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France May Have Elected François Hollande, But She Really Needs A Napoleon Bonaparte
Telegraph(UK) ^ | May 06, 2012 | Tim Stanley

Posted on 05/06/2012 1:41:35 PM PDT by Steelfish

France May Have Elected François Hollande, But She Really Needs A Napoleon Bonaparte By Tim Stanley May 6th, 2012

Hollande is the latest in a long line of French politicians to exploit the mob. It looks like Socialist François Hollande has won the French presidency. His platform: raise taxes on business to fund a lower retirement age and more spending. Things don’t look good for poor old France. Either Hollande will stick to his promises and ruin the economy or he’ll U-turn and reveal himself to be a reckless opportunist. Whether he's a fool or a knave, this election cycle has exposed just how broken the French political system is.

The kind of economic reforms that are necessary to put the country back to work simply can’t be enacted under the present arrangement. France needs to change. She needs another Napoleon.

Ever since the French Revolution of 1789, the French have struggled to keep a constitution going beyond two or three generations (there’s a reason why la grande dame is on her fifth republic). The cause is the imbalance between “government rooted in law” and the free expression of “mass democracy.” On the one hand, the French revolutionaries wanted to create a government that limited powers and liberated the economy (one of the first things they did was abolish serfdom and end regulation of the grain market). On the other hand, to give the new government legitimacy they acknowledged the political authority of the Parisian mob. What was the point of democracy if children starved? The policies passed by elected delegates had to be rubber-stamped by the sans-culottes.

The result was that within a few years of the revolution, the constitution (by far the most admirably liberal in the world) was suspended and terror was the order of the day.

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: eucrisis; francecrisis; franceelection; fransaucehollandaise; hollande; sarkozy
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To: Venturer

France is committed to stupidity. It will now do Round II.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/15/AR2006071501010.html


21 posted on 05/06/2012 2:54:07 PM PDT by definitelynotaliberal (Nov. 6, 2012 - And the correct answer is no one is entitled to a bailout.)
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To: Steelfish
“Whether he's a fool or a knave, this election cycle has exposed just how broken the French political system is”

Same can be said for the American political system.

Never underestimate the fickle and ignorant entitlement electorate.

22 posted on 05/06/2012 3:00:24 PM PDT by Sea Parrot (Nations are only truly great when it's people are struggling against all odds, growing and expanding)
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To: definitelynotaliberal

France still haunted by Maximilien Robespierre’s mentality.


23 posted on 05/06/2012 3:09:35 PM PDT by hamboy
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To: VanDeKoik

I read where many of the French are considering moving across the channel to the UK. This could create a mass exodus of those about to be slammed and penalized for daring to have and keep the filthy lucre they earned.


24 posted on 05/06/2012 3:09:53 PM PDT by Sea Parrot (Nations are only truly great when it's people are struggling against all odds, growing and expanding)
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To: Sea Parrot; All

I heard that they just lowered the corporate tax rate in the UK..


25 posted on 05/06/2012 3:30:33 PM PDT by KevinDavis (Go Mitt Go!!!)
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To: Steelfish

Once again the cheese eating surrender monkeys show how easily they can be taken over by socialists/communists. Hell they even vote for them. I am embarrassed to be 1/4 French.

Maybe the time has come for my idea of combining two products the French desperately need.

Deodorant mixed with SPF 40 so the French won’t stink or get their arm pits sunburned when they surrender.


26 posted on 05/06/2012 3:30:54 PM PDT by Wurlitzer (Nothing says "ignorance" like Islam!)
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To: David

That’s interesting. I hope he got that one right!


27 posted on 05/06/2012 3:48:19 PM PDT by little jeremiah
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To: Steelfish

What a pitiful place France is, check that the whole European Continent is pathetic. And still a large portion of Americans look at Europe with envy. What a joke!!!!!


28 posted on 05/06/2012 5:01:54 PM PDT by jazzo (Resistance is Futile)
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To: Steelfish

What a pitiful place France is, check that the whole European Continent is pathetic. And still a large portion of Americans look at Europe with envy. What a joke!!!!!


29 posted on 05/06/2012 5:02:15 PM PDT by jazzo (Resistance is Futile)
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To: jazzo
And still a large portion of Americans (the RATs) look at Europe with envy.
30 posted on 05/06/2012 5:05:30 PM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate Republicans Freed the Slaves Month.)
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To: ROCKLOBSTER
Unfortunately, it may be the “Rats” that are Euro cheerleaders, however there are many non-Rats that “walk the walk”. Euro-envy is much more insidious, in the US.
31 posted on 05/06/2012 8:43:28 PM PDT by jazzo (Resistance is Futile)
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To: Steelfish
Snatching defeat from the hands of victory - it's a French tradition.


32 posted on 05/07/2012 12:06:26 AM PDT by clearcarbon
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To: Steelfish

Vive le chomage!


33 posted on 05/07/2012 12:09:04 AM PDT by Yaelle
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