http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/breaking-hollande-flip-flops-in-record-time/
BREAKING….HOLLANDE FLIP-FLOPS IN RECORD TIME
Hollande….man with an eye on the main chance
With a Round One French Presidential victory now safely in his rear-view mirror François Hollande Socialist candidate, has decided he never wanted to unpick the European fiscal pact, oh no certainly not, not him, you must have got me wrong my German friends: “Sie haben mir alles falsch gegotten”.
Nope, what France-whah wants to do is complete the Fiscal Pact by adding the tools to promote economic growth. This is a tool we highly trained economists call Money.
“What concerns us is not what is in the treaty, it is what is not in the treaty,” said Michel Sapin, Monsieur Hollande’s policy chief, to the Financial Times this morning.
As you’d expect, the FT hoovered up Sapspin’s drivel, and printed it in full in a prominent position. Because that’s what the Pink’un does these days.
“A treaty that is based only on budgetary discipline is a treaty that will drive Europe to the wall,” he said, adding, “Achieving growth is the only way”.
Yes folks, we’re back in the land of the Oxy Morons, that alien species convinced that you can have something called austere growth. It’s a similar concept to zero-alcohol meths, and equally useful. It’s also called bollocks.
But the topline here is that Francois Hollande is just another flim-flam-say-what-it-takes pol who now wants to get the Centre-Right onside with talk of being The Good European, and coaxing the Communists into the tent by saying he will spend money to create jobs.
After his certain failure as French President, therefore, a long career beckons for France-wah-wah-wah in Brussels.
and....
In the wake of the first round of France’s presidential election, Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande is on a mission to protect his momentum and ride it all the way to the Elysee Presidential Palace.
The opposition challenger won the first round on April 22, but with a much slimmer margin than was first thought, and under the shadow of an unprecedented electoral surge for the far-right National Front.
After taking 28.63% of Sunday’s votes to incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy’s 27.18% tally, Hollande has not missed a campaign beat, plunging back into a full schedule of rallies and television appearances. And to some observers’ surprise, he has rushed to address people who cast ballots for the far right.
National Front candidate Marine Le Pen gathered 17.9% of first round votes, a historic high for her anti-immigration party.
The opposition challenger won the first round on April 22, but with a much slimmer margin than was first thought, and under the shadow of an unprecedented electoral surge for the far-right National Front.
After taking 28.63% of Sunday’s votes to incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy’s 27.18% tally, Hollande has not missed a campaign beat, plunging back into a full schedule of rallies and television appearances. And to some observers’ surprise, he has rushed to address people who cast ballots for the far right.
National Front candidate Marine Le Pen gathered 17.9% of first round votes, a historic high for her anti-immigration party.
Speaking after results confirmed his status as the election’s frontrunner, Hollande said the far right’s extraordinary score demanded attention and a deeper understanding of the “anger” expressed by many French. Instead of feeling proud, Hollande said the French under Sarkozy had often felt “lowered” and “belittled”.
The Socialist hopeful delivered a much clearer appeal in a front page interview published Tuesday in the left-leaning Liberation daily. "There is a part of Le Pen electorate that comes from the left… who are against privilege, against globalisation, against a Europe that doesn’t work. It’s up to me to convince them that it is the left that will defend them,” Hollande said.
While he reserved no compliments for Le Pen herself or her anti-immigration programme, Hollande’s interview drooled empathy for a “suffering electorate, made up of low-paid workers, manual staff and workers who feel like they’ve been abandoned,” and who turned toward the National Front.
“He wants to be the president of all the French and is projecting himself in that possibility,” said Michel Wieviorka, a French sociologist, supporter of Hollande and author of the book For the Next Left (Pour la prochaine gauche, Robert Laffont), “He should easily win the runoff, but to do so needs to pick up a fraction of Marine Le Pen’s first round votes.”
Hollande’s own camp has consistently bashed Nicolas Sarkozy for trying to appeal to the far right with the objective siphoning National Front votes. Marine Le Pen’s nearly 18% support may be irresistible fruit for Hollande, but the Socialist candidate could be playing with fire.
The Socialist hopeful delivered a much clearer appeal in a front page interview published Tuesday in the left-leaning Liberation daily. "There is a part of Le Pen electorate that comes from the left… who are against privilege, against globalisation, against a Europe that doesn’t work. It’s up to me to convince them that it is the left that will defend them,” Hollande said.
While he reserved no compliments for Le Pen herself or her anti-immigration programme, Hollande’s interview drooled empathy for a “suffering electorate, made up of low-paid workers, manual staff and workers who feel like they’ve been abandoned,” and who turned toward the National Front.
“He wants to be the president of all the French and is projecting himself in that possibility,” said Michel Wieviorka, a French sociologist, supporter of Hollande and author of the book For the Next Left (Pour la prochaine gauche, Robert Laffont), “He should easily win the runoff, but to do so needs to pick up a fraction of Marine Le Pen’s first round votes.”
Hollande’s own camp has consistently bashed Nicolas Sarkozy for trying to appeal to the far right with the objective siphoning National Front votes. Marine Le Pen’s nearly 18% support may be irresistible fruit for Hollande, but the Socialist candidate could be playing with fire.
Game of percentages
According to Sylvain Crepon, a professor at Paris 10 University and an expert on the far right in France, Le Pen will likely tell her supporters to abstain in the second round, but it is uncertain if they will follow her instructions.
“About half of Le Pen’s followers, consider themselves right-wingers above all and will tend to vote for Nicolas Sarkozy to prevent a Socialist presidency,” Crepon explained. “Marine Le Pen has an interest in seeing Nicolas Sarkozy defeated. Her goal is to see the right in France implode and recover some of its members around the FN,” he added.
According to different opinion polls this week, 45% to 60% of people who voted for Le Pen will transfer their vote to Sarkozy in the runoff, while only 18% to 26% said they would throw their weight behind Hollande.
Those forecasts seemed to give Hollande the numbers he needs to be crowned the winner on May 6, but Alexandre Dezé, a professor of Political Science at Montpellier University and author of the book National Front: The Conquest of Power? (FN : La conquête du pouvoir ?, Armand Colin editions) warned that opinion polls were untrustworthy and prone to change.
For Dezé, Sarkozy was better prepared and more willing to charm National Front’s electorate. “Sarkozy will come out strong, we have already seen him employ elements of [former FN candidate] Jean-Marie Le Pen’s key campaign speech in 2002,” Dezé said.
“He is appealing to the poor and disenfranchised, calling for a “real” May 1 Worker’s Day rally, showing hostility to the media. It is really a complete and worrying revival of the National Front’s rhetoric,” the Montpellier professor added.
According to Sylvain Crepon, a professor at Paris 10 University and an expert on the far right in France, Le Pen will likely tell her supporters to abstain in the second round, but it is uncertain if they will follow her instructions.
“About half of Le Pen’s followers, consider themselves right-wingers above all and will tend to vote for Nicolas Sarkozy to prevent a Socialist presidency,” Crepon explained. “Marine Le Pen has an interest in seeing Nicolas Sarkozy defeated. Her goal is to see the right in France implode and recover some of its members around the FN,” he added.
According to different opinion polls this week, 45% to 60% of people who voted for Le Pen will transfer their vote to Sarkozy in the runoff, while only 18% to 26% said they would throw their weight behind Hollande.
Those forecasts seemed to give Hollande the numbers he needs to be crowned the winner on May 6, but Alexandre Dezé, a professor of Political Science at Montpellier University and author of the book National Front: The Conquest of Power? (FN : La conquête du pouvoir ?, Armand Colin editions) warned that opinion polls were untrustworthy and prone to change.
For Dezé, Sarkozy was better prepared and more willing to charm National Front’s electorate. “Sarkozy will come out strong, we have already seen him employ elements of [former FN candidate] Jean-Marie Le Pen’s key campaign speech in 2002,” Dezé said.
“He is appealing to the poor and disenfranchised, calling for a “real” May 1 Worker’s Day rally, showing hostility to the media. It is really a complete and worrying revival of the National Front’s rhetoric,” the Montpellier professor added.
Disappointing the Left
While some analysts calculated Hollande’s chances of picking up some of Marine Le Pen’s sympathisers for the May 6 presidential duel, others challenged the overall wisdom of such a strategy. And it seemed Hollande was well aware of the danger of pushing away his natural allies on the left by trying to appeal to the far right.
“The mistake I will not make is, in reaching out to others, to forget our own,” Hollande told Liberation. “I am a socialist, I am the voice of the left, but I am addressing all the French because I want to be the president of unity.”
According to Wieviorka, there is little chance Hollande will spoil support within his own ranks. “Hollande will tell FN voters that he understands their message, and will ask them to trust him to solve their problems. But he is not going to change his own message.”
An April 22 survey by the French polling firm Ipsos revealed that while the demographics of the National Front’s electorate may be shifting slightly, the issues close to its heart remain unchanged.
Sixty-one percent of people who voted for Marine Le Pen on Sunday told pollsters that immigration was their top concern, while 44% of them said crime was the country’s most pressing problem.
The French sociologist also wondered how much Hollande or Sarkozy could really do in less than two weeks to win over voters. “Hollande has his votes on the left secured… I think people have already made their choice.”
While some analysts calculated Hollande’s chances of picking up some of Marine Le Pen’s sympathisers for the May 6 presidential duel, others challenged the overall wisdom of such a strategy. And it seemed Hollande was well aware of the danger of pushing away his natural allies on the left by trying to appeal to the far right.
“The mistake I will not make is, in reaching out to others, to forget our own,” Hollande told Liberation. “I am a socialist, I am the voice of the left, but I am addressing all the French because I want to be the president of unity.”
According to Wieviorka, there is little chance Hollande will spoil support within his own ranks. “Hollande will tell FN voters that he understands their message, and will ask them to trust him to solve their problems. But he is not going to change his own message.”
An April 22 survey by the French polling firm Ipsos revealed that while the demographics of the National Front’s electorate may be shifting slightly, the issues close to its heart remain unchanged.
Sixty-one percent of people who voted for Marine Le Pen on Sunday told pollsters that immigration was their top concern, while 44% of them said crime was the country’s most pressing problem.
The French sociologist also wondered how much Hollande or Sarkozy could really do in less than two weeks to win over voters. “Hollande has his votes on the left secured… I think people have already made their choice.”
and....
http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/merkel-leap-frogging-to-early-election-say-top-german-sources/
MERKEL ‘LEAP-FROGGING TO EARLY ELECTION’ SAY TOP GERMAN SOURCES
Angered by sniping from her allies the FPD, the Karlsruhe Court, and Bankfurt – and anxious to get a stable hold on power before the German people realise what they’re getting into – Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel is working hard behind the scenes to line up an early election…and a “grand coalition” with the Social Democrats immediately thereafter. German newspaper Bild led with a speculative story yesterday morning, but sources in Berlin and Frankfurt say the Chancellor has already formed a crack election planning centre.
Continuing her lifelong dedication to shafting everyone of no further use to her, Merkel is worried that the FPD may not even clear the 5% ‘hurdle’ to be jumped if the Party is to be allocated seats in the Bundestag after the next election. Following the establishment of an SPD/CDU Coalition in the small state of Saarland, the Fuhrerin now plans a snap election. It will be the sort she prefers: one where the result has been sorted out in advance, in that she and the Social Democrats will rule together….with a far more muted Opposition. I call itOstimocracy. Certainly, it is a mockery of democracy as you and I would understand it.
Her decision to acclerate the process has also, I’m told, been influenced by the French election result, the shambles in the Netherlands, and the growing crisis in Spain. Key Party advisers have already warned her that the window of opportunity is small, but since the weekend she needs no further persuading.
The Big Two parties already govern together in Berlin city, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania and Thuringia, and earlier in the last decade they worked together in national government: there is no lack of precedents.
There are many devils driving her to this move. Respected economics professor Hans-Werner Sinn, head of Germany’s IFO, last week said German taxpayers are facing a dangerous rise in credit risk from a plethora of bail-out schemes. “The euro-system is near explosion,” he told Austria’s Economics Academy, as the Spanish crisis worsened. Sinn argues that Germany will get saddled with most if not all of the €2.1 trillion in rescue measures for ezone debtors.
His fears are similar to those of Bankfurt in general (and of course, The Slog’s Maulwurf) and personified in the robust opposition to eurozone debt commitments offered by Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Weidmann refused to back off from his repeated warnings that some of Mario Draghi’s Central Bank actions – especially Sovereign bond-buying and interlending scams built upon trnsmission systems – threaten financial instability and rampant inflation.
But Weidmann is only so much of a rebel: he shares the German obsession with inflation as a bogey-man, and debt as something which must be repaid come what may. He firmly rebuffed calls for the ECB to ease off on fiscal austerity.
“The crisis can only be solved by embarking on often-painful structural reforms and following up on fiscal consolidation,” said Weidmann. “If policy makers think they can avoid this, they will try to. That’s why the pressure has to be kept up.”
Earlier this week, the German small business foundation filed a criminal lawsuit against the Bundesbank, accusing the board of disguising the true scale of risk born by German citizens. If they knew all that Geli wants to sign them up for, the entire nation would have a fit of the vapours.
As you can see from all the above, thus far the inevitability of mutual debt forgiveness is not on the German radar. But that their policies will lead to the collapse of the eurozone (and eventually the EU) is not lost on the French. Writing in Les Echos this morning, Jean-Marc Vittori invokes yet more Titanic images by observing, ‘We could still avoid a shipwreck, but the iceberg approaches, and just as in James Cameron’s film Titanic, the lookouts are too late in giving warnings. The ship took less than three hours to sink’.
This is not Merkel consulting the German electorate: rather, it is the hardline Stalinist in Merkel putting the Opposition in a small and well-soundproofed box. As I posted last night, time is running out for action to stop the eurolunatics, the Troikanauts, the Bankers and the spineless politicians. We need to move from discussion to disruption. And we could do a lot worse than start in Brussels, where officials from the European Commission are expected to propose a controversial 6.8% increase to the EU’s 2013 budget this week.
Footnote: The first feral Wolf seen in the Rhineland for more than 120 years has been shot dead, it emerged on Monday. The screaming Wolfie was seen escaping on his solar-powered wheelchair, yelling “You von’t take me alife you Schweinhundehahahahahaha.” German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble has not been seen in public for several days, but the Chancellery’s press office denied any connection between the two events.
No comments:
Post a Comment