[SirJohnBarleycorn]

This is an old article (from 2002), but I believe the situation it describes continues generally to be true.

It is a source of continual amazement to me that American liberals esteem France as such a supposedly more advanced society than the US.

[anechoicroom.blogspot.com]

Nothing to see here folks .... move along (sarc tag on)

[xcamel]

stuck on dumbstruck pretty much describes most of western europe.

[Mount Athos]

Did you notice that they do not detail exactly what the state should do differently?

Is it really the state's job to ensure certain groupings receive a certain degree of representation? Wouldn't the "solutions" to this "problem" be thoroughly anti-democratic? What percentage of these people actually vote, isn't that their fault and not the state's? Perhaps the state could do more to encourage language proficiency and civic mindedness, that might be an obstacle to voting. Or perhaps there is an ideological obstacle that no government intervention could ever overcome...

[vastrightwing_armadillo]

But...but France is so much more advanced than us vulgar colonials...right?

How can they be so cruel to the poor Mooselimbs

Okay, seriously, why doesn't this surprise me.

A country with a history of colonial rule over Algeria, like France, doesn't seem like it would really respect minority rights.

[dighton]

It is a striking fact that in a country - France - which contains around five million people of Arab origin, not one of them is a member of parliament.

Am I missing something obvious, or is it simply a matter of not bothering to vote and run for office?

[Always Right]

And France is a country that presumes to give lessons to the world!"

What brain-dead surrender monkey learns anything from France?

[FormerACLUmember]

BBC propaganda: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....

Zero? Hey, that's already too many IslamoTerrorists.

[Unam Sanctam]

Is it still true they have no representation in parliament? And yet the French lecture us as being such backward, racist and unenlightened beings...

[CzarNicky]

They are probably wise not to let these criminals in their government. They have enough native ones as it is.

[DJ Taylor]

"positive discrimination."

And it has been such a success here in the United States, now hasn't it? (sarcasm)

[45Auto]

"Few people in France are in favour of what has, in Britain and the United States for example, been part of the solution for encouraging participation in national life: positive discrimination. Promoting on the basis of skin colour will never be acceptable The idea of promoting people simply because they belong to a particular community is regarded in France as an affront to the country's "republican" values, in which individuals are equal before the law."

So the French don't like affirmative action......maybe they ain't so bad after all. There's only two ways to go with this problem; I figure the French government will do the wrong thing.

[Starve The Beast]

It is a source of continual amazement to me that American liberals esteem France as such a supposedly more advanced society than the US.

The French say nasty things about the US, and blame us for everything. That makes them sound sophisticated to Lefties.

[RJL]

It is a striking fact that in a country - France - which contains around five million people of Arab origin, not one of them is a member of parliament.

One could go further. Not a single "beur" - as the French of North African origin are known - is in the upper house, the Senate. Nor are there any beur mayors - out of a total of 36,000.

It seems like the UN, the eu or the International Criminal Court "ICC" should be doing something about this.

[midwestmidnight]

So, who's going to start the betting pool for how long it will be before the frogs come begging for us to bail them out again?

I'll say 16 more days!

[The Great RJ]

The lack of political representation is just the tip of the iceberg. The French have allowed virtually unlimited immigration from these former colonies and the socialized French economy cannot provide them jobs and instead allows them to live in ghetto cities on a government dole. The Islamic radicals who tell these folks that the west is destroying Islam and that better things will happen if an Islamic theocracy is establehed find very receptive audiences for their Islamo-facism.

[CFC__VRWC]

I like to bash the French as much as any other typical Freeper, but from what I understand these Muslims are largely illiterate, uneducated, and totally hostile to French culture and unwilling to assimilate. Are any of them actually running for office? Are any of them active in political parties and organizations? Do any of them even bother to vote in elections?

The last time I checked France still purported to have a democratically elected government. Are they now supposed to toss that out the window and just appoint X number of Europeans, X number of Muslims, X number of women, etc. to all their offices?

[doc30]

When I tell people that such a huge minority has no political representatives they are dumbstruck.

You mean a Muslim in a Muslim dominated district cannot get elected? Or do you mean that the Muslims are so insistent on having their own enclaves that they do not want to participate in government?

[popdonnelly]

Here's what I think is going to happen in France. In the short run, there will be a crackdown on the rioters. In the long run, the Chirac government is finished. It will be replaced by a more conservative government. There will be a much more restrictive immigration policy instituted in France. Less money will be spent on low cost housing. Some of these low cost projects will be torn down. There will be a new housing policy of dispersing this type of housing - smaller units over a wider area. Some of the disaffected Muslims will leave.

[Alouette]

A rough tally shows there are about 150 beur candidates among the 8,400 who are contesting the election, but the vast majority are for minor parties and practically none has a chance of being elected.

That says a lot.

[Republic of Texas]

Perhaps they haven't considered becoming FRENCH CITIZENS abd running for office. Or should those positions be handed out as well?