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The French Presidential Elections (John Kinsella, May 10, 2007) Since author/writer John Kinsella has lived in Paris for many years and travels widely throughout Europe--and indeed, the world--I asked him to give us a resident's views on the French Presidential election--perhaps a key turning point for that nation. After the period of stagnation under Jacques Chirac’s second mandate, Nicolas Sarkozy, 52, was elected France’s new president with a clear margin of 53,06% of the votes in a turn out of almost 85% of the electors. He is due to take over, when Jacques Chirac steps down after 12 years of office, the 16 May. It is worth pausing for a moment to examine the physiognomy of France and how it has changed dramatically over the last decades. Beyond the tourist’s image of the country and the worn out platitudes and commentaries of observers, France’s great urban centres have changed like few others with the influx of new blood and as a result the unseen transformation of what is generally recognised as a Frenchman. During this period the country’s institutions were left behind by the changes, whilst part of the country’s political thinkers were mired down in outdated ideas and concepts. Amongst the candidates in the presidential elections were those representing the Communist Party, the Revolutionary Communist League Party and the Trotskyists. It is astonishing to see that they obtained a total of almost 7.5% of the votes in the first round. A fine exercise in democracy some people would say, but if a moment was taken to examine the ideologies of these movements, the conclusion would be that they have no place in the modern world. Where is there a communist government in the world today? Are the people who voted for these candidates living in a time warp? This way of thinking is symptomatic of a small and at times well thinking minority that prevents France moving forward, it pervades all intellectual circles where it is politically incorrect to think differently. It is fixed in the mentality of workers labour organisations, it is rooted in the ideas of many government employees. However, it is not representative of France and the silent majority. For example a large part of the population of the Parisian region’s 10 million inhabitants are either recent immigrants or are the second or third generation sons and daughters of immigrants, who have not the least affinity with these outdated ideologies. Another large part of the urban population of France moved from provincial France to the cities in the sixties and seventies, and without a ‘workers’ political culture. The consequence of this situation is that a number of the country’s institutions are out of step with the desires and ambitions of the majority of French men and women. The country needs reform, but this does not mean to say that the country is in dire straights. France is the second largest receiver of private investment in the world. The USA has invested more in France than just about any other country in the world. France is one the world’s leader in the field of nuclear power, rail transport, aerospace and many other fields. It has one of the best medical systems in the world with a highly developed social protection system. France plays a role in world peace keeping in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Africa and other regions. It is why France has chosen a president who is seen as a highly dynamic leader, who is favourably considered by business and finance, who proposes tax cuts and incentives, promises to boost growth and reform France’s institutions. He has been likened to Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi by both his admirers and critics. He was elected on the basis his programme of Authority, Order, Work, Immigration, respect of the Nation and European preference, in addition he fiercely opposes the entry of Turkey into the European Union, ‘since it is not part of Europe’, though he believes in closer ties with this ‘great’ country. Closer to the USA than his predecessor, he seeks to reinvigorate France’s relations with its ally, but has nevertheless declared: ‘A great nation like the USA should not oppose the fight against global warming, on the contrary it should be at the head of the fight, because this challenge concerns all humanity’. The son of a Hungarian immigrant Sarkozy is not in the traditional mould of French politicians and promises a clean sweep, his three decades of experience in the country’s political arena equips him to fulfil his obligations. His election has drawn scattered protestation and rioting, mostly by extreme young white leftist movements in a number of cities. For the first time in more than two decades the extreme left, reminiscent of the late seventies, has manifested itself violently. Sarkozy in the lead up to his election has promised aid and employment to France’s immigrant communities, whose youth was the source of serious civil unrest at the end of 2005, he is also expected to nominate Rachida Dati, the daughter of a Moroccan immigrant, to his new team. His first major task comes at the beginning of June when legislative elections are scheduled. Nicolas Sarkozy must win a strong parliamentary majority, so as to allow him to carry out the reforms he has promised. For more on a wide array of other topics, please visit the oftwominds.com weblog. 
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