happen?

There are some UMP mps who would like to ally with them, not saying that's the case for the higher ups NOW, but it might happen in the next decades.

[Computer]

There are some UMP mps who would like to ally with them, not saying that's the case for the higher ups NOW, but it might happen in the next decades.

Yeah, such as Christian Vanneste... oh wait.

[Tribes of Trusty]

Marine Le Pen claims to have 452 signatures: http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/pol...ml#xtor=AL-447

Come on, everyone knows she's going to have her signatures. She's just doing this to gain media attention.

Also, LOL @ Hervé Morin retiring from the campaign and urging the mayors to give "his" signatures to Marine Le Pen. Also, Marine Le Pen reviling Arabs/Muslims/Foreign people is nothing new, but I find it quite laughable to attack with such force halal food while kosher food is basically the same, but hey, attacking the jewish in France has never been a good idea since 1945.

Aaah I don't know who I'll vote for. I hate the UMP representatives (Sarkozy irkes me to no end, Guéant is a despicable individual, rraaaah), I find Hollande half-full of bullshit (taxing 75% of revenue of some people ? Yeah right who believes this), and the candidate I had the most sympathy for (Bayrou) has the most stupid idea (imho) as a frame for his electoral agenda ("Yeah so we're going to add one or two euros to French products, and French people as good patriotic protectionnist consumers will buy way more French goods, and so I'll be able to straighten France's economical situation"). And if Le Pen is elected (which I believe she won't. I also think being a woman is a handicap for gaining votes), well...I'll flee for my life

[Computer]

Come on, everyone knows she's going to have her signatures. She's just doing this to gain media attention. Also, LOL @ Hervé Morin retiring from the campaign and urging the mayors to give "his" signatures to Marine Le Pen. Also, Marine Le Pen reviling Arabs/Muslims/Foreign people is nothing new, but I find it quite laughable to attack with such force halal food while kosher food is basically the same, but hey, attacking the jewish in France has never been a good idea since 1945. Aaah I don't know who I'll vote for. I hate the UMP representatives (Sarkozy irkes me to no end, Guéant is a despicable individual, rraaaah), I find Hollande half-full of bullshit (taxing 75% of revenue of some people ? Yeah right who believes this), and the candidate I had the most sympathy for (Bayrou) has the most stupid idea (imho) as a frame for his electoral agenda ("Yeah so we're going to add one or two euros to French products, and French people as good patriotic protectionnist consumers will buy way more French goods, and so I'll be able to straighten France's economical situation"). And if Le Pen is elected (which I believe she won't. I also think being a woman is a handicap for gaining votes), well...I'll flee for my life [IMG]

Does kosher food require that you slit the animals' throats without anesthesia?

[Tribes of Trusty]

Does kosher food require that you slit the animals' throats without anesthesia?

Yes. In fact, Islam and Judaism share a hell lot of similarities. And at the time this custom was instaurated, there was not animal anesthesia, ha ha.

EDIT : It's basically the same ritual. The only things that change is who do it and the "prayer" that is said.

[Kurtofan]

By the way Computer, you should remove the interrogation mark off Sarko in the OP.

[Alx]

I think kosher is even more restrictive. Food that is kosher is automatically halal, the opposite is not always true.

[Tribes of Trusty]

Anyways, I'm really tempted to vote for a candidate from one of the wings and vote at the legislatives for the opposite wing.

[Computer]

By the way Computer, you should remove the interrogation mark off Sarko in the OP.

Done.

[Kurtofan]

Anyways, I'm really tempted to vote for a candidate from one of the wings and vote at the legislatives for the opposite wing.

You want a cohabitation government?
Sarkozy-PS or Hollande-UMP?

[Tribes of Trusty]

You want a cohabitation government? Sarkozy-PS or Hollande-UMP?

That's the idea. I still don't know who. Maybe Hollande-UMP.