Pajamas Media

The Scolder of France

The battle is heating up between Royal and Sarkozy as they hustle for support for the second round of voting in the French presidential election, while centrist Bayrou is playing his hand. PJM Paris editor Nidra Poller has all the details....

April 25, 2007

Support Pajamas Media; Visit Our Advertisers

French elections: Bayrou’s Press Conference
5 PM in Paris April 25, 2007
by Nidra Poller

No, Fran√ßois Bayrou does not like S√©gol√®ne Royal more than he hates Nicolas Sarkozy. Only one person can be president of Bayrou’s France-he, himself, and Bayrou. A few days before the first round of voting he was crowing about his inevitable victory. The French people, he announced with pretentious simplicity, are going to give us one of their famous surprises. Then the French people voted and the results are in-over 30% for Nicolas Sarkozy, over 25% percent for S√©gol√®ne Royal, crumbs for the extreme Right and Left, a record turnout. The biggest turnout since the inception of direct voting for president (1965), a record that all democratic countries admire and will want to match.

But Fran√ßois Bayrou, who is always talking about democracy, equality, fairness, decency, thinks that the 7 million people who voted for him are more equal than all the others. His defeat is the greatest victory. Nothing will ever be the same.

He began the long-winded press conference with a snapshot of France-suffering terribly but full of potential; and kisses for his supporters and himself-I am the only new force.

Then he expanded the snapshot to a slide show of France’s miseries, with a very heavy appeal to the ghettoes. Some people claim that immigration is a problem, no, it’s a symptom. A country that is doing well can integrate its immigrants. What we need is economic growth. And we need to patch up the tattered social fabric.

After a long introduction, he finally he got to the point. Was he going to swing his vote to someone? If so whom?

Bayrou sang his old sweet song: Oh this never-ending confrontation between S√©gol√®ne and Sarkozy, between the Right and the Left, between the two clans. It won’t solve anything! (I tell you, if he were a dictator he would have called new elections, and again new elections, until the voters finally realized that they want what he wants).

First he trashed Sarkozy with the usual insults: brutal, heartless, power-hungry, tough & rough, friend and ally of the filthy rich. Sarkozy will tear the social fabric to shreds.

Then he trashed S√©gol√®ne. Yes, she does seem to have good intentions, but her excessive reliance on State interference will be a disaster for the economy, it’s the opposite of what’s needed, she will do irreparable damage.

He leaves his voters in limbo. Those who follow him to the ends of the earth will stay home on election day. The others will have to decide for themselves.

Pages: 123456789Next »

17 Comments

Michael Byrne:

France, land of love and wine and fine dining. Look at what it becomes now. Ashamed!

Apr 22, 2007 - 9:07 am Jewish Odysseus:

Nidra, thank you so much for these vivid reports from the Land of the Burning Synagogue. I am always reluctant to say this, but I fear Sarkozy is the last chance for France to stay avoid a vast, violent pothole in its national history.

OTOH, at one time Chirac was considered a “conservative, pro-American” candidate in la France, a favorite of William F. Buckley, Jr., so we shd not expect TOO much from a Sarkozy win, n’est ce pas?

Apr 22, 2007 - 9:28 am al veldstra:

as an american, born in the netherlands I am glad to be an american and not living in europe where everything goes except Christianity, Jews and guns.

Apr 22, 2007 - 10:44 am pch1013:

85% voter turnout is nothing to be ashamed of.

Apr 22, 2007 - 10:53 am ParisParamus:

Thank you for your reporting.

I hope Sarkozy wins, but France entered the cynical, passive whirlpool that is socialism long ago, and I doubt there’s any way for it to break out.

Love-hate relationships, c’est √ßa, la France, pour moi.

Apr 22, 2007 - 11:56 am RE:

It seems this election is merely about the rate of France’s decline. Sarkozy will slow it, but he can’t fix it. The French simply love their entitlements too much.

Apr 22, 2007 - 12:15 pm A Reagan American:

Nidra:
Thanks for the great reporting.

One of the problem in France, as in Europe and in the U.S. is the lack of objective history education. And it is getting worse: I just read recently that the british schools will stop teaching about the holocaust in order not to offend the muslim students!

As a naturalized American from European origin, I can appreciate the fact that the europeans cannot relate to the Americans’ attachment to the “right to bear arms”. In their histories strong autoritarian governments made every effort to keep the people from owning arms in fear that they might revolt. On the other hand, in the U.S. arms have always been a necessity for self defense especially on the frontier, and the Founders also recognized that without their “right to bear arms” they would never have been able to revolt against the british oppression.

While the majority of Americans are of European descent (still !), the last 300+ years have taught the Americans a different reality than the Europeans. We/they skip over those differences and we/they forget history at our/their own perils.

Again, thanks for your reporting and for educating the locals one at a time, a task the schools and the media have abdicated.

Apr 22, 2007 - 2:03 pm Odd Dieu:

“found the assailants, attempted to settle their differences peacefully.”

Wow! Even on the front lines of the soo-to-be-civil war in France, where they should really know better (from history and just common sense) there is still an incredible amount of confusion and magical thinking.

Apr 22, 2007 - 2:47 pm TBinSTL:

Is a Sarkozy win a good thing? I am asking this from a US perspective. I get the feeling that it is, but I would like more analysis than I can seem to find on the net. If it’s good then how good? Since dissidentfrogman went silent my sense ability to get clear, english language, analysis has degraded greatly.

Apr 22, 2007 - 4:08 pm J. Mark English:

If it was based on looks she would win hands down. I mean she is very good looking!

http://www.americanlegends.blogspot.com/

Apr 22, 2007 - 5:38 pm Rowina:

I think the second round will actually be very close, and I fear that S√©go will come out on top. Irrational fear, perhaps, but leftist anger is going to erupt, and I’m sure S√©go will find the right promises to make before the final vote. And yet, out here in the provinces I saw more S√©go posters defaced than Sarko, and the only political graffiti to be found is the ever present, “Le Pen…vite!” So maybe I’m just paranoid.

BTW, I’m guessing she will probably fly out of Niort, seat of the prefecture of Deux-S√®vres.

Apr 22, 2007 - 6:33 pm Andrew:

I think Sarkozy will win, but ultimately there will be a repetition of 1940. The only difference is that the enemy is internal now. It’s a shame, but inevitable given the nature of the French. Since America won’t save France a third time, all we ask is that the refugees head for Quebec and not here.

Yeah, it’s a mean-spirited comment, but I’m still angry about how the wonderful artwork in the Abbesses Metro station was vandalized by some banlieue punks and *still* hasn’t been cleaned up as of late last year.

Apr 23, 2007 - 12:03 am Noga:

“Never mind that the various blends of Trotskyism, Communism, and anti-globalizationism couldn’t agree on a unified candidature, never mind that they hate each other’s guts and each one was determined to destroy our economy and reduce us to wretched slavery in his own personal way, even if you lump them together they don’t amount to more than 13% of the total… And since you can’t lump them together, its 13% worth of nothing.”

I’m sorry, it’s just too irresistible:

BRIAN: Are you the Judean People’s Front?

REG: Fuck off!

BRIAN: What?

REG: Judean People’s Front. We’re the People’s Front of Judea! Judean People’s Front. Cawk.

FRANCIS: Wankers.

BRIAN: Can I… join your group?

REG: No. Piss off.

BRIAN: I didn’t want to sell this stuff. It’s only a job. I hate the Romans as much as anybody.

PEOPLE’S FRONT OF JUDEA: Shhhh. Shhhh. Shhh. Shh. Shhhh.

REG: Stumm.

JUDITH: Are you sure?

BRIAN: Oh, dead sure. I hate the Romans already.

REG: Listen. If you really wanted to join the P.F.J., you’d have to really hate the Romans.

BRIAN: I do!

REG: Oh, yeah? How much?

BRIAN: A lot!

REG: Right. You’re in. Listen. The only people we hate more than the Romans are the fucking Judean People’s Front.

P.F.J.: Yeah…

JUDITH: Splitters.

P.F.J.: Splitters…

FRANCIS: And the Judean Popular People’s Front.

P.F.J.: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Splitters. Splitters…

LORETTA: And the People’s Front of Judea.

P.F.J.: Yeah. Splitters. Splitters…

REG: What?

LORETTA: The People’s Front of Judea. Splitters.

REG: We’re the People’s Front of Judea!

LORETTA: Oh. I thought we were the Popular Front.

REG: People’s Front! C-huh.

FRANCIS: Whatever happened to the Popular Front, Reg?

REG: He’s over there.

P.F.J.: Splitter!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/

Apr 23, 2007 - 9:49 am ic:

Demonizing Sarkozy didn’t work on the first round, and it will be useless in the final round. But it will not disappear.

The BDS virus that infected the left manifested as Bush Derangement Syndrome,jumped the Atlantic to England in the form of Blair Derangement, skipped to Australia as Howard Derangement. Now the virus mutated once more to Sarko Derangement. Anyone cares to guess where and when and who will catch the bug next?

Apr 23, 2007 - 5:00 pm sml:

As an American living in the southwest of France, always reported as traditionally left (? I know lots of Americans at heart-although most would cringe because we the people are portrayed as psycho gun toting cowboys aka old wild west) anyway back to subject, in my little village, most people voted for Bayrou because he was a small step towards what Sarkozy proposes but not too radical!
The French are very cautious by nature and only “swing-out, full-scale” when they are sure to flash full colors is safe, think about it, in a country where it’s been not ok to be outside main stream politcal thought (ie death or exile), you learn to be cautious if you don’t agree. Since Mitterand, anyone who felt HE was wrong was exiled, and DeGaulle, same thing, both men revered as saints of FRANCE!

Go back to the Protestant reformations, France swung all over the place, and still the favorite king is Henri the 4th who switched parties (well?beliefs) to be king…

Apr 25, 2007 - 1:25 am Nomad:

I can see to whom leans the orientation of these articles, don’t worry Sarko will get the votes, a “karcher” for five years is not the death penalty ;

As far as Bayrou is concerned, he is not that idiot you presented ; he’ll have a chance to lead the new party “parti d√©mocrate” with Sego with the most part of her partisans + right dissidents; so Sarko will not have the full liberty to initiate his radical “liberal” ideas

Apr 28, 2007 - 10:15 am Nomad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEt9kAOjTFw&eurl=

do not rely on the appearances

May 1, 2007 - 8:50 am