And now a French General election too (2024)

[pbsmooth]

He's not just not from the winning party! He's from a party that used to be big but got annihilated at the election and is a very very long way away politically from the largest block, which won one third of the seats.

You could argue that’s one small positive spin they could put on it… It was a hung parliament, so they chose someone in between the two largest blocks - the left and RN. But clearly it’s appeasing Le Pen and the right-wing voters. Presumably he thinks it might win him some of those votes.

 

[The39thStep]

A pen picture of someone who is in between the left and the fascists. In running to be the Presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 2021 stood on a platform of France stopping all immigration for 3 to 5 years, and repeatedly voted against decriminalising homosexuality. Horrible right winger whose anointment was based on implementing Macrons 'reforms'.

New French PM vows to toughen stance on immigration, hints at tilt to right

Conservative Michel Barnier promises to uphold some of Macron’s policies while tackling a divided parliament.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[littlebabyjesus]

You could argue that’s one small positive spin they could put on it… It was a hung parliament, so they chose someone in between the two largest blocks - the left and RN. But clearly it’s appeasing Le Pen and the right-wing voters. Presumably he thinks it might win him some of those votes.

Macron's shower style themselves as centrists. So by Macron's own reasoning, the new PM is to the right of more than half of the parliament.

 

[gentlegreen]

 

[pbsmooth]

Macron's shower style themselves as centrists. So by Macron's own reasoning, the new PM is to the right of more than half of the parliament.

sure, well it was going to be one way or the other obviously…

 

[littlebabyjesus]

sure, well it was going to be one way or the other obviously…

Point is that the so-called centrists would rather rely on the support of the far right than make an accommodation of any kind with the left. Macron is determined to push through his cuts and won't let democracy stop him.

The repeated comparison of melenchon as a mirror image of le pen says it all really.

 

[yield]

Emmanuel Macron's coup is a shameless affront to democracy
Telegraph. 6 September 2024 https://archive.ph/i05ui

For the first time, the “barrage républicain” has favoured the Left. Yet, Macron has been more willing to negotiate with Marine Le Pen than with the Left-wing coalition (and therefore honouring the “republican dam” he once so defended). Marine Le Pen has become the de facto umpire to naming France’s newest prime minister.

Democracy is an imperfect game, with imperfect rules. But it’s one the citizens of France have been playing for a long time – and this particular set of rules has been in place since 1958. They shouldn’t be overturned to favour Macron’s or Le Pen’s political agendas.

Whether one agrees with the platform the Left was running isn’t the point here: an election was called, voters showed up to polling stations in the biggest turn-out since the 90s, and a party came first. They should be the prime negotiating party, and they should be represented in Government. Instead, they’re cast as the opposition and asked about their shadow cabinet.

That’s not playing the democratic game. That’s disrespecting the vote of French citizens and the campaign that was waged.

The French phrase for calling a spade a spade is to call a cat a cat. Maybe it’s time to update le dictionnaire and call a coup a coup.

When you've lost the staid british reactionaries.

 

[yield]

Macron unveils new right-wing French government
BBC News. 21 September 2024

French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his new government almost three months after a snap general election delivered a hung parliament.

The long-awaited new line up, led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, marks a decisive shift to the right, even though a left-wing alliance won most parliamentary seats.

18th Brumaire or something

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Barnier forces through budget without a vote, now faces a vote of no confidence.

Shamefully, he has been relying on Le Pen's lot to cling to power for even this long, but now she says they will vote for the VONC.

This was always likely to happen. I'm quite surprised it's taken more than two months to come to a head.

Fuck me, Barnier is a wanker.

French PM risks no confidence vote after forcing through budget

 

[Bingoman]

Could Macron be forced to call another election if the government falls?

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Could Macron be forced to call another election if the government falls?

Macron is going to need to resign in the next few days.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Macron is going to need to resign in the next few days.

I doubt that. He has far too much brass neck.

But one thing I'm puzzled by: how did he possibly think this move wouldn't turn out like this?

 

[Sue]

I doubt that. He has far too much brass neck.

But one thing I'm puzzled by: how did he possibly think this move wouldn't turn out like this?

Assumed (hoped?) Le Pen et al would rather prop him up than the FNP? Which is obviously really stupid if so but

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Assumed (hoped?) Le Pen et al would rather prop him up than the FNP? Which is obviously really stupid if so but

And every week she did that discredited him more. It was lose lose.

But we now know where Macron stands. He will side with fascists to defeat socialists. And he'll do so regardless of the results of elections.

 

[Sue]

And every week she did that discredited him more. It was lose lose.

But we now know where Macron stands. He will side with fascists to defeat socialists. And he'll do so regardless of the results of elections.

Unsurprising, but really depressing nonetheless. Power and all that.

I'm actually going to Paris this weekend so will be interesting to see what the mood is.

 

[Dogsauce]

Bad time to have one what with Musk currently well into throwing cash and other support at far-right candidates. Putinists at the heart of Europe. Ffs.

 

[TopCat]

Bad time to have one what with Musk currently well into throwing cash and other support at far-right candidates. Putinists at the heart of Europe. Ffs.

Le Penn supports Ukraine so hardly Putinist. Meloni as well.

 

[TopCat]

Be at least a year before another election and meanwhile the budget stands and Macron can keep Barnet on as caretaker PM should he choose.

The French people are really getting mugged.

 

[TopCat]

Macron can continue down the path of ignoring French voters but French borrowing costs could rocket.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Macron can continue down the path of ignoring French voters but French borrowing costs could rocket.

That's already happening:

French sovereign borrowing costs rise to highest premium in 12 years

Government faces risk of collapse over planned austerity budget

www.theguardian.com

Well worth keeping an eye on the Eurozone over the next few days. Given that one of the demands from the populist right is a large reduction in EU funding by France their could be a serious market reaction on the way.

 

[TopCat]

Barnet is about to get a vote of no confidence. I bet the shit stain clings on as caretaker pm and continues to force through shit policy no one supports.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

It's not about him. It's about the country and going beyond divisions to work for the general interest. It's about morality.

He is the Prime Minister of All French People.

Such a noble, selfless soul.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

The middle third of the chamber is standing to applaud him while to left and right, the seats have emptied as they're already voting.

He's toast.

 

[Serene]

Macron is lucky to be alive after he discovered a loop-hole a few years ago, whereby he could raise the pension age in france without putting it through a vote, and did it overnight so nobody knew until he did it. He went missing for a few weeks after that, iirc because the people were looking for him to kill him!

 

[Sue]

It's not about him. It's about the country and going beyond divisions to work for the general interest. It's about morality.

He is the Prime Minister of All French People.

Such a noble, selfless soul.

Haven't heard it but assume he's doing all the 'pour la patrie', 'le peuple' stuff that they come out with when they want to sound all noble and patriotic and shit.

 

[stethoscope]

Barnier loses no confidence vote... French government collapses as PM Michel Barnier loses no-confidence vote

As some of us were well aware during the brexit negotiations, Barnier's politics are just as bad as Johnson and co.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Haven't heard it but assume he's doing all the 'pour la patrie', 'le peuple' stuff that they come out with when they want to sound all noble and patriotic and shit.

Yep. Those voting against him are all selfish and putting party before country.

He doesn't dwell on the fact that his own party got a tiny share of the vote and he had no legitimacy to begin with.

BBC's reactionary 'expert' opined that Macron had no choice and that a left-wing PM would have lasted even less time. Only if Macron's own lot had voted against them. That's the bit missed out. NPF + Ensemble = (comfortable) Majority. But Macron would rather attempt deals with Le Pen than Melenchon, and so here we are.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Barnier's budget is now defunct. So the constitutional shenanigans were all for nothing. Biggest immediate consequence is that tax thresholds, etc, won't be adjusted for inflation, so some people will be paying more. Other than that, there is a default that things just carry on as they are for the timebeing. Not like the US, where a failed budget raises the possibility of unpaid salaries.

One thing I did agree with the reactionary BBC expert about is that this is fundamentally a political crisis, not a financial one. France isn't about to go bankrupt.

 

[Bingoman]

Does Macron fall on his sword or does continue

 

[TopCat]

Does Macron fall on his sword or does continue

Continue for a bit.