It's been a double punch to the gut, right? First the extent of the far right's support in numbers and breadth across France, then Macron dissolving parliament. I know that where I live in Pantin, few voted for the far right, but in the bucolic village that seemed so friendly to me where we have our country house, the National Front -- oh, sorry, Rally -- party alone got over 37 percent of the vote. Now I feel afraid where I felt so safe. Also, we now have to curtail two summer weekends in the country to come back to Pantin to vote on June 30 and July 7. We are absolutely going to do this and will absolutely vote Front Populaire to try to block a fascist takeover of France but c'est chiant! (As we say in good French.)
I feel apprehensive in my UK neighbourhood where I never did before in my local shopping area that was such a friendly place and still is but there are big groups of those Eastern European young men. They hang out and chat and laugh in their own language. They don't seem to have jobs or any purpose other than to be a malign presence. What are they here for. I say chat and laugh. With each other but there is something subtly menacing about them. Why are they here? Why are they scary? No,the answer is not for me to approach them and engage them in conversation and find out they're cuddly and just like me. It's not the 1960s,peace and love,man,now.
I agree with your father. My grandfather smuggled young men hiding from the Germans into Spain across The Pyrenees. My parents were children during WWII in France. I grew up hearing stories about the horror that was Nazi occupied Europe. But my parents are gone and so are most of the people who lived through it. And those of us who heard the stories are getting old. Soon it’ll be treated like ancient history.
Interesting that now only two or three British WW2 veterans aged at least 98 are left,so all the eye witnesses gone except older folk who saw the war as children, interesting that the word CONSCRIPTION has been put out in the public domain and into our consciousness. I speak as a Brit. Our whole political administration scene is a COMPLETE SHIT SHOW and no one knows what to do about it. THEY whoever they are,intend to bring in Conscription and send our young people to be killed in a foreign field. But it's not 1914,it's not 1939,they cant push those old lies at us. Some of us know our history and we recognize when we are being manipulated to think certain things and behave in certain ways. Sadly a lot don't. If it happened more than five years ago,it's "before my time". It's said that if you forget History you repeat it and we are in the process of doing just that.
Thank you for an excellent article on the current state of French politics. Your father’s observations are spot-on and should be cause for much concern about the future.
It was nice to get a laugh out of the Under Paris movie tweet after the sadness of the political state.
Thanks for reading, Dodie! Lots of legal questions being discussed, too. The constitutional council is debating whether the time frame is really sufficient (but Article 12 which Macron drew from requires the legislative vote within 40 days). It doesn’t help that it’s prime vacation time and Olympics! 🫠
Thank you for explaining this in a way that’s so easy to understand for those of us who are interested in the politics of it but find it hard to digest in typical “news” lingo!! I also love how you interjected a bit of social context in your Eater intro, it’s an important part of the Paris food scene that shouldn’t be glossed over.
I've forgotten the exact correct wording of the term and I've only recently learned of this concept but we,in Britain,and in the USA are being offered an Hegelian choice. More so in USA than in Britain. We have lots of alternative nutters we can vote for,we even have an official Monster Raving Looney party,and it's not the Conservatives. Sadly no candidate is available in my constituency. You Yanks just have a choice between Dumb and Dumber,you can choose which is which.
The concept was said by the philosopher Hegel,the idea is you present people with two choices but keep them in the dark that there are other options. Like asking a toddler,would you like carrots or sprouts? instead of "would you like some veg". Good strategy. So in USA you have Democrat or Republican. In Britain we have Tory or Labour. At least we have a myriad of other choices and I fear that the vote (if it meant anything they would let us do it,as a man said)will be spread out that the f.....ing Tories will get back in anyway. You see. F...K.
In USA you only have a choice between the Biden crime family or the tv stand up comedian ( who actually is funny). Can't you Yanks come up with a better range of choice than that,don't you have young(er) men and women with initiative and original ideas. Why are people with GOOD RESPONSIBLE jobs living in tents on the streets in some of your major cities. Tax money in both the USA and UK that is raised in the pretext of maintaining our societies infrastructure and providing services for the needy is no longer doing that. It is being sent to two places in this world where a conflict is being maintained long term for profit. A lot of people are making a lot of money from these,they are not "wars" they are exploitations with violence,or maybe that is a definition of War. If all US citizens refused to vote and pay tax,that is the only way to change the system,same in UK,but it would HURT A LOT. So we rattle along hoping for the best and getting the worst. There truly is Blood In The Machine
Why do Lefties think dumb ordinary people need to be told how to think. Maybe a lot of people object to being told by a crooked used car salesman that Shooting Fish In A Barrel is a War. Maybe ordinary people aren't that stupid. Maybe theyve heard "it'll all be over by Xmas" before and they don't believe "My Country Needs Me". Lefties are very arrogant in my opinion.
Thank you for the explanation. I didn’t understand why Macron did this, and if he thinks that bad governing of the right will save them, well, look what happens in my homeland. It only gets worse. It looks more and more like a vote for “spite”.
Loved the Times piece about Fontainebleau. It makes perfect sense for UNESCO to extend its protection of the château to the forest. All the great royal châteaux once had vast forest domains around them. Fontainebleau's is effectively the last one left.
Oofa that TikTok article was and enlightening and disturbing read. Thank you. (& for the delightful shark movie tweet. I just laughed so loud my husband asked if I was ok)
It's been a double punch to the gut, right? First the extent of the far right's support in numbers and breadth across France, then Macron dissolving parliament. I know that where I live in Pantin, few voted for the far right, but in the bucolic village that seemed so friendly to me where we have our country house, the National Front -- oh, sorry, Rally -- party alone got over 37 percent of the vote. Now I feel afraid where I felt so safe. Also, we now have to curtail two summer weekends in the country to come back to Pantin to vote on June 30 and July 7. We are absolutely going to do this and will absolutely vote Front Populaire to try to block a fascist takeover of France but c'est chiant! (As we say in good French.)
I feel apprehensive in my UK neighbourhood where I never did before in my local shopping area that was such a friendly place and still is but there are big groups of those Eastern European young men. They hang out and chat and laugh in their own language. They don't seem to have jobs or any purpose other than to be a malign presence. What are they here for. I say chat and laugh. With each other but there is something subtly menacing about them. Why are they here? Why are they scary? No,the answer is not for me to approach them and engage them in conversation and find out they're cuddly and just like me. It's not the 1960s,peace and love,man,now.
I agree with your father. My grandfather smuggled young men hiding from the Germans into Spain across The Pyrenees. My parents were children during WWII in France. I grew up hearing stories about the horror that was Nazi occupied Europe. But my parents are gone and so are most of the people who lived through it. And those of us who heard the stories are getting old. Soon it’ll be treated like ancient history.
That’s the real danger, here !
Interesting that now only two or three British WW2 veterans aged at least 98 are left,so all the eye witnesses gone except older folk who saw the war as children, interesting that the word CONSCRIPTION has been put out in the public domain and into our consciousness. I speak as a Brit. Our whole political administration scene is a COMPLETE SHIT SHOW and no one knows what to do about it. THEY whoever they are,intend to bring in Conscription and send our young people to be killed in a foreign field. But it's not 1914,it's not 1939,they cant push those old lies at us. Some of us know our history and we recognize when we are being manipulated to think certain things and behave in certain ways. Sadly a lot don't. If it happened more than five years ago,it's "before my time". It's said that if you forget History you repeat it and we are in the process of doing just that.
Thank you for an excellent article on the current state of French politics. Your father’s observations are spot-on and should be cause for much concern about the future.
It was nice to get a laugh out of the Under Paris movie tweet after the sadness of the political state.
I appreciate what you do, thank you.
Thanks for reading, Dodie! Lots of legal questions being discussed, too. The constitutional council is debating whether the time frame is really sufficient (but Article 12 which Macron drew from requires the legislative vote within 40 days). It doesn’t help that it’s prime vacation time and Olympics! 🫠
Your father is right, alas.
Thank you for excellent perspective on the president Macron strategy.
As much needed as very helpful read.
Chapeau Madame 🌹🌹🌹
This is so helpful to understand the madness here right now. merci!
Thank you for explaining this in a way that’s so easy to understand for those of us who are interested in the politics of it but find it hard to digest in typical “news” lingo!! I also love how you interjected a bit of social context in your Eater intro, it’s an important part of the Paris food scene that shouldn’t be glossed over.
I've forgotten the exact correct wording of the term and I've only recently learned of this concept but we,in Britain,and in the USA are being offered an Hegelian choice. More so in USA than in Britain. We have lots of alternative nutters we can vote for,we even have an official Monster Raving Looney party,and it's not the Conservatives. Sadly no candidate is available in my constituency. You Yanks just have a choice between Dumb and Dumber,you can choose which is which.
The concept was said by the philosopher Hegel,the idea is you present people with two choices but keep them in the dark that there are other options. Like asking a toddler,would you like carrots or sprouts? instead of "would you like some veg". Good strategy. So in USA you have Democrat or Republican. In Britain we have Tory or Labour. At least we have a myriad of other choices and I fear that the vote (if it meant anything they would let us do it,as a man said)will be spread out that the f.....ing Tories will get back in anyway. You see. F...K.
In USA you only have a choice between the Biden crime family or the tv stand up comedian ( who actually is funny). Can't you Yanks come up with a better range of choice than that,don't you have young(er) men and women with initiative and original ideas. Why are people with GOOD RESPONSIBLE jobs living in tents on the streets in some of your major cities. Tax money in both the USA and UK that is raised in the pretext of maintaining our societies infrastructure and providing services for the needy is no longer doing that. It is being sent to two places in this world where a conflict is being maintained long term for profit. A lot of people are making a lot of money from these,they are not "wars" they are exploitations with violence,or maybe that is a definition of War. If all US citizens refused to vote and pay tax,that is the only way to change the system,same in UK,but it would HURT A LOT. So we rattle along hoping for the best and getting the worst. There truly is Blood In The Machine
Why do Lefties think dumb ordinary people need to be told how to think. Maybe a lot of people object to being told by a crooked used car salesman that Shooting Fish In A Barrel is a War. Maybe ordinary people aren't that stupid. Maybe theyve heard "it'll all be over by Xmas" before and they don't believe "My Country Needs Me". Lefties are very arrogant in my opinion.
Great writing, Lindsey! Chock full of your terrific energy. 🤓
Thank you, Jennifer 🙏🏼
Thank you for the explanation. I didn’t understand why Macron did this, and if he thinks that bad governing of the right will save them, well, look what happens in my homeland. It only gets worse. It looks more and more like a vote for “spite”.
It’s like one big soap opera !!
Loved the Times piece about Fontainebleau. It makes perfect sense for UNESCO to extend its protection of the château to the forest. All the great royal châteaux once had vast forest domains around them. Fontainebleau's is effectively the last one left.
Oofa that TikTok article was and enlightening and disturbing read. Thank you. (& for the delightful shark movie tweet. I just laughed so loud my husband asked if I was ok)