French Elections - what do you think of France ?
In two weeks will take place the 1st round of French elections.
It may not interest everybody here, but as a French guy, I am of course totally involved in this election.
I was wondering what do foreigners think about this event, and more generally about France and French.
Don't hesitate to tell what you really feel and think. We are not as susceptible as we seem...
French opinions are also welcomed on this election...
Olivier
i hope that LePen win these elections. actually france needs a complete reorganisation of it's system to keep france for the french and all the visitors to be well welcomed without being,some of them, a threaten to the country and it's security.
I am quite surprised to what you're saying about Blair.
Except his strong involvment in Irak War, I have always considered him to be close to British population.
As for health and education, I don' know how it is right now. But I remember when I was younger that some Britishs had to come to France to have a medical surgery, or even just to meet a specialist. It really shocked me. I have always thought this was inherited from M. Thatcher policy.
As for France, Anali, I totally agree with you. The nationalist party seems stronger and stronger every day. Having said that, suspense is still remaining, and I guess that until last day we won't be sure of anything. I read that more than 1/3 of the population still doesn't know who to vote for... That could of course change everything.
... that for the second time the nationalist party, represented by Jean Marie Le Pen, will be at the 2nd round...
There are currently four candidates that may have a chance to win :
Nicolas Sarkozy : right wing
Ségolène Royal : left wing
François Bayrou : ... in the middle... ??!!
JM Le Pen : nationalist party.
For the first time, I do really not know who to vote for, as they all represent the French decline for the last 20-30 years.
The biggest issue which was raised during the campaign is quite frightening : the national identity.
Even the socialists agree on that theme... As France is one of the pillar of European Union with Germany, I'm afraid that this debate won't help us to build a stronger Europe.
We I don't know much about the election but France is a beautiful country and I know quite a few Frenchies here. I like them.
had better live as we think, otherwise we shall end up by thinking as we lived. - Paul Bourget
50cent Candy Shop what a song by her olive i forgot her full name does any one know
I am both Vietnamese and French. I love these two countries, even though I have been living in France for the major part of my life.
I hope Sarko won't win this election. 5 years of right wing government have ruined our economy and created an amazing gap between rich and poors.
Serendipity, no need to wait for Sarko... Chirac has already done the same social damages in France...
I'm sorry to say, Oliv, that the vast majority of British people won't be in the slightest bit interested in our neighbour's presidential election.
I believe there's more interest and more media coverage of US presidential elections when they're happening. In fact, there's probably more coverage of Clinton and Obama at the moment, even though the US election is months away, than there is interest in Sarko and Royal. The French election is way down the news agenda at the moment here in the UK.
More generally, I have a sneaking admiration for the way the French are so passionate about every day issues and how they are affected by politics, and I love the way the French are so bolshy.
I love France (lived and worked there briefly, in both Bourges and Montpellier) and really enjoy the French way of life. Although having said that, I appreciate a lot of young French people are feeling compelled to leave by lack of opportunities, which is very tough.
France needs Sarko like it needs a hole in the head.
Sarkozy is supposed to be something of a Blairite.
Ask most British people what they think about having lived through a decade of Blairism.
You'd be incredibly lucky to get Segolene Royal instead of Sarkozy, and not have to spend the next ten years living through the French equivalent of the New Labour project, which has basically destroyed the health and education systems in the UK, and done nothing to improve social equality.
After a decade of Blair, the richer have gotten richer and the poor have gotten poorer, and there was report published recently by... Save the Children... I think... that said that many of the UK's children are living in poverty, below the officially recognised poverty line.
If you want that to happen in France, then vote for Sarkozy. God help you if you do.
I hope Nicolas Sarkozy wins the election. France needs him