Jean-Marie Le Pen interviewed
Le Monde has filleted his interview in Paris Match, so here are the highlights in English:
"I am of the centre right...I haven't changed, but France has moved to the left".
He claims to have been close to De Gaulle but had two sticking points: "There needed to be national reconciliation after the war. Petain was the shield and [De Gaulle] the epée". And Algeria... He also notes having "une certaine idée de la France", a phrase with huge resonance in French, being as identified with De Gaulle as "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" is with the Greatest Ever Englishman.
Elsewhere he claims there are enough haut fonctionnaires etc prepared to work with him, and he will not side with either Sego or Sarko if they are the final duo, with his (possible) decision depending on circumstances and stances on various questions. He also thinks that they are both 'outrageously mediatised', which I think could be rendered as 'all style no substance'.
Returning to Albion, it is mildly amusing that the odious Hattersley (see passim) now appears to be of the Left, whereas in the 80s he was of the right. The sadly missed Sage of Marylebone, Bernard Levin, referred to the process of a politician sticking to the same ideas while all around him or her moved - generally to the left - thus placing him / her elsewhere on the deeply unhelpful right - left continuum as the 'political red shift'.
"I am of the centre right...I haven't changed, but France has moved to the left".
He claims to have been close to De Gaulle but had two sticking points: "There needed to be national reconciliation after the war. Petain was the shield and [De Gaulle] the epée". And Algeria... He also notes having "une certaine idée de la France", a phrase with huge resonance in French, being as identified with De Gaulle as "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" is with the Greatest Ever Englishman.
Elsewhere he claims there are enough haut fonctionnaires etc prepared to work with him, and he will not side with either Sego or Sarko if they are the final duo, with his (possible) decision depending on circumstances and stances on various questions. He also thinks that they are both 'outrageously mediatised', which I think could be rendered as 'all style no substance'.
Returning to Albion, it is mildly amusing that the odious Hattersley (see passim) now appears to be of the Left, whereas in the 80s he was of the right. The sadly missed Sage of Marylebone, Bernard Levin, referred to the process of a politician sticking to the same ideas while all around him or her moved - generally to the left - thus placing him / her elsewhere on the deeply unhelpful right - left continuum as the 'political red shift'.
Labels: France
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on Thursday, January 04, 2007 at 3:36 pm.
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Lets face it the French are a bunch of wankers. I cant wait to see their slide into bankruptcy, probably happen 12 month before ours, at least they will be left with decent weather and cheap booze and plenty of guns to turn on the mucky foreign parasites living amongst them.
No matter what people say about him in public, Jean-Marie gets the votes in the privacy of the voting booth. Marine is softening his message and I think when she takes over, she will be a real political force. Their message is gaining resonance with the French as all these "youths" (of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean appearance") burn cars and injure police and firemen nightly. My friends in Paris tells me it hasn't gone away. They are still burning cars daily, but it's no longer reported as news. I think (without going back to look) there were something like 12,000 cars burnt in France last year.
BTW, I have posted another one on the Banning Words thread, which I think you ought to keep on the site so we can keep adding new ones as they occur to us.
Verity - not sure if the sidebar is showing up for you, but if so it is there in the 'Hall of Fame' section near the top, below archives and atop the links list. Failing that, here it is.
I have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, past the end of the posts, to find the sidebar. So there's something wrong with the site. Iain had this problem for a while as well, when he was changing over to his whirlygig of coloured banners.
The Socialists and the Gaullists were arguing the toss about the number of New Year's Eve vehicle burnings the other day.
...and an excellent debate too. Having to argue over whether damage caused to other cars than the one that was burned out counted as burned cars themselves.
How proud France should be of its bureaucratic traditions.
The figure is either 45,000 or 60,000 depending on which way you go apparently.
And given that the French buy French, it is good news for Renault and PSA, if not for Axa and Groupama, or more accurately their policy holders.
My ex-neighbours, who live in Paris but have a holiday home in my ex-village, tell me there are car burnings all over France every night but it just isn't news any more.
If it was anything but these aggressive islamic primitives, the Gendarmes would have shot them long ago.
I've seen a few car burnings in Streatham, although none here. And with that, I'm off out for a bit.
And if he doesn't stick to the same ideas, it's relativism.
The way JM Le Pen consigns his 15-18% share of the vote from the first round will effectively determine the second round. Whether Le Pen offers an explicit endorsement or not, I rather suspect that few of his typical voters will be backing Sego come the second round...Unless I am very much mistaken.
Veity said "If it was anything but these aggressive islamic primitives, the Gendarmes would have shot them long ago. "
How true...France is currently a basket case, living off
past achievements, drowning in a sea of self-hatred, governed by a clique of corrupt chancers. Ignored or held in contempt by much of the world. I'm not even sure if such a statist-friendly country can actually be reformed. I have long felt that France will be the first European country of the twenty-first century to ditch liberal democracy altogether. They just need a Petain.
I predict Jean-Marie will get an increased share of the vote this time. The French absolutely hate the islamics, but they're not allowed to say so. They are as thoroughly gagged re commenting on the islamics as the British, and like the British, they talk freely among themselves. Look for the FN to make gains.
The French have form when it comes to turning on minorities , last time they got it badly wrong , Lets hope that this time they get it right.
One way tickets back to Algeria and sub saharan africa all round.
Do you recall Verity that you were ticking me off for describing an Algerian ( I think) as mixed race( The Le Pen poster). I said at the time that I rather liked a few things I had heard him say . "Love this country or leave it" .Would suit me nicely here
You seemed very down on him. Now I am not a fascist I am a Conservative so I am highly cautious of such a character myself , but I was slightly suprised that you had so little sympathy. You tend to be a bit more "Liberated " in your thinking than me , less prejudiced you might say.
I may have misunderstood , but what is your atitude to Le Pen ?
Yes, I expect Jean Marie Le Pen will secure major gains in the elections this year. 'expect lots of apocalyptic reporting from the BBC and The Grauniad....When his daughter takes over the helm, I expect the FN will do even better. Across much of Europe (including Blighty) the masses are mightily dissatisfied with their rulers. And immigration and multiculturalism are top of the hate list. 'am expecting a far right breakthrough in many European states in the remainder of the decade and beyond.The tectonic plates are shifting....
BTW C the whole business of standing still while everyone shuffles works as we have both found geographically . I daresay you have much the same experiences as myself at "Uni".
In Islington whilst camaigning for the Leaseholders at the Town hall I was described as an extremist. I took possesion of the loudspeaker and bawled."I `m an Insurance Brokwer you prat but I`m living in a madhouse"
Much amusing word play folowed of a light heatrted and good natured sort.
Istanbultory- The tectonic plates may erupt into earthqake in wogland (Wogs start at Calais)..but not here. Far right support is still insignificant and the mainstream parties are already readjusting .We have a better system here by which we avoided revolution in the 19th century. That is why we are so detremined to keep it ........oh um...I see.
newmania,
I was, of course, referring only to wogland. It couldn't happen in Blighty...unless there was a PR system. Then all bets would be off.
Stamboul Tory - I am astounded! Are you misascribing a post to me that was written by someone else? Do I have a doppelganger?
I have always spoken up for Le Pen! When I lived in France, I spoke up for Le Pen (among friends)! I have noted until I feared that people's eyes would glaze over that M LePen doesn't like any foreigners living in France. His hero is Jean d'Arc and he can quote vast tracts from her speeches. He doesn't just want to shovel the islamics out (although that is definitely his favourite), but he wouldn't mind if 500,000 Brits sold up their homes and went back to blighty.
You write above: "When his daughter takes over the helm, I expect the FN will do even better." You are quoting the exact words written by me on other threads on this blog and on Iain's. I have always written that she will soften the message to make it more acceptable to people too squeamish about the truth. And he always out performs predictions. As I wrote as the second comment above on this thread: "No matter what people say about him in public, Jean-Marie gets the votes in the privacy of the voting booth."
I also don't remember caring one way or another about the term "mixed race".
Verity I think it is me you are referring to . I may well have got the wrong end of the stick but I happen to know both you and I suggested the Le Pen advertising campaign as featured in the telegraph might be a good topic. You said something to me along the lines of "Don’t project your personal circumstances on the image she isn’t mixed race she is Algerian ." Perhaps C can remember the date I can’t find it .
It doesn’t matter from what I hear of le Pen ( which is little )I was somewhat impressed . I probably got it wrong
newmania,it is misleading to say the far right here is insignificant.
the simple reality is that where the BNP/UKIP stand they do reletively well.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2004/euro_uk/html/front.stm
the problem they have is at generals where neither really has the organisation to stand in all seats.
and locals too
I am as baffled by Newmania's post as I was by Stamboul Tory's. Who are you referring to? what Algerian? Obviously, Martine LePen is not Algerian. What on earth are you talking about?
You write: "but I happen to know both you and I suggested the Le Pen advertising campaign as featured in the telegraph might be a good topic."
This is getting surreal.
Stamboul Tory, I have always said LePen has a huge underground following in middle class France.
None of the reservations expressed apply to me.
Rigger - the BNP are hard left, as in Hitler.
In any event, whichever is running in my constituency - the BNP or UKIP - I will be giving them my vote. The hard left BNP or the wimpy right UKIP is where I will put my X. Dave's Conservatives are BlueLab and I think that is how most people are now viewing them and avoiding them in droves.
I'm not keen on JMLP - he is old school nationalist / authoritarian, and only does as well as he does because of the sclerosis in French politics and the loathing of the succeession of enarque insiders inflicted on it.
John Mary's jokes about the Holocaust just aren't funny. Also, his pretence to have trouble with anyone whose name looks Jewish (often baffled Alsatians).
Also, he's not right wing enough.
BlueLab - nice one.
Jean-Marie is a clever old fox and he has softened his previous stance on Jews. He now reserves the full measure of his clever tongue for the islamics, which I find most endearing.
I keep saying, when Marine takes over, the FN will surge forward. She is very, very bright.
Is 3:03 the bona fide Verity?
As for LePen, I don't like the anti-semitism and I doubt he has significantly modified his views). In 2005, he claimed that the occupation of France by Nazi Germany "was not particularly inhumane". But when he says "Le jour où nous aurons en France, non plus 5 millions mais 25 millions de musulmans, ce sont eux qui commanderont", many would agree. He was actually fined 10,000 Euros for that comment on the grounds of inciting racial hatred.....
Yes, that was the genuine Verity. He won't be in power much longer, and Marine will move away from anti-Semiticism. JM is from another era. Marine is of today. They both want France for the French.
I see that the French establishment thinks islam is a race, too. The socialists are the most dangerous force known to man. I wish there was a way of destroying them.
If we were as ruthless as they are, we would ban the promulgation of socialism. In fact, why not? It's more toxic than anything else they have banned.
At the risk of infringing on PT's goading Lefties for pleasure and profit thread, one might ask why it is that Socialists decry whipping up hatred based on race, religion, gender, sexual preference etc etc etc, but are remarkably mute on the evils of the whipping up class hatred....
What's the point of fantasizing about banning free speech? Nothing shd be banned - except hysteria.
Sutton, in an idea world, almost nothing would be banned. But we are infested with manifestations of socialism, spreading a toxic stain across the civil fabric of Britain. In fact, they have, in a sense, almost succeeded in destroying the country, and with the new go at the EU constitution later this year, they may yet manage the coup de grâce.
I bet they don't.
The EU constitution will return in mini-treaty form. Following the French elections, it will be accepted and passed by the European Council sometime around September/October 2007. There will be no referendums (guaranteed) except in Ireland where it will be approved. There will be no veto by the UK or anyone else. Gordo will claim the UK interest has been successfully defended (a lie). That's the way it goes in the Byzantine world of EU politics. Bugger all we can do about it. And FWIW,Gordo will be utterly overwhelmed by the rise of the SNP and a disastrous result for Labour in Scotland in May 2007. Political debate in the second half of 2007 will be entirely dominated by the Scottish question ....not Europe.
You're assuming, of course, that Tony Blair will keep his word and go. [Props self up against wall to keep from falling down laughing.]
Right I've just made a note of those predictions in my diary. Let's see how you do as prophets!
New EU constitution - Scotland dominates 2nd half of 07 - ABlair stays on.
A ver que pasa.
6.1.7
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