Current Affairs 2022 French presidential election

[spectateur]

UK is closer to the US culturally than Europe IMO.

It is perhaps in everyday life because of the wholesale importation of things American.
Coffee shops, popcorn, movies, showers, proms, fries, cookies, cup cakes, muffins, 10pin bowling, and the rest.

 

[tsubaki]

Indeed. It's perhaps worth remembering that old school socialists in the UK were generally opposed to the EU because they thought domestic workers would suffer as a result of either foreign competition in the sense of workers coming over or foreign competition in the sense of jobs leaving our shores. That's kind of what I mean by economic socialism as Trump, and Le Pen , peddle protectionism in various guises.

TBF they weren’t wrong to think that; loads of (admittedly terribly managed) industries were decimated over the twenty years after that decision. The government did almost nothing positive to help of course, too.

 

[Huyton Layne]

Supposedly also several million in debt to a Russian bank. Sounds like a good combo.

 

[spectateur]

TBF they weren’t wrong to think that; loads of (admittedly terribly managed) industries were decimated over the twenty years after that decision. The government did almost nothing positive to help of course, too.

But industries were not going to the wall because of poor management.They were systematically broken down into components and asset stripped.
Just what the government wanted.
Others, nationally owned were sold off to the general public on their way to private ownerships.
Globalisation and out sourcing of course added to their demise.
Macron has reduced French state share in industry here during his first term.

 

[spectateur]

Supposedly also several million in debt to a Russian bank. Sounds like a good combo.

Because at the time she couldn't get the financial backing from French banks.
They were behind their man macron of course.
Oh dear.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

What a mess

 

[Deleted member 48881]

Because at the time she couldn't get the financial backing from French banks.
They were behind their man macron of course.
Oh dear.

If you could vote for the second, which candidate would be ur pick?

 

[spectateur]

If you could vote for the second, which candidate would be ur pick?

That's a very hard question that millions of people are trying to answer.
Would I vote for the candidate, the policies I detest albeit he is a good statesman for the country Or vote for an unknown quantity whose policies may not put the country in the best international reckoning.
It's the devil you know etc. We know what to expect from EM, more of the same, while MLP could plunge us into chaos.
I'm not a gambling man so would most likely stick with the former.

 

[Ruairi77]

And yet the remedy for many in "left behind" communities is typically a form of economic nationalism that requires the state to play a much bigger role in the economy.

This is true, and you'd think that the less well off Trump voters would get this, vote in their own interests and be economically socialist, yet they're not. Amazing the power of Fox news eh.

 

[Ruairi77]

As @Bruce Wayne alluded to above, Trump voters aren't a homogenous entity. Those swing voters in communities suffering the long-term structural effects of deindustrialisation (in Ohio for example) will prioritise infrastructure investment from central government, whereas libertarians from West Virginia will focus more on tax cuts, the culture war, and their 'second amendment rights'.

I wouldn't consider swing voters Trump voters.
There's no way Trump voters in Ohio could ever be considered economically socialist. In fact right now they are doing their utmost to scupper Bidens build back better plan. That plan is about as economically socialist as it gets in America.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

This is true, and you'd think that the less well off Trump voters would get this, vote in their own interests and be economically socialist, yet they're not. Amazing the power of Fox news eh.

But that is what they were promised. "Make America Great" again had at its heart both reducing immigration and restricting competition from overseas, especially from China and Mexico. It was an inherently economic nationalist ticket.

 

[Ruairi77]

But that is what they were promised. "Make America Great" again had at its heart both reducing immigration and restricting competition from overseas, especially from China and Mexico. It was an inherently economic nationalist ticket.

ok, sure but then I see a big difference between economically nationalist and economically socialist, which is what you originally said.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

TBF they weren’t wrong to think that; loads of (admittedly terribly managed) industries were decimated over the twenty years after that decision. The government did almost nothing positive to help of course, too.

I'm curious what companies or industries went to the wall that we're really missing today?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

ok, sure but then I see a big difference between economically nationalist and economically socialist, which is what you originally said.

Both take a heavily interventionist approach to the markets in order to try and tilt the tables supposedly in favour of their supporters.

 

[Ruairi77]

Both take a heavily interventionist approach to the markets in order to try and tilt the tables supposedly in favour of their supporters.

right, and we're way off track here, but I still fail to see how Trump voters are economically socialist. I don't see controlling markets by restricting immigration and putting tariffs on foreign production as socialist.