In two weeks, the French will vote in the cantonales, which is like county elections. The subdivisions in France are ville (town), commune, canton (county), département, région and state.
The Lupins, being dual citizens, have just received in the mail the candidates’ pamphlets. In Chalabre, our southern village (pop. about 1000) we even get canvassed by some of the candidates. Our canton regroups Chalabre and 7 or 8 neighboring villages.
There are four candidates: someone from the coalition of lefty parties, the official Socialist Party candidate (which is likely to win, and got something like 70% of the vote last time), a “local interest” candidate, whom we like, and whose program we support, and finally a right wing National Front candidate.
In this diary, I’d like to copy and translate the National Front’s official pamphlet, and then discuss some similarities and differences with our own right wing in the US.
(more under fold)
I have included the original French in italics under my translation in order to not mislead anyone who might be bilingual:
Our platform for the Département:
Nos engagements pour le Département:
Combat the unfair dismantlement of social subsidies
Rétablir la justice face à la casse de la protection sociale
Improve security in schools
Assurer la sécurité dans les colleges
Lower local taxes
Baisser les impôts départementaux
Provide financial help to small businesses and fight outsourcing
Soutenir les PME et lutter contre les délocalisations
Restore local services, especially for the elderly and the handicapped
Rétablir les services publics de proximité, notamment pour les personnes âgées ert les handicappés
Repair local roads and infrastructure
Améliorer les infrastructures et le réseau routier départemental
Stop subsidies to political organizations
Cesser de subventionner les associations politisées
Fight waste and corruption
Mettre fin au gaspillage et à la corruption
Restore moral values
Rétablir la morale publique
Our platform for the country:
Notre volonté pour la France:
Create hiring priorities for French citizens
Priorité d’emploi aux Français
Restore law, order and security
Rétablir l’ordre, faire respecter les lois et assurer la sécurité
Restore fairness before taxes
Rétablir la justice fiscal
[which I construe as increase taxes on the wealthy & corporations]
Defend republican values, traditions and our way of life
Défendre nos valeurs républicaines, nos traditions et mode de vie
[i.e.: oppose Mosques, burkas, etc.]
Stop illegal immigration and expel illegal immigrants
Stopper l’immigration et expulser les clandestins
Increase financial support to poor family & single parents
Soutenir les familles et parents isolés
Guarantee affordable housing to everyone
Assurer l’accès de tous les Français à un logement decent et abordable
Restaure the Right to Health Care and the reimbursement of quality care
Restaurer le droit à la santé et la prise en charge de soins de qualité
Leave retirement pensions as is
Maintenir le niveau des retraites
As I read this program, I was struck not by what I expected to find on this pamphlet, such as:
- xenophobic proposals against immigrants and the Muslim population;
- a strong emphasis on law and order and fighting crime;
- ditto on moral values and fighting government waste & corruption
All this is, after all, part and parcel of a bona fide European right wing party, and the reason why 70&% to 80% of French voters are opposes in various degrees the National Front.
I was struck by what I did NOT expect to find, such as:
- plenty of emphasis on quality, affordable universal health care
- ditto on housing and social subsidies for the poor, elderly & handicapped
- the stated intention to increase taxes on the wealthy and the Fortune 500-type of companies
THIS is the program of the French National Front, the justly vilified, most right wing of all French parties -- there is no other legal political faction to its right in the French political spectrum.
THIS is the party used by some here to sometimes express concern that Europe or France may be moving to the right, like the US.
And what do they stand for (in addition to xenophobia etc): universal healthcare, a comprehensive social net and higher taxes for the rich!!!
I would never vote for the National Front, of course (we plan to vote for the Quixotic “local interest” candidate), but it’s astonishing to be confronted to such glaring evidence that the Right in America is so far right that it’s off the radar, by the norms of even the National Front!
In fact, arguably, this is to the left of some of the Blue Dogs democrats who are also anti-immigration and pro-“moral values”.