What did Sarkozy get elected on, exactly, in your view? In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Sarkozy was elected on a few good slogans about more work vs more gain, more purchase power by reforms, what means to be French etc. But through all this, blew a wind of pragmatism.
I think he won because his rational pragmatism was convincing enough. He managed to convince enough people that he actually wants to DO things. Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (Martin Luther King)
Sarkozy was elected by absorbing whole the discourse of Le Pen on immigrants, and capturing his voters. He had no coherent discourse on the economy.
What does "reform" mean to you? Is it: more flexible labor markets, weaker unions, lower taxes, less regulation? In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
As to myself, more flexible labour markets, with much easier and fast hiring, but certainly not the american model. Not more regulation, but less bureaucracy. And stronger unions, definitely, and also lower taxes (for the middle class: myself!). And stronger PME reaching outside France. Much like Germany. Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (Martin Luther King)
more flexible labour markets, with much easier and fast hiring,
What does this even mean? "Flexible" has at least two or three different meanings, and at least one of them is pure newspeak.
but certainly not the american model.
Care to be a shade more specific? "I want a more managed economy, but certainly not the North Korean model," kinda leaves a lot unsaid, doesn't it...
Not more regulation, but less bureaucracy.
Should that read "not less regulation"?
lower taxes (for the middle class: myself!).
Why? You very probably get more back in services than you spend in taxes. European-style government is a really good deal for anybody who isn't in the top 20 % of the income distribution.
And stronger PME reaching outside France.
PME?
- Jake If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.
He did deliver on that one, you can't argue about it, once you realise that it's the microphone that stopped working in the middle of his sentence, which was:
"more purchase power for the already rich at the expense of everyone else, by reforms"
And deliver he did, with the Paquet Fiscal, with the depenalisation of business crime, with the Tapie settlement, with his gifts to private media, with... Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi
I think he won because his rational pragmatism was convincing enough.
Did he figure this out by himself or did he have some particularly effective campaign manager/strategist, a French Rove? Is there evidence of a political realignment in France or is this still as much a case of fatigue with the Socialists after a long run?
Market Trustee makes a point that ideology has not disappeared so much as it has been camouflaged by being embedded into culturally normative social conditioning. While that approach is probably more successful in the long run, it would seem to take time to accomplish.
Perhaps the true danger of emphasizing ideology is that this only appeals to a minority of the population, and that one or both sides can ramp it up to such an extent that it turns most people off to politics, when politics is framed in terms of ideology and is continuously and vituperatively argued on rational grounds by one side and on grounds of emotion and values by the other. This provides scope and time for one side or the other to change the terms of discussion to the disadvantage of the other side. This is one means whereby those who have a clear ideology and have intentions and policies designed to help the majority, call them "the reality based community," can be totally subverted by means of symbolic manipulation undertaken by those who, while having no interest in the majority except as grist for their mill, take the time to understand their mentalities and effectively, if deceptively, appeal to those mentalities.. As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
