French Politics Thread I: Borne to be wild

[Baltenstein]

Just imagine what would happen if there were a Le Pen at L'Élisée. Suddenly Macron will look like the best thing since the mayonnaise.

I really hope it won't come again to having chose between those two... but as long as "the left" can't unite, that seems to be our fate

French secondaries will be Macron - Le Pen again. Even a non-Frenchman can see that.

[Kilobugya]

French secondaries will be Macron - Le Pen again. Even a non-Frenchman can see that.

I'm afraid it'll come it, yes. It's the most likely outcome. But 13 months is a very long time in politics those days, so there is still a slight silver of hope we'll avoid that dreadful choice.

[The Blaatschapen]

Huh, I thought people would be talking about Lyon banning meat in school lunches. Well, I guess im beating out Kowani with the news.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/worl ... -meat.html

I do not, in fact, radically check papers for every update everywhere

You disappoint me

[Arisyan]

French secondaries will be Macron - Le Pen again. Even a non-Frenchman can see that.

I'm afraid it'll come it, yes. It's the most likely outcome. But 13 months is a very long time in politics those days, so there is still a slight silver of hope we'll avoid that dreadful choice.

Well, if you combine the polling for Melanchon, Hidalgo and Jadot, you get 26% of the vote, which ties whichever candidate they'd choose with Macron for first place. So if they united, they could maybe make it to the second round. However I doubt they'd ever agree on one candidate, let alone one platform.

[Kilobugya]

Well, if you combine the polling for Melanchon, Hidalgo and Jadot, you get 26% of the vote, which ties whichever candidate they'd choose with Macron for first place. So if they united, they could maybe make it to the second round. However I doubt they'd ever agree on one candidate, let alone one platform.

The platform isn't the hardest thing. Sure there are some significant disagreements, like the stance on EU, leaving NATO or not, keeping or not nuclear powerplants, how much to increase minimal wage or if we should nationalize some services or not. But those can be hammered out, there is enough in common to make a platform everyone can more or less agree with, perhaps leaving some of the most contested points to referendums.

The hard thing is about the candidate - they all see themselves as natural leaders of the left, the PS because it's still the biggest in term of elected representatives, FI because of the high (almost 20%) score that Mélenchon did in 2017, and EELV because of the high score they did in the europarl elections. And between their belief they "deserve" to be the leader, and their inflated egos, it's hard for any them to accept to not be the candidate. Even if it means committing suicide and having to chose between Macron and Le Pen.

[Thermodolia]

The vaccine response will bring down Macron, I am betting. Even though I support him, or at least LREM, I don't think that he is handling this crisis right, and many French don't either. However, I doubt Le Pen would handle it better, and likely would handle it worse. Maybe Hidalgo or someone would be better. I don't know. I just hope that it isn't Le Pen that profits from this chaos.

If this chaos brings Macron down Le Pen will benefit

[Kilobugya]

So, today's fumble of our government. Since October, all concerts, theaters, museums, ... are closed. Even if we know that with limited attendance and mask-wearing, those are much safer than packed subways, schools restaurants and open-space offices. But the minister of culture, an opera lover, can't stay without going to an opera every now and then - the powerful have privileges. So on friday evening, Roselyne Bachelot invited herself to Opera Bastille. And because she's so cool, she then went to make photos with the singers. Who were, obviously as singers, unmasked. Well, now she was tested positive to Covid-19. I really, really hope she didn't infect any of the singers.

[Kilobugya]

Another day, another fumble.

So until now, only people aged 75 and above, or people with risk factors, can be vaccinated here. But Macron announced today live on TV that starting on Saturday, it'll be open to those above 70 instead of 75. So far, so good. But he made the announce live on TV, without any warning to the vaccination centers, doctors or the website (doctolib) handling the booking of vaccinations. So all vaccination centers got flooded by calls of people from 70 to 74 (or their children) asking details, wanting to take appointments, ... but since they had no information and no official directive, just the saying of the president, even they don't know what they should do. What a mess. And it's always like that. It has been a year. And always no preparation, no planning, constant chaos. Professionals completely ignored, learning things from mass media, often after the general public. "Proud to be amateurs" they said...

[Kowani]

Paris court slaps Servier Laboratories with hundreds of millions of euros in damages and fines, finding it guilty of manslaughter and other charges for selling Mediator, a diabetes drug blamed for hundreds of deaths

A Paris court handed hundreds of millions of euros in damages and fines to a French pharmaceutical company on Monday for its role in one of the nation’s biggest modern health scandals, finding it guilty of manslaughter and other charges for selling a diabetes drug blamed for hundreds of deaths.

The ruling capped a judicial marathon targeting Servier Laboratories and involving more than 6,500 plaintiffs. The Paris tribunal took nearly three hours to read out its verdict in full, because it was so long. The huge trial was spread over 10 months in 2019 and 2020, and nearly 400 lawyers worked on the case.

It centered on the diabetes drug Mediator. Servier was accused of putting profits ahead of patients’ welfare by allowing the drug to be widely and irresponsibly prescribed as a diet pill — with deadly consequences. Servier argued that it didn’t know about the drug’s dangers.

The court found Servier guilty of manslaughter, involuntary wounding and aggravated deception. The firm was acquitted of fraud.

Judges handed Servier a fine of 2.7 million euros (nearly $3.2 million) and ordered it to pay hundreds of millions more in damages that will be shared out by plaintiffs. Damages for aggravated deception alone totaled nearly 159 million euros. And other hefty payments were being awarded for the manslaughter and wounding charges.

The court also handed a suspended four-year prison sentence and fines to the only surviving Servier executive accused of involvement, Dr. Jean-Philippe Seta.

A 2010 study said Mediator was suspected in up to 2,000 deaths, with doctors linking it to heart and lung problems, in the 33 years that it was on the market. Some survivors suffered severe health complications, requiring heart transplants and other medical procedures, after taking the drug as a hunger suppressant.

One doctor flagged concerns as far back as 1998, and testified that he was bullied into retracting them. Facing questions about the drug’s side effects from medical authorities in Switzerland, Spain and Italy, Servier withdrew it from those markets between 1997 and 2004.

Lawyers for Servier argued that the company wasn’t aware of the risks associated with Mediator before 2009, and said the company never claimed it was a diet pill. They had argued for acquittal.

It took an independent investigation by another worried French doctor before the company suspended sales in its main market in France in 2009. It wasn’t sold in the U.S.

The company’s CEO and founder, Jacques Servier, was indicted early in the legal process but died in 2014.

[Kilobugya]

Paris court slaps Servier Laboratories with hundreds of millions of euros in damages and fines, finding it guilty of manslaughter and other charges for selling Mediator, a diabetes drug blamed for hundreds of deaths

Great news. Of course it won't do all the death and suffering they caused, but corporate impunity needs to end, and I hope it'll make other corporations more careful and less eager to lie to continue selling a product they know to be dangerous in the future.

[Kilobugya]

So after refusing to listen to scientists since January, after imposing half-measures that greatly affect our lives but are mostly useless against the virus, and every week saying "let's wait, next week will be decisive" and doing nothing, the situation is utterly out of control. We reached the peak of people in ICU from November, and even if strong measures are taken now it'll take 1-2 weeks to lower ICU pressure. Hospitals near I live are saturated at... 167% !



Macron will speak on national TV tonight at 20:00 CEST, I've no idea if he'll admit the situation is out of control and impose strict lockdown and close schools or not. But in both cases it'll be a disaster. Like always since the beginning of the crisis, there is no preparation, no planning. There were no masks. Then there were no tests. Then there were no hospital beds - not only they didn't create new ones in a year, but they continued closing them ! Nothing was done for better aeration in schools. Nothing was done to try to prevent peaks in public transports. Nothing was done to force employers to do remote working. And nothing was prepared for remote learning, teachers will once again have to do whatever they can themselves.

I'm really really sick of that level of recklessness, carelessness and incompetence. Our lives aren't yours to gamble with, Macron !

[Kilobugya]

Summary of Macron's announces :

• The whole country is now considered "increased vigilance" and will have the restrictions that were in place in only part of the country.
• Schools will be closed for 3 weeks - first week will be remote learning, next two weeks will be "unified" spring holidays (in normal times the country is divided in 3 zones, with different dates for the 3 zones, those 2 weeks correspond to the first of the zones).
• Remote working will be "systematized" but no indication to what it'll mean exactly.

My comments :

• Way too late. Scientific council was warning for a peak in March since January, and recommended a lockdown in January, before the situation reached that disastrous outcome. With about 300 deaths/day, 2 months late means about 18 000 extra deaths. And the worse is yet to come.
• Not enough. Three weeks of schools closed, with the explosion we have right now will not be enough.
• No preparation. Nothing was done to prepare for the situation. Nothing was done to get teachers and schools ready for remote learning. Nothing was done to help parents find solutions to take for their children if they have to go to work. We know the situation is out of control since weeks, but it's a sudden announce getting everyone cold-footed again.
• No plan forward. Apart from pushing vaccination (which is good, but even according to them will take until the end of the summer), nothing is planned, again. Nothing will be done for better aeration in schools and closed working spaces, to adjust working times so people aren't crowded in public transports at peak time, to lower contamination in very high-risk areas such as schools restaurants.
• Macron gambled with our lives - and lost. He must go.

[Kowani]

Summary of Macron's announces :

• The whole country is now considered "increased vigilance" and will have the restrictions that were in place in only part of the country.
• Schools will be closed for 3 weeks - first week will be remote learning, next two weeks will be "unified" spring holidays (in normal times the country is divided in 3 zones, with different dates for the 3 zones, those 2 weeks correspond to the first of the zones).
• Remote working will be "systematized" but no indication to what it'll mean exactly.

My comments :

• Way too late. Scientific council was warning for a peak in March since January, and recommended a lockdown in January, before the situation reached that disastrous outcome. With about 300 deaths/day, 2 months late means about 18 000 extra deaths. And the worse is yet to come.
• Not enough. Three weeks of schools closed, with the explosion we have right now will not be enough.
• No preparation. Nothing was done to prepare for the situation. Nothing was done to get teachers and schools ready for remote learning. Nothing was done to help parents find solutions to take for their children if they have to go to work. We know the situation is out of control since weeks, but it's a sudden announce getting everyone cold-footed again.
• No plan forward. Apart from pushing vaccination (which is good, but even according to them will take until the end of the summer), nothing is planned, again. Nothing will be done for better aeration in schools and closed working spaces, to adjust working times so people aren't crowded in public transports at peak time, to lower contamination in very high-risk areas such as schools restaurants.
• Macron gambled with our lives - and lost. He must go.

these are the "proud to be amateurs" people?

[Kilobugya]

these are the "proud to be amateurs" people?

Yep. That's a quote from Macron to the representatives of his party "be proud to be amateurs", last year just before the pandemic.

[Kowani]

these are the "proud to be amateurs" people?

Yep. That's a quote from Macron to the representatives of his party "be proud to be amateurs", last year just before the pandemic.

top 10 quotes that didn't age well

[Kowani]

French billionaire Vincent Bolloré engages in neocolonialism, took control of Ghana's largest port (the 16th west African Port he owns) by ripping the country off

[Kilobugya]

French billionaire Vincent Bolloré engages in neocolonialism, took control of Ghana's largest port (the 16th west African Port he owns) by ripping the country off

So unsurprising... France, both government and corporation, treat parts of Africa like USA treats Latin America. It even has a name here, "Françafrique". Disgusting.

[Kowani]

French Senate adopts amendment to the "Law on Republican Values" which would ban minors from wearing religious symbols in public

[Shrillland]

French Senate adopts amendment to the "Law on Republican Values" which would ban minors from wearing religious symbols in public

Somehow, I'm not surprised.

[Kilobugya]

French Senate adopts amendment to the "Law on Republican Values" which would ban minors from wearing religious symbols in public

Somehow, I'm not surprised.

Yeah for all their fuss against "non-mixity" (when a group of victims of racism meet together to speak of what they've been through), the Senate is pretty much a non-mix club of 50+ rich white males. Not surprising they are so repressive of what 18- mostly colored girls can do.

[Pomeron]

If his opponent is Le Pen, Macron wins a second term. If his opponent is anyone else, Macron joins Sarkozy and Hollande in the one term corner.

[SD_Film Artists]

Somehow, I'm not surprised.

Yeah for all their fuss against "non-mixity" (when a group of victims of racism meet together to speak of what they've been through), the Senate is pretty much a non-mix club of 50+ rich white males. Not surprising they are so repressive of what 18- mostly colored girls can do.

Considering recent cinematic releases, I'd be worried if certain parts of the French establishment have any opinions on what young coloured girls should do.

[Kilobugya]

So... it has been more than one year. And we knew since January that a new lockdown was very likely. And the minister Blanquer was proudly claiming they were "ready for anythin". And yet, just one hour within the "remote learning" week, the ENT platform used by all schools for remote learning was overloaded and crashed.

The first time, last year, everything was done in panic, and they didn't really know what to expect, ok. But again ? Like with so many things, nothing was improved in one full year, nothing was planned in advance.

[Nakena]

French Senate adopts amendment to the "Law on Republican Values" which would ban minors from wearing religious symbols in public

State Atheism intensifies.

French billionaire Vincent Bolloré engages in neocolonialism, took control of Ghana's largest port (the 16th west African Port he owns) by ripping the country off

So unsurprising... France, both government and corporation, treat parts of Africa like USA treats Latin America. It even has a name here, "Françafrique". Disgusting.

La Françafrique is well alive.

[Kowani]

France to declare agricultural disaster over spring frost

The French government is to declare an agricultural disaster over an unusual early spring frost that has damaged crops and vines across the country, the agriculture minister said. Julien Denormandie told Franceinfo radio late Thursday that the cold snap had been "particularly difficult" for the sector with "significant losses" registered. "We are completely mobilised so that the accompanying measures can be put in place as quickly as possible," he said. "Specifically, we will implement a regime of agricultural disaster," saying tax breaks could be envisaged as well as help from banks and insurance and warning that more cold weather could be on the way. He said the situation was "quite exceptional", with vineyards hit but also other crops like beet and rapeseed in regions spanning the north of the country to the southeast.

In a bid to ward off the frost, French winemakers have lit thousands of small fires which have caused a layer of smog in the southeast of the country. The practice of lighting fires or candles near vines or fruit trees to prevent the formation of frost is a long-standing technique used in early spring when the first green shoots are vulnerable to the cold. Whole hillsides look as if they are ablaze, creating a striking visual effect, with winemakers scrambling this week as temperatures plunged to below freezing, particularly in the fertile Rhone valley in southeast France.
The CNIV national winemakers' association warned the situation is "one of the most serious in recent decades" and will cut production of the year.