La Guerre Civil among the Right in France

[marmar]

from the WaPo:



PARIS — France’s conservative opposition has exploded in a divisive and invective-laden struggle — disenchanted commentators have called it a “vaudeville act” — over who will replace former president Nicolas Sarkozy as the standard-bearer of right-wing forces arrayed against the ruling Socialists.

The contested leadership election, a week old and still unsettled, is particularly bitter because it will determine not only who leads the party in the post-Sarkozy era but also, to a large degree, what direction France’s conservative forces will take in their push to return to power over the next five years.

“Beyond the quarrel over ballots, the right wing is fractured over essential things,” commentator Bruno Jeudy wrote in the Journal du Dimanche. “Its swing to the right has divided it. This is proof that Nicolas Sarkozy’s defeat, whose causes nobody on the right wants to analyze, has caused much more damage than the party’s leaders admit.”

The battle — between former prime minister François Fillon and the current party chief, Jean-François Copé — is ostensibly over who will lead the Union for a Popular Movement, the conservative alliance that Sarkozy relied on when he was president from 2007 until his defeat last May by Francois Hollande. But beyond that, Fillon and Copé are arm-wrestling to see who will be best placed to become the right’s presidential candidate against Hollande in 2017, a job Sarkozy has said he does not want. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/french-consertives-struggle-to-bring-rival-factions-together/2012/11/26/c7f8d364-37cd-11e2-8a97-363b0f9a0ab3_story.html

[Mass]

1. This is what happens to ad hoc coalitions created to help one man, in this case Jacques Chirac.

The coalition survived while Sarkozy was president, but, without a strong leader, the party is falling apart, and, as France has many political parties, this is not even close to being a problem.

Very funny to see from the sidelines.

[onehandle]

2. 'The Right in France'

Nicolas Sarkozy was to the left of every single American President.

It amazes me that our choices over here are between Extreme Right and Center Right, and they get to choose between Center Left and Extreme Left.

[marmar]

3. Sad but true.

As Bill Maher says: "Democrats have moved to the right, and Republicans have moved into the asylum"

[Mass]

4. really? Where do you get that?

As a French person living in the US, I take Obama against Sarkozy any day.

Both countries have their weaknesses and their strengths, but it is true that, as a whole, France expects more from its government than the US does, and it reflects in what pols feel allowed to push or not. Sarkozy would probably be Sessions if he thought he could afford it. Obama would probably be Holland (who is not extreme left by any means) if he thought he could win an election with these positions.