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Royal and the Roots | 20 comments (20 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Royal and the Roots (4.00 / 4)
I am personally quite impressed with the attempt to generate ideas for policy in much more participative manner. We all know the left everywhere has lost some cohesion due to historical/cultural shifts.

A process like this not only is valuable for being democratic but could really galvanise the movement.

I like the slogan.

I think the question is, unfortunately, how can she disrupt this broad media support for Sarko?

Or, to put it another way, as someone out of touch with France at this level, how much influence do the media have?

Also, what is your judgement, presuming we get to a Sarko-Sego second round? Is it a naturally close race? That's been my feeling, that this will really go to the wire.

In that case, we're almost pitting "participative politics" against "media-spin politics." Of course, there is a dynamic in certain classes of France that feels they are falling behind their colleagues in other countries when it comes to accumulating loot. They are a powerful constituency for Sarko. Articulate and prominent. Which leads me to ponder... any chance of an article on the state of the French political blogosphere?

I promise I will write one about the UK blogosphere within the next 6 months or so in return... ;-)

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Thu Feb 8th, 2007 at 12:17:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Royal and the Roots (4.00 / 3)
I think you sum up a good part of my feelings and questions. This is certainly an impressive harnessing of the grass/net-roots. But the MSM still count for a huge heap.

However, they can be challenged. This isn't the States 3-4 years ago. Royal has attacked the big media for belonging to big money and being against her (correct). François Bayrou makes a lot of noise fighting TF1, which he's quite right to do. It's being more widely said that the owners of the publishing, press, and TV world in France are all close buddies of Sarkozy -- who also owns a piece of the State's hold on public broadcasting.

I believe it's possible to force the media on to the back foot. The main thing is to introduce some doubt into as many minds as possible as to what the pundits are telling them is the truth. I also believe Royal is working with themes that are genuinely closer to people's concerns. "Progress" and "respect" are immensely well-chosen words. OK, slogans matter for less than twenty-five years ago, but big words still make their way...

On the French political blogos, I don't know enough about it yet. I spend all my time on this funny Scoop blog called ET... ;)

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Feb 8th, 2007 at 12:29:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Royal and the Roots (4.00 / 2)
I'm glad that she's fighting back. I was very worried after the rpevious diary that Sarkozy was walking this and Royal was failing to make any headway.

I am personally quite impressed with the attempt to generate ideas for policy in much more participative manner. We all know the left everywhere has lost some cohesion due to historical/cultural shifts.

I like this a lot, intersting how this mirrors the "Energise america" netroot led initiative that seems to be gaining traction in significant circles.

However, knowing the left and its masochistic ability to demand purity before influence, I worry that this may generate hopes of influence unlikely to gain fruition, leading to disenchantment on the part of those who need to be energised.

Still, that's a worry for the future. Go Segeolene

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Feb 8th, 2007 at 02:58:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Royal and the Roots (4.00 / 5)

I have been invited as a blogger to Sunday's big meeting. There was a previous invitation last week-end to present the people that did the moderation and the summaries of the debate (many of which were meeting on that occasion for the first time), but i could not make it.

You feel a real sense of pride coming from the people that have participated in that process. I really hope that something powerful will come out of this. It is essentially the same "netroots based" logic as EA. We'll see how this goes, but I'm well placed to know that you should not underestimate it.

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

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 8th, 2007 at 04:09:29 PM EST
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Re: Royal and the Roots (4.00 / 2)
Yay, this is something significant that's happening right under the noses of of the msm. Is her initiative being noticed much at all bythem ? Do they understand it ?

God, it's amazing isn't it ? kos went to scoop in 2003 and transformed voter interaction in US politics. Just over 3 years later democratic policy formulation is really becoming "we the people, for the people, by the people". The corporations won't know what hit 'em.


keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Feb 8th, 2007 at 04:58:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Royal and the Roots | 20 comments (20 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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