Far-right Le Pen closes in on Macron ahead of vote

Macron pretty much implemented everything that Le Pen was proposing in the last election bar distancing from the EU. He's basically just the friendly face of Marine Le Pen but but not very friendly.

Of course the French President meets and talks to the Russian one. That a bit different to a party leader.

Also her 2014 campaign was funded by €11 from a small Russian bank with heavy ties to the Kremlin

I think most of the posters in current affairs would be delighted if she won, you saw how popular Trump was with the many anti-wokesters on here.

Would be awful news for Europe and the EU. She's pals with Putin too, the last thing we need is for our politicians to be on his side, Russia influenced Brexit and that has tested the EU this will just make us more and more unstable. Hope to f**k she doesn't win, will be a dark day for Europe.

It's a label the leftists use to beat someone '' far right''

Is Boris Johnson far right? Is the Republican party in US far right?

Eleven euro? I've heard of campaigns being run on a shoestring but that's pushing it a bit.

She’s not “far right”.

economically she’s actually quite on the left (lowering retirement age, higher pension, higher corporate taxes, nationalisation etc)

she’s just anti open border and 3rd world immigration. Mette Frederiksen in Denmark and their centre-left have not too dissimilar a position (just more moderate). And no one calls her “far right”.

Young people favour Le Pen, while pensioners favour Macron. I've never seen opinion poll stats like that before. +55 is usually your Brexit/Donald Trump demographic.

This is inevitable consequence of failed policies, not just on immigration or standard of living or social issues but the whole EU project.

Assuming she loses this time I find it difficult to see her or a successor not winning next time.

The bubbling dissatisfaction is reaching the surface now. Not just in France.

The worries and resentments are being seen in politics around Europe.

Side point.

I have not analysed it, but I suspect media like RTE and the IT always preface the name of this politician with "far-right"

Here is an example:

https://www.rte.ie/news/europe/2022/0409/1291361-france-election-latest/

Yet, do they use the same language when mentioning RBB or Paul Murphy?

Marion Marechal is one to watch in the future. Of Le Pen stock only much further to the right. Doesn't have Le Pen in her name either.

Maybe they've had longer in France to see what a failure Socialism is? Youth employment is a chronic issue over there as the heavily regulated labourforce makes it unattractive to hire staff.

I hope she doesn’t win, and I don’t think she will. The timing of these elections is not doing her any favours and that’s before we get to the Putin photo pamphlet. I see her as having been off the boil for a while. She’s just a simple politician, I don’t think she has many answers or many aces up her sleeve… the issues that she wants to address in France will eventually be addressed by someone else, by which time she will be a political hasbeen. There are only so many times you can be the also-run in a presidential race before you find yourself on the wrong side of the political momentum.

I may be wrong but - that’s my 2 cents.

France under Le Pen would be a tough cookie to bite on. I can't quite understand Le Pen myself, she seems to go with where ever the vote is. One minute far right the next she could just as easily be far left. She is a strange type of politician and the type of politician that is catching on everywhere in the world. Suck up to the poor and underclasses, then the next day sucks up to the hardliners on the fringes of extremists. Her Putin links go back to her Dad who started getting funds from Russia so she is stuck with that. Without lots of 'mula' one cant run any kind of political party.

Le Pens modus opeandi was to use left leaning language to appeal to a wide a demographic as was possible. Beware of the wolf in sheeps clothing as the expression goes. Le Pen has an agenda for a pure white ethno nationalist state just like her father. Thing is her PR is more slick than that of her father. We all want change but when the option you are left with is being electrocuted or having your head chopped off, you go for what is the less painful option. Even the normal centre right Le Monde cant stomach her (https://www.lemonde.fr/election-presidentielle-2022/article/2022/03/31/presidentielle-2022-derriere-la-normalisation-de-marine-le-pen-un-projet-qui-reste-d-extreme-droite_6119942_6059010.html)

Agree- also the housing crisis is shared throughout much of Europe, though worse here. The carry on of most European governments throughout covid was beyond reproach- the likes of marcron was an arrogant twat, basically talking down to and dismissing anyone that had concerns or a different viewpoint to the punishment narrative.

All this basically fcuked up the world economy and supply chains (delicately balanced and built up over generations)- the arrogance of western governments that they could shut these down and all would go back to normal (or Christ above “build back better”) on their say so. A monumental fcuk up of epic proportions. Yes, yes no wonder the likes of le pen are gaining traction and she won’t be the last.

Brexit and le pen are not quite the same thing. She’s moved away from frexit to a reform from within standpoint. France basically couldn’t afford to leave, it’s much more intertwined than the U.K. was.

My own view is that the high point for euro scepticism has passed- however flawed the EU might be, it’s better than the alternative. Ukraine was a boost to EU unity in that regard.

Macron vs LePen in second round. Macron doing better than expected so likely to win in 2 weeks.

at least all the socialist/left wing candidates were solidly rejected.