What has happened to the once mighty French left? Under the Fifth Republic, the grand old Socialist Party has provided two presidents (Mitterrand and François Hollande) and landmark social legislation, including the abolition of the death penalty in 1981 and the legalisation of gay marriage in 2013. A decade ago it controlled the presidency, both houses of parliament, and most regions and big cities.
The trouble for the French left is threefold. First, too many candidates have fragmented the vote. None seems to have the clout or the charisma needed to rally the others behind a single nominee. Ms Hidalgo had backed the idea of a “citizens’ primary” as a way to do this. Due to take place on January 27th-30th, this is a non-binding online vote proposed by 130,000 grass-roots supporters as a way to measure support for the different candidates, whether they like it or not.
Third, France has shifted to the right. Today 37% of voters say they are on the right, up four points since 2017, next to 20% who say they are on the left, down five points in the same period. As a former economy minister in a Socialist government, Emmanuel Macron in 2017 drew from the moderate left to build his new centrist party when he ran for the presidency.
Sounds like the Democrats
In the US, 'The Socialists/Progressives have lost the working class. Their base is now made up largely of (elite, coastal) city-dwellers and public-sector employees.'
Considering Anne Hidalgo wants to preserve Paris for tourists & prevent ordinary French from driving into their capital city -- forcing incredibly expensive train rides (17.80/person - 71.20€ for a family of 4 ... for one day) -- the problem is clear.
You wish. Try some independent thought. Break out. Tell your clients where to go. Your bright young journalists would love to do proper work. Sales would explode and you could become a market leader. Not going to happen is it? Stuck in your rut. Comfortably rewarding.
Sounds identical to the US. These people have no idea how jobs are created or how an economy works. They simply sell this image of themselves as protectors of the little guy and then appoint their own ilk into cushy positions for life.
Sounds about right
Fenomeno mundial
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