French Presidential Election, 2017

[Hrafn]

I guess if people can spin the recent dutch election as PVV "losing" to VVD when the former gained seats while the latter lost seats, it shouldn't come as a surprise that tbey would use the same wacky logic to say that Le Pen getting 37% of the vote when all the other parties rallied behind the opponent means that she was "annihilated".

[jamescfm]

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[Auditorii]

France has been handed into a basket to a Rothschild's trained banker. Le Pen is an idiot and had no place but Macron is a pawn.

[jamescfm]

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[Axxell]

Ah... I needed to read some good and healthy conspirationism on particracy!

[Auditorii]

It really isn't a conspiracy, it's the same with any corporation. They are there to make money, if they can involve themselves in affairs that make them money, they will. The international finance community and many other international corporations have been involved in many shady things. That isn't a conspiracy, that's a fact.

As for a Rothschilds trained banker I more or less meant a very pro-Globalizationist which I believe is inherently bad for lower class citizens when it comes to economics. Trickle down economies doesn't work, which i think gloabalization is really about.

[General.M]

I guess if people can spin the recent dutch election as PVV "losing" to VVD when the former gained seats while the latter lost seats, it shouldn't come as a surprise that tbey would use the same wacky logic to say that Le Pen getting 37% of the vote when all the other parties rallied behind the opponent means that she was "annihilated".

The PVV lost to VVD. In the polls the PVV and the VVD were equal but the election turned out differend. And about losing seats, you have to see things in perspective. In 2012 there was a two battle with the right wing VVD versus left wing PvdA. The conservative and center parties got completely skipped. This year was completely differend and everything worked like a multi party system.

And Le Pen wasnt annihilated but easily defeated. That is still not good if you're a Le Pen supporter.

[UniSocAll]

Marine Le Pen. She and Front National are France's only hope. Her winning would not only be good for France, but for all of Europe. If the AfD also wins in Germany, that would make 2017 the best year ever. And then there's the Dutch election on top of that.
I'm in a winning mood.

LOLdotGIF

2017 has indeed been a great year - nationalist extremists are 0-4 so far in Europe.

[Hrafn]

I guess if people can spin the recent dutch election as PVV "losing" to VVD when the former gained seats while the latter lost seats, it shouldn't come as a surprise that tbey would use the same wacky logic to say that Le Pen getting 37% of the vote when all the other parties rallied behind the opponent means that she was "annihilated".

The PVV lost to VVD. In the polls the PVV and the VVD were equal but the election turned out differend. And about losing seats, you have to see things in perspective. In 2012 there was a two battle with the right wing VVD versus left wing PvdA. The conservative and center parties got completely skipped. This year was completely differend and everything worked like a multi party system.

And Le Pen wasnt annihilated but easily defeated. That is still not good if you're a Le Pen supporter.

No, she did well. We didn't actually expect her to win this election, but we had some hope. What's important is that Front National is advancing its positions. She had a chance of taking the presidency this time, and her (or her successor's) chances will be even higher next time, not least because support for Front National increases as you go down the age brackets. Nationalism will grow as the old farts die off and new young voters come of age.

[Reddy]

I guess if people can spin the recent dutch election as PVV "losing" to VVD when the former gained seats while the latter lost seats, it shouldn't come as a surprise that tbey would use the same wacky logic to say that Le Pen getting 37% of the vote when all the other parties rallied behind the opponent means that she was "annihilated".

The PVV lost to VVD. In the polls the PVV and the VVD were equal but the election turned out differend. And about losing seats, you have to see things in perspective. In 2012 there was a two battle with the right wing VVD versus left wing PvdA. The conservative and center parties got completely skipped. This year was completely differend and everything worked like a multi party system.

And Le Pen wasnt annihilated but easily defeated. That is still not good if you're a Le Pen supporter.

No, she did well. We didn't actually expect her to win this election, but we had some hope. What's important is that Front National is advancing its positions. She had a chance of taking the presidency this time, and her (or her successor's) chances will be even higher next time, not least because support for Front National increases as you go down the age brackets. Nationalism will grow as the old farts die off and new young voters come of age.

That won't work. Young "farts' age and become old "farts". The same reasons and pressures that drove their fathers and grandfathers to vote the way they did in old age, will also drive the former "young farts" to vote as their forebears did. It's not a strategy that could work in a country with an ageing population and the highest life expectancy in the world. For the record, I don't and have never supported the FN, they belong in the same dustbin I place all other populist parties.

I think LePen made a great strategic error in the second round. She should have dropped the populism and focused instead on wooing Fillon supporters who could be attracted to her stance on social issues but not her old school and extreme economic dirigisme. I think such voters would have willingly defied Fillon's directive for them to support Macron in the run-off. Her pessimism was depressing and as Corbyn proved today, much like Macron, the voters will respond positively to optimism. She would have still lost but perhaps crossed the important psychological and political barrier of 40%.