What pisses me off with the electoral success of this facist is that nowadays, racists don't hide themselves. Hating jews and arabs is becoming politically correct among some people. A woman was saying on TV that when (when!) Le Pen is elected, they'll send all jews to Israel, and that jews are not "actual french people". Arabs likewise. Everyone should fight against this.
It really hurts my throat to say this, but we've got to vote Chirac in the second round, and to convince everyone around us that they have to do the same. Unless you're a chiraquian -- and even on the right wing very few people are these days, him being a crook and all that -- it probably hurts, possibly deeply. But it's really got to be an electoral landslide so that we can bury the fascist pig under our votes and tell Chirac at the same time that he wasn't elected by those that support him.
And then there are the parliamentary elections. Chirac and his new UMP party are already planning an alliance -- overt or covert is yet to be seen -- with the fascists. He's started to talk about immigration, he's invited the former traitors Soisson, Blanc, and Millon back into view, he's already sent his people to negociate with the FN in the south of France. Whatever our political inclinations, that too is something we have to fight lest we'll see fascism banalised and partaking in power.
*sigh*, as if I needed to be active on the political side of my life just when I'm buried in work to do and email to answer... but since Sunday, that's pretty much the least of my concerns.
Re:You know what to do...
TorgoX on 2002-05-02T21:32:58
It really hurts my throat to say this, but we've got to vote Chirac in the second round, and to convince everyone around us that they have to do the sameMerely theoretical question, mind you, but one what might relate to the current problems in France: What happens under the French constitution if Chirac or Le Pen is elected, and then assassinated? (Or otherwise suddenly dies.)
Re:You know what to do...
darobin on 2002-05-02T22:41:34
This has come up a bunch of times in many, many discussions recently...
If a candidate dies during the second round runoff, the elections are cancelled and we start all over again (ie, it isn't the third one that becomes second).
If a President dies in exercize (it's happened already) there is a short period of interim governed (I think) by the Prime Minister the purpose of which is to have a new election take place.
In other words there is no vice-president, and yes it's technically a solution. If you know of any suicidal madmen, you'd do 60 million people a big favour (probably more if you take into account the fact that France has some influence abroad).
One reason why this idea came up so often is also because a few weeks before the first round a mad guy stood up during a town hall meeting (they're always open to citizens) and shot quite a few people before killing himself the next day. His diary reveals that he felt like he was nothing, and wanted to become famous, to "live once through their deaths". The general feeling is that he could have picked much better targets...
Re:You know what to do...
TorgoX on 2002-05-02T23:19:58
If you know of any suicidal madmen, you'd do 60 million people a big favourFar be it for me to advocate the assassination of a foreign "leader" (to do that, I'd have to be in the US State Department) -- but, since when does one have to be a madman to put someone out of the country's misery?
By the way, is there any provision for "recall elections" under the French constitution? I.e., a petition forcing a re-vote.
Re:You know what to do...
darobin on 2002-05-02T23:33:36
Well, you might not need to be a madman, but you'd at least need to be suicidal
:-) Chirac is still President while he's candidate, and thus under presidential protection (read: real elite stuff). Le Pen has his own squad (in addition to the cops provided for candidate security) called the DPS. Those guys are almost, but not quite, illegal. Not long ago several of them were arrested because they had been hired by "someone" to "someone else" to commit putshes in several African nations. The FN was never found to be directly related, but... So either way, whoever manages to kill would most likely die.
There is no provision for a recall election of any sort. This consitution was made by de Gaulle, and thus tends to grant the President royal status (albeit for a limited amount of time). It sucks, that's why I'm thinking seriously about joining the C6R, a committee for the VIth Republic.
Re:You know what to do...
rafael on 2002-05-03T06:57:55
If a President dies in exercize (it's happened already) there is a short period of interim governed (I think) by the Prime Minister the purpose of which is to have a new election take place.I think it's the president of the Senate.
The effect of the "decentering" part of postmodernism is that every idea sounds equally (in)sane, and (un)worthy of respect or consideration.
Re:These days
darobin on 2002-05-02T22:54:35
I rather doubt this is the mechanism at work here. France had a pretty much different approach to contestation when postmodernism came out, and I don't think it had/has the same impact.
Remember that racism is outlawed in France, even in (public) speech. That's because (to make a long argument short) political freedom is considered superior to the freedom of speech. The reason the FN wasn't forbidden (even though Le Pen was fined many times) was to avoid giving them more cred by making them look like martyrs -- imho a bad move.
There has always been an extreme-right in France, and there has always been racism. The history of racism in France is in fact rather simple: before the Dreyfus affair it was rather commonplace, after it it became a right-wing/conservative thing (and this is still noticeable today), and then after WWII it moved farther to the extreme-right and became more covert.
I don't think people are more racist today than they were ten years ago, in fact I think they're less so if only thanks to increased mixity in schools and lodging politics. Le Pen's last campaign was far more moderate than his previous ones, and he only gained less than a million more votes. His seat in the second round is only due to the fact that both traditional parties suffered seriously (Socialists lost 2 million, RPR/UDF lost 4, the rest was scattered accross a host of candidates).
The only problem we are facing (racism-wise) due to the results of the first round is that people that are racists (only part of Le Pen's electorate) now feel legitimate instead of hiding. That's one reason -- probably the main reason -- why the May 1rst demonstrations were so important: it shows everyone in this country (and abroad) that there's no way racism will take over and those bastards can voice their opinions proudly. No bloody way.
Re:These days
TorgoX on 2002-05-02T23:16:49
France had a pretty much different approach to contestation when postmodernism came out, and I don't think it had/has the same impact.What's contestation?
Re:These days
darobin on 2002-05-02T23:35:23
Looks like French to me
;-) Contestation is a general term that covers pretty much all forms of disagreement, protest, etc. This includes direct confrontation as well as just doing things differently in such a way that it challenges something else. Re:These days
TorgoX on 2002-05-03T00:03:48
France had a pretty much different approach to contestation when postmodernism came out, and I don't think it had/has the same impact.Interesting! What's France's approach to contestation (protest/opposition) been?
