French Election: Macron Sacrifices Stability for Power

The French president’s road to political perdition. 

By Mark Angelides | Jul 8, 2024 @ Liberty Nation New, Tags: Articles, Good Reads, International, Opinion, Politics

In a stunning reversal of the first round of voting in the French election, President Emmanuel Macron appears to have sacrificed any hopes of political stability in favor of keeping Marine Le Pen from the levers of power. As the results trickled in from yesterday’s second-round voting, it became clear that Macron’s strategic alliances to keep the so-called “far-right” from forming a majority had ushered in a situation that was arguably far worse for France.

In the French Parliament, the National Assembly, Macron’s party, Ensemble (ENS), earned just 161 of a possible 577 seats – 76 down from the last election. Madame Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) came in third with 142 seats – an increase of 53. And topping the polls was Jean-Luc Melenchon’s New Popular Front (NFP), earning 188. With no party having a majority, France is facing a year of infighting and stalemate.

But it gets worse.

Macron Makes a Devil’s Bargain

Monsieur Melenchon is about as far left as one can be in European politics. In response to the October 7 massacre of Jews in Israel, he and his party refused to condemn Hamas or refer to them as a terrorist organization. Indeed, the first missive from his group said that the attack was “an armed offensive by Palestinian forces” that came “in the context of the intensification by Israel of the policy of occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”

And then there is the Russia question. In 2014, he wrote that Crimea was lost to NATO and that that was “good news.” He accused the US of trying to “annex” Ukraine into NATO and that the demonization of Russia and Putin was American “propaganda.” Although he has more recently tried to walk back somewhat on these positions, the question remains whether he has had a change of heart or has sensed the direction of the political winds and adopted a more pragmatic course.

Macron warned in early July that if Le Pen’s RN were to win these elections, there would be a “civil war” in France. And yet, when he saw that the polls were favoring Le Pen, he jumped into bed with not just Melenchon but also actual Communist candidates, striking deals to have his own people step aside. It seems that no price was too heavy to avoid a National Rally majority.

The Embryo of Revolt

While President Macron has overseen a swath of unpopular policy decisions – such as raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 – it is illegal immigration that has thrown his leadership into such disarray. Voters have seemingly had enough of mass uncontrolled immigration, legal or otherwise, that has negatively impacted French communities – often in deadly ways.

A schoolteacher beheaded by an Islamist outraged that students were shown a picture of Mohammed, a Catholic priest murdered by Islamic State supporters, and the Charlie Hebdo massacre are just a few examples. Indeed, the dozens of terror attacks against the French people since Macron came to power in 2017 have pushed the nation to the brink. And yet, Mr. Macron has treated the general aura of fear as little more than the cost of having a multicultural society.

It was this “Jupiterian” approach to governance (his own choice of words) that spurred the electorate to come out in droves for Madame Le Pen and her party. And it is a sentiment echoed in the recent European Parliament election results. Yet, due to the backroom dealings between Macron and the extreme left, France may well be headed for the chaos and turmoil he warned a victory for Le Pen’s party would bring.

A One-Way Swing?

Across Europe, parties labeled as “right wing” or “far right” are on the ascent. In Italy, Prime Minister Georgia Meloni re-secured her power base in the EU elections, in Germany, the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the second most popular party. In fact, parties of this broad-church persuasion are growing in power by the week.

But what of the United Kingdom and the recent Labour Party landslide? Well, that is actually a case in point. Certainly, the party won a huge majority of seats in Parliament, but its share of the vote and actual number of votes cast in its favor were significantly down from the last election in 2019. Only one party registered an increase of any significance: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Due to the practicalities of the British electoral system which favors parties that have a concentration of votes in a constituency rather than the national vote total, Reform earned almost half the number of ballots won by Labour but was rewarded with just five seats compared to the winning party’s 412. Although Reform had a huge chunk of votes, they were spread out across the country, whereas Labour focuses its spending and strategy on constituencies… this means that it gets an outsized number of seats against its total vote share. The left-wing Labour Party may have emerged as the big winner in the election, but roughly 80% of the total electorate did not vote for it.

In France, Madame Le Pen has continued to increase her party’s popularity and seems well-positioned to take the reins in the next election, assuming there is a country left to govern.

The French Future

Under the French Constitution, Macron cannot call another National Assembly election for one year. This means that no party will hold power – and it is still uncertain who will be the new Prime Minister. To pass any legislation, his centrists will have to make offers and capitulations to those with an extreme left position. And that may not be something his party is willing to do.

Essentially, there will be no productive business in the National Assembly until a new round of elections are held – likely in July 2025. Rancor and acrimony will be the new normal as each of the three factions fight to position themselves for a majority down the line. The president warned of a “civil war” if the right took power, and within moments of the results coming in, Paris was, indeed, in flames – but it was not Le Pen’s supporters that brought the riot police to the nation’s capital.

President Macron succeeded in his mission to keep National Rally from power, but the price he paid may turn out to be one that France can ill afford.

 

Read More From Mark Angelides

The French! With a Sigh!

By Rich Kozlovich

 

In the movie The Patriot the lead character Benjamin Martin sighs, "the French".  Well, every time I read about what goes on in France, I see Mel Gibson saying this, and I roll my eyes and say:  "The French."

 

Pat Buchanan discusses this in his piece, The French Center Holds -- In a World Coming Apart saying:

In France on Sunday, the center held, as President Emmanuel Macron rolled up a crushing 59% to 41% victory in the runoff election against ethno-nationalist Marine Le Pen.........So terrified of Le Pen was the European establishment that before Sunday's election, the leaders of Spain, Portugal and Germany intervened in France's politics by imploring the French people to vote against her.......

 

According to the media and talking heads:

 

"France faces a "choice between a democratic candidate ... and a far-right candidate, who openly sides with those who attack our freedom and our democracy." 

 

Really? Far right?  Well, let's take a look about where they really stand.  Here's a site that outlines they're positions, and one thing you should be able to see is they're both socialist foundationally, and even if they're socialist of different sects of socialism, they're still socialists. 

• Culture: The French have always been arrogant cultural snobs and so are they still.  What's interesting is they seem to think they matter to the rest of the world.  They remind me of former celebrities who think they're still celebrities. 
• Economics: Not one proposal that reduces spending, or making society less dependent on government from either of them
• Education: Le Pen has some worthwhile points, Macron want's to throw more money down that black hole.
• Environment: Both are insane.They're buying into all this insane view on energy that destroying their economy they will save the world.   All this will come back to haunt them. 
• Foreign Policy: Le Pen is lost.
• Health: Spend, spend, spend, spend....take your pick.
• Immigration: Macron is a lunatic and at least Le Pen sees the danger
• Institutions: Tacit acknowledgement they have a serious ethical problem with their institutions in France, but that's universal, so at least they recognize it and have solutions. None of which will pass.  
• Security:  Both clearly recognize France in in trouble, and have solid plans, but Le Pen is far more on top of what needs to be done than Macron, especially involving Muslims and terrorists of any stripe.
• Society: If anyone has any doubt France is lost....read this. 
  

Again, the problem with socialists of different sects is they're still socialists, and dystopia follows socialism like the plague follows rats.  The fact is they have the same problem all European nations have.  Their foundational social paradigm is socialistic in nature because they all had kings.  We call them Prime Ministers, Presidents, etc. now, but they've always been top down societies, and it was far worse after the French Revolution.  There's a reason France has had "Five Republics" since their revolution, and American has had only one. 

 

In my view there have only been two great leaders in French history.  The Hammer of France, Charles Martel who saved Europe by defeating a much larger Muslim army at the Battle of Tours in 732, and Napoleon Bonaparte.  And Napoleon was far more than a brilliant military strategist.  French law is still largely based on his Napoleonic Code. And he was a Corsican Italian.

 

In the mid 1800's the Iron Chancellor of Germany, Otto Von Bismarck, once noted unlike America, which he considered a real country because of shared language, values and culture, Europe is just a geographical designation.  It's still true today, even within all the European "countries".   France isn't a real country in the way America is, although leftists are working diligently to make it like Europe, a patchwork of diversity, inclusion, and an immense effort destroy our economy with insane demands for equity. 

 

Reading French history is a nightmare.  One year in my younger years I spent a couple of months reading the entire history of England, and I loved it.  Sooooo, the next obvious step was reading French history.  Forget it.  The names were impossible to track because the very same names were held by different people making the time lines too difficult for me to follow, at least I found it so at that time in my life. 

 

But one thing I did glean from all that is France for centuries was filled with autonomous regions.  To some extent that mentality still exists, and that's throughout Europe.  Spain and Italy are facing issues with that right now. 

 

At one time the King of France only controlled the area around Paris and one of the Dukes of Burgundy had more land, more troops, more money and more control over France than the king at that time, and even tried to overthrow the King. If you're capable of following France's history you can begin to understand why their politics is so complicated and...screwed up.  And now America is working to compete with them to be number one in that category. 

 

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the socialists, who tried to disguise themselves by claiming to be "progressives", wanted to totally infest education at all levels in America in order to make sure the apple fell as far away from the tree as possible.  The goal was to end any idea parents or the churches would define morality for their children.  The state would be the ultimate moral arbitrator.  Both of which Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson subscribed.  Both believed the Constitution was an impediment to human progress and both subscribed to the concept, L'etat c'est moi.  I am the state!

It still comes down to this.  Forget the rhetoric, forget the mind numbing clabber from the media.  It's all about definition, and every politician in France is a socialist of one stripe or other, and socialists will always be socialists.  They all believe they have a right to steal you money, your freedom, your land, your children, and turn everyone into slaves to the state with a handful of elites telling everyone how to live and what to do.   The details are immaterial.  

 

France: Macron threatens to ‘punish’ generals who signed open letter warning of ‘radical Islam’ stoking ‘civil war’

Apr 29, 2021 9:00 am By Christine Douglass-Williams Leave a Comment

France24, reports that 25 generals signed the document, not 20. More from the France24 report:

“The hour is grave, France is in peril,” the retired generals wrote, adding that failure to act against the “suburban hordes” — a reference to residents of the mainly immigrant areas that ring French cities — and other unnamed groups who “scorn our country” will lead to “civil war” and deaths “in the thousands”.

Anadolu News Agency stated:

The signatories of the letter went beyond the 25 retired generals. It included “more than 1,000 officials of different rank and files in the military, police and gendarmerie” who stated that they cannot remain “indifferent” and “passive spectators” under the current circumstances.

Tensions kept rising in France between mainstream France and mainstream Muslim groups, and now comes the letter by the generals in an effort to steer France back to its fundamental values. 

It was the beheading of school teacher Samuel Paty that caused an awakening in France. French citizens witnessed mainstream Muslim groups and leaders express some regret about Paty’s murder, but many also added that Paty should not have insulted Muhammad. The French were not willing to tolerate any “but” in this context; nor should they have done so. The condemnation of Paty’s murder should have been unequivocal. No hint of justification was acceptable. But instead, multitudes of Muslims from France, Pakistan and across the Islamic world justified his murder, some more tacitly and some blatantly.

Following Paty’s murder (as well as revelations about the horrific and shocking circumstances around it, involving schoolchildren and even relatives), the French government heightened its crackdown on “Islamic separatism.” In response, the Muslim lobby in France and beyond retaliated by accusing the French government of being “Islamophobic.” Condemnation came from as far away as Egypt, where the renowned Al Azhar in Cairo condemned Macron’s plan for fighting “Islamic separatism” as an “explicit call for racism and hate.” Macron came out in defense of the “right to blaspheme.” In Britain, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, also supports this right to blaspheme.

In any Western society, there is no room to accommodate any religion that violates the tenets of a free society. The freedom of speech is a cornerstone of any free society. And in any Western society, one can easily see that there are no religions except Islam that persistently and relentlessly attack this freedom, taking their fight all the way to the United Nations. That’s because offending Islam is a crime under the Sharia — a law that is at odds with otherwise universally accepted principles of human rights. “Islamophobia” initiatives from mainstream Muslim groups are intended to put a stop to any speech that may be offensive to Islam and Muslims.

“French generals who called for military rule if President Macron cannot stop ‘Islamists’ from ‘disintegrating society’ will be punished, government declares,” by Ross Ibbetson, Danyal Hussain and Sophie Tanno, MailOnline, April 27, 2021:..........To Read More....

Yellow Vest Protesters in France =/= Tea Party Activists in America

April 24, 2019 by Dan Mitchell @ International Liberty
 

I admired the Tea Party because it was made up of people who were upset by the bipartisan waste and corruption of Washington. And I think they even had a positive – albeit only temporary – effect.

But the “Yellow Vest” protesters in France, as I explain in this interview, are much less coherent.



Needless to say, I’m glad the Yellow Vests are upset about France’s oppressive tax regime. In that sense, they are like the Tea Party in America.

But the Tea Party also wanted smaller government. That doesn’t seem to be the case in France.

Which means the Yellow Vests are either ignorant or hypocritical. After all, the burden of government spending is very onerous in France, and the country also has high levels of debt. So how is the government supposed to lower taxes unless there’s at least some degree of spending restraint?!?

Some of the Yellow Vests seem to think that class-warfare taxes on the rich could be a silver bullet, but that didn’t work for Francois Hollande and there’s no reason to think it would work for Emmanuel Macron.

Ironically, some American politicians think America should copy France.

Veronique de Rugy, who was born and raised in France but is now an American, explained for FEE why her former nation is not a role model.

…what Sanders and AOC actually have in mind is a regime more like that of France. …That’s because there is one aspect in particular that the AOCs and Sanders of the world fail to mention to their followers when they talk about their socialist dream: all of the goodies that they believe the American people are entitled to receive in fact come at a great cost—and so the only way to pay for these goodies is with oppressive and regressive taxes (i.e., taxes heaped on to the backs of the middle class and the poor). …Paris relies disproportionately on social-insurance, payroll and property taxes. …In France, VAT and other consumption taxes make up 24% of revenue… Consumption taxes often fall hardest on the poor and middle class, who devote a greater proportion of their income to consumption.

Amen.

Big government means stifling taxes on lower-income and middle-class taxpayers. This is the point I’ve made, over and over again.

But Veronique notes that France also suffers from excessive regulation and other forms of intervention.

France has all sorts of labor regulations on the books: some preventing firms from firing workers and, hence, creating a disincentive to hire workers in the first place. …the French also have all sorts of “generous” family friendly laws that end up backfiring and penalizing female employment. …All of these policies make the lives of lower and middle-class people harder… The bottom line is this: All those people in America who currently fall for the socialism soup that AOC and Sanders are selling need to realize that if their dream came to pass, they, not the rich—not the bankers and politicians—will be ones suffering the most from the high taxes, high unemployment, and slow growth that go hand in hand with the level of public spending they want.

Interestingly, Bloomberg recently reported that the French want tax cuts.

The French want to pay less tax. That was the clear message that emerged from a two-month “Great Debate” that saw voters present their grievances and suggest remedies to President Emmanuel Macron. …Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said…“The clear message is that taxes must fall and fall fast.” …Macron announced the “Great Debate” in December to respond to the Yellow Vest protests… Among the findings, valued added tax and income tax were the levies that most people listed as needing reduction. …For 75 percent of the participants, the lower taxes must be accompanied by cutting government spending, though they were vague about where the cuts should come, with 75 percent citing “the lifestyle of the state.”

This is all good news. And it does echo polling data I shared back in 2013.

But I’m nonetheless skeptical. I suspect the French (including the Yellow Vests) would be rioting in the streets if the government proposed to curtail the nation’s bloated welfare state.

Though I hope I’m wrong.

In any event, there are signs that President Macron actually does want to move policy in the right direction.

He’s already gone after some bad tax and regulatory barriers to prosperity.

And the Wall Street Journal recently opined about his effort to trim the country’s massive bureaucracy.

The French President is still reeling from months of “yellow vest” protests against his poorly conceived fuel-tax hike, but now he has a much better idea to take on France’s infamously bloated civil service. …Bureaucrats would lose much of their extra time off and instead work the 35-hour week that’s standard in the private economy. The plan would streamline staff reassignments within the civil service and make it easier for local officials to reorganize government departments. …if the reforms happen, they’ll still be a long-overdue step in a country where 5.5 million government employees out of a population of 67 million consume around 13% of GDP in wages. …The political test will be whether Mr. Macron can dust himself off from his fuel follies and persuade French voters to embrace another crucial reform.

I’ll close with the pessimistic observation that France may have passed the tipping point.

Simply stated, government is so big and there’s so much dependency that real reform is politically impossible.

Heck, I worry the United States is on the same trajectory.

P.S. Veronique has a must-watch video explaining why America shouldn’t become another France.

P.P.S. While I’m sympathetic to Macron’s domestic agenda, he’s very bad on European-wide policy issues.

Macron's Dream Is Europe's Nightmare

January 26, 2019 By Peter Skurkiss

Earlier this week, France and Germany signed an update to the Treaty of Aachen. The gist of this document is that brings the two powerhouses of the European Union closer together in terms of economics, politics, and defense matters. Among other things, this is the genesis of the 'real European army' which French President Emmanuel Macron previously called for and for which German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in full accord with.

The signing in Aachen is highly symbolic. Aachen, a German city bordering Belgium and the Netherlands, was the imperial residence of Charlemagne, and from 936 to 1531 A.D., the place where 31 Holy Roman Emperors were crowned kings of the Germans. One way to understand France and Germany is to know that images of Charlemagne are dancing in their heads. Here is how John Pinkerton put it in the American Conservative: ...........

Americans may look at Macron and see an effete pompous ass. He sees himself differently. To his mind, Macron is clothed in regal robes, sitting on a throne with Europe at his feet. Reality is more likely to make Macron out to be like Hans Christian Anderson's emperor in his new suit of clothes. ............. Read more

The Old Regime and the Yellow Revolution

France’s protest movement has become a crisis of legitimacy for Emmanuel Macron—and the country’s constitutional order

By Robert Zaretsky January 15, 2019

French President Emmanuel Macron is desperately seeking a consistent and credible answer to a question that refuses to stand still. When the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) movement started this past November, Macron’s government treated it as a one-off protest that could be ignored. By December, the president decided that the continued weekly demonstrations were a threat to his policy goals. Macron’s response was to deliver a national address in which he announced an altered agenda, including economic concessions such as annulling the gas tax increase and raising the minimum wage.

The compromises weren’t enough to end the protests. This weekend, for the ninth consecutive Saturday, the protest movement took center stage, mobilizing over 80,000 demonstrators across the country. The principal stages were Paris and Bourges, the latter chosen for its symbolic significance as roughly the geographical center of France. Though the demonstrations were mostly peaceful, there were once again eruptions of the nearly ritualistic acts of violence on the part of some protesters, and the equally ritualistic reaction of police and security forces............To Read More.....

My Take - None of this should surprise us. France has been a mess forever. There's no fixing France by Macron or anyone else. There will be violence, either now or in the very near future and the Fifth Republic will be gone.

What will replace it?

It’s my view the EU will be gone and Europe will revert to the social paradigms of centuries past – a huge patchwork of small countries like Switzerland, Luxembourg, etc. Europe isn’t a nation, it’s a geographical designation with huge differences in culture, language and views of reality.

The collapse of the economic system in Europe will send them back to who they really are, and then there will be violence on an unprecedented scale between ethnic Europeans and Muslims.

It seems to me that Europe is on the verge of a nightmare, with criminal organizations growing and playing a major role in what goes on, and who knows, like Russia, they may become the government in these much smaller nations.

But in all this mix, there's bound to be a nationalist socialist, a Mussolini if you will, waiting in the wings to take control, but he won't be concerned about world conquest. He will be concerned about survival, and the general population will follow him, if for no other reason than the desire to have stability, peace and security. That will be the rallying cry, stability, peace and security, and they will turn power over to any dictator who will offer that!

France Reaps Decades of Socialism and Open Borders

Brigitte Gabriel Dec 14, 2018

As world leaders recently gathered in France to celebrate the centurion anniversary of the ending to World War I, French President Emmanuel Macron took it upon himself to attack President Trump, warning about the dangers of so-called “nationalism.”

The arrogance of a Western world leader using such a unifying event to attack the elected leader of one of his nation’s closest allies aside, Macron would’ve done well to keep his own house in order before lending advice.

Just weeks later, Paris was ablaze with violent mobs attacking police and vandalizing some of France’s most precious historical sites. The world-famous Arc de Triomphe was laced with graffiti by a generation poisoned and brainwashed with socialist ideology, never satisfied with what their government could give them.

France spent decades pushing the same anti-nationalist ideology on its citizens, glorifying the European Union and heavily taxing the wealthy to give to the poor. Combine this with France’s decades of open borders, reluctance to celebrate their own rich culture, Western values and contributions to the world, and you get an angry, self-loathing and even violent citizenry. Suddenly there’s no more wealth to tax, no more jobs to hand out and no more national identity. ...........To Read More.....

The French Dilemma

December 14, 2018 By Peter Skurkiss

Few 'deplorables' on this side of the pond are shedding any tears over the predicament that French President Emmanuel Macron finds himself in with the violent protests erupting throughout France.

The man is an arrogant globalist whose pretensions both for himself and his country reach far beyond their means. And it is hard to forget that Macron recently insulted America by saying Europe needs a strong military to defend itself not just from the Russia and the Chinese but also the U.S.

The ignorance of such a statement is breathtaking. And it is humorous to think that the fragmented European Union could coalesce enough to form an effective military.

As for the riots. Marcon's fuel tax has precipitated the 'Yellow Vest' rage that is sweeping France. But there is more to the protests than just that. The rural areas of France have fallen significantly behind the urban centers, especially Paris where the elite hang their hats. People in the hinterland feel neglected and bypassed by globalism. Adding to the discontent is the fact that France has the highest tax burden in the European Union (except for Belgium) coupled with a stubbornly high unemployment rate -- 9.3% compared with 3.4% in Germany and 4% in the U.S............

This leads to the French dilemma. The middle class and working poor in France want a better life for themselves and their children. But at the same time, they (and French society in general) are resistant to meaningful changes. Economic reform is something all French presidents have attempted in recent years. None has been successful.......... Read more

As Paris burns, 50,000 in Rome rally in support of populist government defying EU mandarins

December 10, 2018 By Thomas Lifson
 

Saturday saw a new tale of two cities. Paris, in the throes of a popular revolt against the globalist,warmist, high-tax regime of Emmanuel Macron, was exploding in another weekend of violence that saw "1,385 arrests, setting a record for a single day in postwar France. Meanwhile, in Rome, a buoyant crowd of at least 50,000 celebrated six months of power for the populist coalition that won power in Italy.

CNN reports:.............Read more

Macron facing a crisis that he created by baiting Trump

December 10, 2018  By Thomas Lifson

An arrogant politician expressing contempt for Donald Trump and his supporters experienced a surprising and humiliating defeat in late 2016 in our presidential election. A corresponding scenario seems to be playing itself out again in Paris.

A year and a half ago, in the wake of President Trump leaving the Paris Climate Accord, France's President Emmanuel Macron asked for a fight on climate change, in an address delivered in English, making it clear that his target was Donald Trump and the American electorate. As Andrew Bolt, writing for the Herald-Sun in Australia, noted, he asked for a fight and "he got one" – but against his own citizens rebelling against taxation intended to drive them from their cars. His words, "France will not give up the fight," have come back to haunt him.

CBS provides a partial transcript, making it clear that Macron was sticking his nose into American politics, appealing to anti-Trump people to come to France to continue the struggle:............. More

Finally! We Can Thank The French For Something!

Anthropogenic Climate Change is not about the Environment.  It's about control and a massive transfer of money from America to the rest of the world.

By Rich Kozlovich

After Lafayette, we've never gotten on all that well with the French.  They've been a pain in the butt for all of the 20th century, and nothing has changed in the 21st century. And De Gaulle was amongst the biggest pains in the butt of them all.  The French just think they know best, but like all leftists - so much of what they "know" just ain't so.  And the most brilliant leader they ever had was Napoleon, and he was Italian.  What's most irritating about the French, and much of the rest of Europe, is they're arrogant in their ignorance. 

With the French it's a matter of having made up their minds and demanding no one dare show them any facts that don't support their world view.  But, what else can one expect from leftists.  That's the one common denominator about leftists worldwide. However, we can now stop, pause and reflect on the favor the French are doing for the world.  Burning down Paris!

First of all, one of the things that should be apparent to the most casual observer is that polls about what people believe and support are so often a load of horsepucky.

All this feel good stuff about Global Warming is coming to a head.  This Global Warming fraud has created a carbon tax scam and generated massive costs which didn't bother anyone until they actually had to feel the burden of those costs in their paychecks.  Up until now it's been all "warm and fuzzy feel good" environmental politics.  But now it's about money - their money - and they're really mad.   

This has been are really big shock to all these echo chamber head nodders among Europe's leaders. When this all started Macron actually flew off to a meeting in Argentina thinking it was no big deal. He was wrong! 

All the rest of the countries who've signed on to these global warming initiatives don’t care one whit about following these agreements.  China, Russia and all the third world countries will go the way they've always gone, ignoring anything that will lower their economic growth. 

All the other costs - which has run into the hundreds of billions of dollars - and all the costs they want to impose - which would run into the trillions of dollars would destroy the industrialized world's economies  - have been hidden by being borrowed money or hasn't been implemented yet. Money these lunatic leftist leaders don't have and will never have in the future.  Debt they've burdened their citizens with, and debt they're incapable of paying back.   Now does anyone get why they're so upset about Trump's tariffs?  They won't be able to maintain the fraud of their national economies.

These tariffs aren't about the American economy, they're about the rest of the world's economy, and without the United States the world doesn't have an economy.  It not economics, it's political strategy, and the United States controls the game because the U.S. is the only nation that has its own internal market, can feed itself, fuel itself, arm itself and defend itself without help from any other nation on Earth.

Any downturn in the rest of the world's economies is a disaster.....to them......and they know it! 

These "gas tax" riots will force everyone in Europe to take a serious look at this massive global scam that's been pushed on the world by junk scientists, misanthropic activist misfits and globalist politicians. 

This isn't about the environment or saving the planet.  It's about control.  In year 2000 the French President was Jacques Chirac, and he stated the Kyoto Accords was the first step in global governance. That was always the real goal and they knew it from the beginning.

That and that alone is the true driving force behind all of this because they believe this Anthropogenic Climate Change fraud is the tool they need to impose what they really want, some form of Global Governance, socialist Global Governance, with them having a major say in how the world is run, and forcing America to pay for it. 

These Globalist European socialist leaders believe this is the only way they can save Europe from becoming a third rate continent dependent on ......well...... everyone.  Except there's a problem with that thinking. They already are dependent of everyone, they're broke, their demographic pyramid is a mess, immigration is destroying ethnic Europe and European culture, and for all their mouthiness, they absolutely need the United States as a partner.  A partner in trade and defense or they're going down the tubes. 

Europe isn't a natural capital generator.  It could be, but they're cultural paradigm is socialist in nature.  It's a top down ruling power structure going back to being ruled by Kings. And as in all socialist endeavors, they're running out of other people's money.

Their geography isn't conducive to low military budgets either.  The United States has really been the guarantor of European security, which hasn't been appreciated as it should be.  The Bretton Woods economic and defense concepts we've been operating under are coming to an end, and it's long overdue. 

Allegedly, France and Germany want to create an all European Army, but they don't have the money, or any sense of agreement as to whose to run it, who's to pay for it, or how it's to be paid for. Clearly more taxes aren't going to work in France, and I doubt it will work anywhere else in Europe, so it's not going to happen.  I have a suggestion for France and Germany.  We'll abandon NATO, and let them have it.  The structure is already in place but the United States will be absent, physically and monetarily.  Let them pay for it.  Let them man it.  Let them either survive or collapse on their own. 

This will be a great opportunity for Europe to show the U.S. they just don't need us and how smart and capable they are.  Any bets on how successful that will be?

But for now, we need to thank these French rioters, because they're going to force Europe to finally start thinking, and it's my guess it won't be long before these internationalist socialist leaders will find they're going to be kicked out and nationalist socialist leaders will be in charge.  It's been my opinion for some time Europe is heading into an era of unprecedented social upheaval, civil disobedience and unbridled violence. And it won't just be about taxes.

The French are giving Europe, and the world, a massive wake up call.  Thank you France!

Oh, one more thing we can thank the French for. We Feel the Bern?

The Menace of Western Masochism

By Mytheos Holt|  November 16th, 2018

There is an old joke that if you look up French military victories on Google, it says nothing can be found, and asks “Did you mean French military defeats?” Back when Google was an accurate search engine, the result would be imaginable.

Given, however, that looking up “American inventors” on Google now produces a parade of nobodies apparently selected only on the basis of their skin color, one imagines Google probably has found a way to turn Hitler’s destruction of the Maginot Line into the French merely advancing in an alternative direction. Which is to say, the wrong direction.

That is as good a description of French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent speech at the World War I centennial, and of the tendency he exemplifies, as any I can think of in Western thought: advancing in the wrong direction..........To Read More...