First measures are likely to be the suppression of inheritance tax and a few other income tax lowerings.

Sarkozy really won with old people and I think the issue that he rode was the immigration one.  He was elected by the old generation that fears a different france.  It will be very curious to see if the final tally confirms what the polls indicated, that Royal one with every age group under 65.  

I hope that Sarkozy does the one great move re: immigration I think he can make for France and I ask that everyone start suggesting it.  Open up immigration to Americans.  France and Europe are at a historic high-point and have the ability to poach some of the best and brightest aux Etats-Unis.  Using the standard types of qualifications one can easily make this the type of "good immigration" that the old guard expects.  

Lastly, I look forward to the scandals re: Cecilia.  

The question is now, how much resistance will he face from unions and civil society organizations?

This view of Europe is to establish a very strong and efficient political organisation which is not in line at all with what the Anglo-saxon lobbies would like to ear.

I "hope" the very low growth in US/UK that is planned for this year will moderate the comments by liberal pundits in FT etc..

i am quite happy ;-)

Those of us who love France respect the wish of its people to change towards what some call "Anglo-Saxon" economics. We share some of th concern of our French friends that this should not mean a reduction in the quality of French social policies - a model for all countries. Above all. what we don't want to see is a change to French life and style - by far one of the most precious aspects of our European

The ineffable Welshman, trying to preempt kossack opinions.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

you are the media you consume.

America: you cannot be an obstacle to the fight against global warming. This will be France's first fight.

Interesting...

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

Un Pyromane à l'Elysée Le Nouvel Horizon de Dakar

Le rêve obsessionnel de "l'Iznogoud de Neuilly" de s'installer enfin à la place du calife Chirac s'est réalisé. Ne reculant devant rien, Sarkozy, pratiquant une politique du bouc émissaire vieille comme le monde en jouant sur les peurs et les fantasmes des Français, a réussi à installer durablement dans le débat national le thème de l'insécurité, auquel sont automatiquement associés les immigrés. Des immigrés dont il prévoit de "nettoyer au Kärcher" les rejetons turbulents quand il ne leur reproche pas d'égorger des "moutons dans les baignoires". Pour atteindre cet objectif, Sarkozy a fait feu de tout bois, n'hésitant pas pratiquant la surenchère xénophobe avec sa proposition de créer un ministère de "l'immigration et de l'identité nationale", lui dont le père est pourtant venu d'une obscure bourgade hongroise.

Certains supporters du petit Napoléon de l'UMP n'ont pourtant pas manqué de prendre leurs distances par rapport à cette dernière trouvaille, sans vouloir admettre une évidence qui saute pourtant aux yeux : la lepénisation de Sarkozy. Les incidents survenus à la gare du Nord, après qu'un banal contrôle d'identité eut tourné en quasi émeute avec des jeunes issus de l'immigration conspuant le nom de Sarkozy, présage des moments chauds que s'apprête à vivre la France avec une présidence Sarkozy.

Sarkozy, le cauchemar des Africains Le Bénin aujourd'hui

Il le désirait ardemment, de manière apparemment obsessionnelle et il l'a eu : le pouvoir suprême. Le second tour de la présidentielle a consacré Nicolas Sarkozy à la tête de la France. Entre la gauche et la droite, les Français ont donc choisi dans leur majorité de rester à droite.

(...)

L'élection de Sarkozy à la magistrature suprême n'enlève en rien le mérite de son challenger socialiste Ségolène Royal. Bien au contraire. Elle est la preuve éloquente que ce n'est pas seulement sous nos tropiques que le conservatisme a la vie dure. Première femme française à avoir accédé à ce niveau de la compétition politique, elle apparaît comme la victime expiatoire de la France qui a peur d'être Présidente. Elle a démontré, et pendant les primaires au sein de son parti et pendant la campagne électorale à proprement parler, qu'elle était bel et bien à la hauteur de la charge pour laquelle elle a sollicité les suffrages des Français. En affrontant le nouveau président de la République qu'elle a même mis en difficulté et en faisant montre de beaucoup de talents politiques lors du débat radiotélévisé. Et la logique du jeu aurait voulu que, mis à part la personnalité et les grandes promesses de Sarkozy, la droite paye les conséquences de sa politique de ses dernières années.

(...)

Cette préférence des Africains pour Royal ne résulte pas uniquement de la position du nouveau président élu sur l'immigration. Elle procède aussi du fait de ses convictions politiques, voire de sa personnalité qui laisse soupçonner un certain relent de condescendance.

He already gave agreement on the Constitution. Though he'd oppose too much cross-border free markets, I guess. But I am not optimistic in any way. There was a time the Scandinavian states were viewed as inmutably socialistic.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

NEWS ALERT from The Wall Street Journal

Sarkozy was elected France's new president with tough proposals aimed at shaking France out of its deep economic and social slump, defeating Socialist rival Royal by a solid margin in the final round of elections.

Sarkozy collected 53% of the votes cast, according to preliminary counting of ballots by CSA polling agency.  Royal took 47%, CSA said.

The platforms of the two candidates had many points where two different pathways were clearly articulated.  The voters turned out at a very high rate of participation, and the answer was clear--53%-47%.

After such an exciting campaign, after the French people participated in such great numbers, and with the issues more clearly laid out than in many campaigns I have seen, the French people have spoken in a democracy.  And your response to all of this is depressingly negative:

Soon, it will appear that he is still French. Mutterings about the uselessness of expecting better from them will start to be heard. Talk about missed opportunities will crop up, as will eventually that of decline, again.

I give them less than a year.

All of the major Western democracies have major issues in front of them--not just the French.  But it is the French who have spoken today.  Wouldn't it be more helpful, certainly more hopeful, to try to interpret what has been said?

There seems to be consensus for example on global warming--that's worth discussing, and at least acknowledging if that is true.  Is there a majority that is voting for Sarko's theme of rewarding work more than it is today?  Of if not getting rid of the 35 hour work week, taking his approach of rewarding more highly work over 35 hours a week?  And there are so many other issues that were presented with clearly alternate pathways.

It seems a shame not to at least understand what the message is from the French voters, in this wonderful demonstration of democracy in action.  (screw the International Press!)

I do agree that Sarkozy is unlikely to attempt radical reform in the way the WSJ would prefer, if for no other reason than fear of political suicide.  Much of his right-wing stances were, I suspect, largely the result of needing Le Pen's people to show up.  That just goes with the territory of political campaigns -- the price inevitably paid at times in a democracy.

Nonetheless, it was quite an interesting campaign, and thanks to everybody for writing so much on the topic for guys like me.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?

ANSA 21:05

If I understand his drivel, the communists have been in power in France for the past five or ten years- well, ok, the past 218 years.

Seeing as Sarko has the same program as B, I'm looking forward to seeing the French mob occupy the ministries.

In the short term, we lose a lot on the Left.  But, when we're right, eventually the rest of the people get it.  In the meantime, at least the envelope is pushed.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?

http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/resultats-elections/PR2007/index.html

(some departements have results for second round like 81 - Tarn)

Now who voted white en masse, Le Pen, Bayrou, Left voters?

So in a certain way, the question is whether the cult of personality and the discourse of self-pity that is at the heart of the Sarkozy campaign can be translated into any sort of governmental program, or will we have simply 5 years of spin and political attacks on opponents?

His trick was to emphasize hot button issues like abortion, immigration and "security" to appeal to fear and resentment. What he delivered was tax breaks for the rich and a war which has increased insecurity.

His followers (especially the religious right) have recently started to realize that they've been had.

Is Sarkozy going to eliminate the 35 hour week? How about reducing worker's rights? What is he really going to do about the immigrant sector that can't blend in?

In the US it was easy to see who was pulling the strings. They even put their puppet master in as VP to ensure that the energy sector got what it wanted. Who pulls the strings in Sarkozy's case and what do they want now that he has won?

Policies not Politics
---- Daily Landscape

i don't what it is like in other villes but there is a grand demonstration here tonight

Posted by: r'giap | May 6, 2007 4:29:20 PM | 21

Can't find anything about this - is it true? I think that would be in Avignon?!

But if we are wrong, I suspect things will become quite interesting in the streets. Supposing of course a confirmation of the tendancy in the legislatives to come.

Either way, it will be hard to turn his back with the reforms one supposes he will enact, given they will prove quite unpopular with those taken by his 11th hour rassambleur rhetoric.

Either candidate would, alas, have had to be elected under false pretenses to some extent...

"C'est un scandale !"

How wrong I was.

Condolences to my favorite country in Europe, France.

in an extended version. Here's what I added:

Nobody knows what Sarkozy will do as president, because he has basically promised everything and its opposite and because, when he was in power, he did nothing but posturing. It's possible that he will try to go for radical 'reform', arguing that he has a strong mandate from the French; it's possible that he'll be like Chirac, doing essentially nothing because getting power was the only goal, not exercising it.

In his speech, he has for the time being repeated the usual mantras ('revalue work, discipline, order, honor, nation') but he has also given his speech a decidely lefty bend, by saying that he is the president of all the French, and that he will not let anyone fall by the wayside. It's the same contradictory mix that he has used in his campaign and which seems to have worked: the call to traditional values, and the suggestion that he will be better at protecting people. It has been particularly effective with older people, and he has managed to capture a good chunk of the Le Pen voters; his "dog whistle" pronouncements against immigrants have obviously been effective.

The thing is, there has been so much doom and gloom discourse in the country that anybody that sounds like he knows what he's doing (even though he is actually already in power and to be blamed for the funk) appears like the messiah. When you ask people why they vote for him, it's all down to his looking more serious (remnants of machismo?), sounding tough, and appearing to know issues better. Never mind that this is a media created, carefully spinned image, it has dominated discourse on actual ideas. (Values before policies, sounds familiar?)

In fact, given his speech this evening, it might be even quicker.

France will always be at America's side when it needs us, but I want to tell Americans that friendship means tolerating that friends think differently

This is essentially the same line Chirac was on, and the same line as previous presidents, and it is the traditional position of the French diplomacy. We're your friends, and we don't mind saying it (loudly) when we disagree. As he has long claimed to be more pro-American than Chirac et al., he might get away for a bit with critical stances (especially if he peppers his pronouncements with symbolic signs of friendship), but at some point, there will be a major sticking point.

And that might quickly be it:

"A great nation like the USA has the duty not to block the fight against global climate warming, and, indeed, to take the lead in that fight, because what's at stake is the future of the whole human race."

As he even added that this would be "France's first priority", and as we all know the Bush administration's position on this, the next 18 months might get interesting quickly. This was a pretty direct challenge, on a pretty fundamental issue. I was happy to hear this bit, I must admit. I have no idea yet whether he'll follow through (and a natural inclination, from his past, not to believe a word he says), but it is nevertheless interesting that he chose such a specific stance - one he knew would be a direct provocation to the Bush White House, and one that can get him kudos from outside the usual supporters of the right.

With Brown and Merkel having also made a lot of noise about climate change, this might actually be a topic where Europe impudently stands up to Bush, which means that Sarkozy is likely to turn in your media into "yet another Frenchman who does not understand the challenges of the 21st century."

:: ::

Again, I'll say it. I have no idea what Sarkozy stands for, apart form his personal career. Now that he's reached the position he's lusted after for 30 years, what will he do with it? Will he just follow polls and spin? (In which case, watch out for the ideology of Lagardère (pro-business) and Dassault (reactionary), two family-owned military hardware and media groups who own most of the French media and whose bosses are personal friends of Sarkozy). Will he actually stand for something? Either way, playing the anti-American card smartly (while snidely pretending to be pro-American) is likely to be popular.

In a sense, this should be fun. The French bashing media have the candidate of their dreams elected. Will they tolerate to make France look as if it's up again, even if it is thanks to their ideology, or will they rather prefer to see it down, as it "should" be, being, you know, French, and give up on their champion?

I'm betting on the latter. The French are hopeless (i.e. even Sarkozy won't "reform" us).

Reagan waited six months for his first opportunity to begin going after syndicated labour, when he fired striking PATCO air traffic controls en masse, declaring their strike a threat to National Security.  Of course much of the press took this point of view, and as I recall from those days, the anti-union mantra was repeated in every communications channel; the daily papers, weekly news journals, television news and university lecture halls.

Thatcher also went about de-unionizing the country piece by piece.  Her boost in popularity following the Falklands war