The French presidential election process will be the second major Western election since Donald Trump took office. There was a also major parliamentary election in the much smaller Netherlands. There are three major candidates: two conservative (Le Pen and Fillon) and one non-conservative (Macron). The top two contenders right now are Macron and Le Pen, with Macron leading by only a few points in some polls. Fillon has declined due to allegations of corruption. The French results could be some kind of foreseer or trendsetter for populist results through out Europe in general. #bemorelikeeurope? And for your amusement:
Was an extremely close race, but I feel like Fillon's downfall just secured a Macron victory. The Dutch brehs have shown that intelligent people still outnumber easily manipulated and radical minds in most modern countries, so I'll hope for a repeat of right-wing politics ultimatively not showing enough content to attract a majority of voters.
If you absolutely had to chose, would you rather move to Cancun or Ireland during the potato famine? How about 1938 Germany? Please answer the question
This ridiculous attitude is one of the key reasons why the lefties in the US lost - they think they're the "intelligent" ones, and everybody else are the "easily manipulated" ones. False.
Yes... The ones who thought that a man who uses cable news as a primary source for education as presidential material are definitely not the 'intelligent' ones. That is a certainty.
Ya that doesn't really mean much when it was bought with Daddy connections. Let's see some of his academic work... Let's see him discuss ANY policy decisions with nuance.
Maybe you'd have to be more familiar with our European right-wing parties, eg the German AfD. These parties don't have any substance and are full of contradiction, especially their programs/agendas are a complete joke. Here in Germany for example, a ton of poor people vote for AfD and are lead on by statements like "we have to defend our home country or Germany will be dictated by Sharia law in twenty years". The AfD is then also spouting nonsense like "current politics have failed the little man", but when you read through their program, the AfD is one of the most brutal parties in that regard, as they propose vast tax cuts for rich people and all kinds of policies that would hurt lower-income folks (abandoning minimum wage, our concept of healthcare/pension and free nursery facilities). Yet, you see millions of idiots voting for them while shouting "this country is full of poor people because of Merkels policies, AfD will change that", which shows that they haven't read the parties policies at all and would dig their own graves financial-wise. So yes, these people are definitely idiots.
The ridicolous thing here is your statement, because Rutten, who won the Dutch vote, is considered central/right - pretty much anti-left. Break free from American left versus right thinking when you talk about European politics, things are way more complex here because of the brighter party spectrum. Regarding France: LePen might win the first vote, but like her father she will never get the majority in the second-ballot. When it comes down to avoiding her, all the other parties and their voters will gather around her opponent.
I spend a lot of time every year in Germany for work, and Merkel and her party made a catastrophic error by allowing all those refugees in. Just a hideously bad decision. You might even call it...idiotic. Many Germans' political mindset is totally screwed up in my opinion. They still harbor such great shame after what happened during the second world war, that it leads to overcompensating for it (diversity above everything else!...sadly even above security) and even a lack of pride in their country. When you have to think twice about your safety before going to a Christmas market or a football game, then you've got problems and Merkel and gang have failed you.
Much like Americans and their white guilt. Most Germans were not Nazi's just like that vast majority of Americans were not slave holders.
I don't think Wilders is a Nazi. I think he makes legitimate points, even though he sometimes goes overboard with the rhetoric, but can you blame him? It's not paranoia if they really want to kill you. It happened to Fortuyn and van Gogh before. Is Le Pen close to being a Nazi, not so sure - her father certainly had that mindset.
I don't know anything about the French election but my money is in a combination of places including my wallet, my savings account and underneath my mattress. Where's your money OP?
I saw a poll earlier last week that showed 72% of French voters wanted to stay in the EU and keep the Euro. There is also the inability to ever think about closing the French borders and truly cutting off immigrants. The French majority has to look at Le Pen and think she's out of her mind and think that there has to be a better solution. One that would require help from their EU allies. They especially need NATO being their central location that I just cant see their voters embracing a Nationalist socioeconomic and political view unless they are really stupid enough to think that Putin and Russia are going to offer them protection under their wing. I just think France and Europe in general have too much to lose in looking at someone like Le Pen, but she still is right there in the polls so who knows. Just a crazy time in our global history. Hopefully its all setting up for a whole lotta nothing because those bought into this Nationlism movement are asking for some real bad sh#$ to go down.
While there's truth in what you write, I neither see a context to the French election nor to what Yung-T wrote about intelligent voters not falling to local Nazi partys like PVV, FN or AfD. They're both anti-democratic and dangerous and have nothing to offer other than lies and xenophobic panicmongering.
How is Wilders anti-democratic? He was a de facto member of a Dutch government before. Did that kill democracy in the Netherlands? I'd say the ones who are anti-democratic are those who want him dead, and want to institute Sharia law in the Netherlands. Speaking out against that is not anti-democratic per se.
Didn't stop the Americans or the Brits or the Filipinos. Rational self-interest doesn't look like a good barometer for predicting what's going to happen.
It begins with his dictatorial "law and order" speeches, continues with his authoritarian program full of hatred and ends with him being the only member of his party. Which democratic-oriented person wouldn't allow other persons in their party or movement? Signs are clear that Wilders would love to go the Erdogan way (eventhough he is one of his enemies).
Nah, I don't think so. The ones full of hatred are the ones who want to kill him. Get this, the guy has had to live in a secret place for many years, under constant police protection - simply because he is critical of Islam.
I agree the ones that want to kill him are full of hatred, but he is full of hatred as well. It wasn't his simple criticism of Islam that caused him to have to hide out and be under police protection. That is the fault of the hateful irrational folks that would put violence about reason. But what they are reacting to isn't his simple criticism of Islam, it is bigoted hatred of Islam. He's called for banning the Quran, shutting down every single mosque, as well as other things that target only the religion of Islam.
