Will L’Union Populaire be popular? They have all the policies that appeal - albeit totally unaffordable ones! Seems a good move to me to unite the factions on the left, although I worry that this will fragment the vote and allow Le Pen and her bullies to get a few seats.
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worrying times indeed… the stability of the 5th Republic is at stake here. I desperately hope that L’REM maintain their lead in the Assembly.
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That’s where the populist left and right converge.
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Interesting speculation - Les Républicains could disappear entirely!
La “Nouvelle union populaire écologique et sociale” ou Nupes s’en sort très bien, et serait présente au second tour dans 471 circonscriptions. C’est plus que La République en marche (448 qualifications) et que le Rassemblement national qui ne serait au second tour que dans 296 circonscriptions. Loin derrière, Les Républicains et Reconquête ne seraient au second que dans une circonscription chacun : la 14e de Paris pour le parti d’Éric Zemmour, à Wallis-et-Futuna dans le cas de LR. Attention tout de même, car cette modélisation se base sur les résultats à l’élection présidentielle. On ne vote pas exactement pareil à la présidentielle et aux législatives.
And the extreme right is obviously worried…
M.Piolle projette d’autoriser le burkini dans les piscines municipales. Je mets le maire en garde : dans ce cas, la Région coupera toute subvention à la ville de Grenoble. Pas un centime des Auvergnats-Rhônalpins ne financera votre soumission à l’islamisme.
En écoutant de CNews jusqu’au Printemps Républicain, je serais apparemment “islamo-gauchiste” et “wokiste”. Les mots inventés par l’extrême droite empoisonnent le débat public. Je suis universaliste, je me bats contre l’antisémitisme, le racisme et toutes les discriminations.
They have hated Piolle ever since he has elected, so loose no opportunity to throw stones. Nothing new!
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‘45% of respondents to an Ifop poll last month said they didn’t know who she was.’
What’s interesting is that our regional capital - Rennes - took the same step (allowing both men and women to wear any design of swimwear in public pools) 3 years ago without any controversy - so yes, it’s just the extreme right playing culture-war politics in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
I see Tory Baroness Warsi has just made a speech condemning the ‘culture war’ tactics of the UK govenment:
“I’m increasingly of the view that culture wars are sapping our energies and stopping us from solving the real issues of the day. A divided country may help win elections, but it doesn’t win a nation.”
Never mind the burkini controversy, I found it strange that everywhere else French municipal regs apparently compel men to wear budgie smugglers.
Yes - this was always the norm in France - slowly changing now.
The reason given was generally hygiene - you shouldn’t go in a public pool with the clothes you were (or might have been) wearing in the street.
One of those cultural differences poorly understood in the UK media, which tends to see these issues of dress as if they were taking place in an anglo-saxon cultural environment.
Thanks Geof
Call me old-fashioned, but I’d always naively assumed there were intermediate male sartorial options between streetwear and Speedos
I always thought it was because they were less likely to fall off and shock people! As can happen with other types of swimming trunks.
The thing I have never understood about the UK is why people don’t shower first before getting into a shared or public pool.
In my experience not many French people would be shocked. Soon after we moved to France we were walking through some local woods on a very hot day, and came upon 2 young women relaxing in a little pool, completely naked. Really, I thought, I am now living in another country (of the mind).
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Hence, my last response, better wait until the elections to form un gouvernement parlementaire?
Nope… daft as it might well seem, the delay was already being criticised as “too long”.
However, there are only 14 who are standing (including the PM of course).
Hopefully, it will cement the standing of the government if those named are seen to be supported by Joe Publique…
(there’s no written Rule about resigning… blah blah… but Macron has confirmed that this is what will happen, if…)
I think it is a brave move by the PM to put her name forward in the Legislatives… let’s hope her bravery is rewarded.
EDIT: this link talks through the Legislatives of 2017 and it’s quite interesting.
https://www.france24.com/en/20170522-france-high-stakes-legislative-elections-primer-macron-lower-house
and this link discusses 2022 tactics etc
Interesting - I didn’t realise that over half of registered voters had not voted in 2017. That’s shocking really. It’s this trend to political disengagement across the developed world - I’ve been noting it in the UK for years - that really worries me.
There is little comment on it in the media. The Australian Labor Party is currently being lauded for a famous victory when in fact its vote is down on the last election (only votes for the Greens and other outlying alternative parties, and not voting at all, actually went up!). Johnson’s big majority in the UK in 2019 was similarly reported - the fact that less than a quarter of the electorate actually voted for him glossed over completely. But it is this increasing disillusion with conventional politics - perhaps with democracy itself - that should be the big story.