'Socialist Left factions in dire straits in Paris' France's opposition Socialists vote Thursday for a new leader after a fierce contest laid bare deep divisions and threatened to scuttle their chances of building a challenge to President Nicolas Sarkozy. Former presidential candidate Segolene Royal is putting her political survival on the line as she squares off against rivals Martine Aubry, the architect of France's 35-hour work week, and leftist Euro-MP Benoit Hamon. The vote by the party's 233,000 members -- which could head into a runoff on Friday -- comes on the heels of a party congress that ended in disarray at the weekend after delegates failed to agree on a consensus candidate. The stakes are high for France's main opposition party. After three consecutive defeats in presidential elections, the Socialists have been bogged down in internal squabbling and unable to score any points off Sarkozy since he took office last year. http://www.france24.com/en/20081120-french-socialists-vote-new-leader-reims-royal-aubry-hamon
'Socialist Left factions in dire straits in Paris'
France's opposition Socialists vote Thursday for a new leader after a fierce contest laid bare deep divisions and threatened to scuttle their chances of building a challenge to President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Former presidential candidate Segolene Royal is putting her political survival on the line as she squares off against rivals Martine Aubry, the architect of France's 35-hour work week, and leftist Euro-MP Benoit Hamon.
The vote by the party's 233,000 members -- which could head into a runoff on Friday -- comes on the heels of a party congress that ended in disarray at the weekend after delegates failed to agree on a consensus candidate.
The stakes are high for France's main opposition party.
After three consecutive defeats in presidential elections, the Socialists have been bogged down in internal squabbling and unable to score any points off Sarkozy since he took office last year.
http://www.france24.com/en/20081120-french-socialists-vote-new-leader-reims-royal-aubry-hamon
Francolphiles rejoice - you've defeated the Brits! or are just selling cheaper tv. Don't know. Anyway, your propaganda is in American homes. Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
I looked up the name of the other show that has replaced the BBC; it is World Focus. I've watched bits of it, and I have to say, ouch. Really, they have those "let's dress up and pretend to be journalists" production values of Russia Today and Deutsche Welle's Journal. Hurts to watch this stuff. But I guess they've positioned themselves as the primary competition for the BBC in America:
NYT: `Worldfocus' Replaces `BBC World News' On Some PBS Stations
"For 10 years, the BBC has largely had to itself the American market for television news that is not United States-centric, thanks to its distribution deal with public television and its cable network BBC America. That changed on Monday with the start of `Worldfocus,' a half-hour nightly newscast being produced and distributed by the New York public broadcaster WLIW, Channel 21," Elizabeth Jensen reports. "The new competition, available in about 85 percent of the country, brings an extensive juggling of the station lineup for "BBC World News" on public television nationwide. In the New York metropolitan area, the half-hour BBC newscast will no longer be seen on WLIW and its sister station, WNET, Channel 13, where it occupied plum evening spots; the program garnered on average some 60,000 viewers per night on WLIW alone. Instead, viewers will find it on the less-viewed New Jersey Network, at 6:30 p.m., Eastern time."
"The new competition, available in about 85 percent of the country, brings an extensive juggling of the station lineup for "BBC World News" on public television nationwide. In the New York metropolitan area, the half-hour BBC newscast will no longer be seen on WLIW and its sister station, WNET, Channel 13, where it occupied plum evening spots; the program garnered on average some 60,000 viewers per night on WLIW alone. Instead, viewers will find it on the less-viewed New Jersey Network, at 6:30 p.m., Eastern time."
Here in Chicago, I believe the same has happened. Another PBS station will now air the BBC World News, and at some crazy hours: 5:30 am and 11:30 pm. Previously, on the other station, it was in the prime news slots at 6 pm and 10 pm.
It kind of sucks. I liked the BBC World News. They have soothing voices and make some attempt at professionalism. World Focus ... ooh, it's painful to watch. Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
They will be back. You can't be me, I'm taken
Libération (Paris) According to French leftist paper Libération "Spring is in the air" - this refers to the progress made by socialist candidates in the local elections. The Sociality Party may not have received the tidal wave of support it was hoping for, but the article points out it should be happy it has managed to destabilize the ruling UMP party to a certain extent. The paper says this may have been partly down to the fact the socialists had a joker card to play with - President Nicolas Sarkozy himself! Sarkozy's recent bad press and the country's economic slowdown encouraged some voters to publish [sic - punish] his party in the local elections. Figaro (Paris) Right-wing paper Le Figaro publishes an article pointing out that while the socialists made progress the UMP party did better than expected in the elections. There was no sudden come back from the left and there is still a long way to go. The paper likens the elections to a football game, explaining some of Sarkozy's supporters may well have wanted to issue him with a warning - or a yellow card. This doesn't mean, however, they've changed their political tendencies and they are unlikely to go all the way in the second round of voting, giving him a red card. http://www.france24.com/en/press-review/734980
Libération (Paris)
According to French leftist paper Libération "Spring is in the air" - this refers to the progress made by socialist candidates in the local elections. The Sociality Party may not have received the tidal wave of support it was hoping for, but the article points out it should be happy it has managed to destabilize the ruling UMP party to a certain extent. The paper says this may have been partly down to the fact the socialists had a joker card to play with - President Nicolas Sarkozy himself! Sarkozy's recent bad press and the country's economic slowdown encouraged some voters to publish [sic - punish] his party in the local elections.
Figaro (Paris)
Right-wing paper Le Figaro publishes an article pointing out that while the socialists made progress the UMP party did better than expected in the elections. There was no sudden come back from the left and there is still a long way to go. The paper likens the elections to a football game, explaining some of Sarkozy's supporters may well have wanted to issue him with a warning - or a yellow card. This doesn't mean, however, they've changed their political tendencies and they are unlikely to go all the way in the second round of voting, giving him a red card.
http://www.france24.com/en/press-review/734980
They have some quite extended debates on important issues with left and right represented. What I like about it is that unlike BBCworld, there is far less about business and sport and a lot more on culture in general. Thus it might be a welcome change for US viewers and seem more "European" :-) Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.
(And my I note the lack of coverage of French domestic politics by our diarists recently.) *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
We've always struggled on european domestic politics. I worry that there's too much attention on UK & US nonsense so sometimes I hold back, but apart from French politics, the rest of europe seems to be be de gondi for Italy and Dodo for everywhere else.
We're a bit thin I grant you. But it's not new. So why are we dying ? keep to the Fen Causeway
It's a bit like fucking really, you don't want people pointing out your inadequacies in the middle of the act. It tends to put a damper on development. You can't be me, I'm taken
I am going to have to invoke the old bit of wisdom about "If you have nothing nice to say ..." aren't I? Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
What is this rush to be right? You can't be me, I'm taken
Who's ready to write the diary on the effect of the breakdown of global societal institutions? Is depression par for the course? If we step back a bit, aren't we all affected a bit more than we let on? "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
Your reward is this youtube:
The best bit is between the start and 4:30 or so.
Brave in what respect?
The second piece is a basic A culture piece with B culture backing. i.e. colonial. Much riskier to bring off without appearing patronising ;-) You can't be me, I'm taken
Of course, the point remains: How much we are affected and don't admit (or even know.) "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
Many of us suffer from post-natal Obamaism. A great wrong has been partially righted. A lot of psychic energy has been invested. PND is inevitable.
It will take time before the next perceptional cause is identified... You can't be me, I'm taken
A problem about blogging French politics is that all the juicy bits are found in the Canard Enchaîné which doesn't have a website...
And, of course, that nepotism in SarkozyLand is "dog bites man" type of news... Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
It does appear that Royal is taking over the PS. That of course is a "disaster" according to some press.
