French Election- First Round

France has taken the first step to selecting its new president and it looks like the 2016 Effect has spilled over into the following year. There were four candidates. Three of them, Emmanuel Macron, Francois Fillon and Jean-Luc Melenchon, are exactly what you would expect; the usual boring, suited, political zombies, just like the incumbent Francois Hollande. However the fourth candidate is the French equivalent of Donald Trump, a maverick non-establishment outsider Marine Le Pen. I tried to get into the Oxford Union to see her when she spoke there: http://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/marine-le-pen-at-oxford-union.html. She is the daughter of one of France's most senior and long-served statesmen Jean-Marie Le Pen. Unfairly branded as "fascists!" (Where have I heard that one before?), the Le Pens have worked hard to assert France's national sovereignty, regain control of her economy, financial system and borders; and free the country from the tyrannical grip of the hated continental oppressor, the embryonic New World Order dictatorship, the European Union. Jean-Marie spoke openly about his suspicions that the Charlie Hebdo massacre was a staged event. A few days later he was almost killed when his house burnt down in an "accidental fire", see: http://hpanwo-radio.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/programme-127-podcast-nick-kollerstrom.html. The French electoral system is much more complicated than the British one. There is a first round in which any number of candidates can stand; if none of them gain a majority the top two move on to the second round held two weeks later. I'm pleased to say that Marine Le Pen has achieved that. She will now face Macron head-to-head on the 7th of May. Macron currently has a two point lead on Le Pen, but hopefully that will change as the voters of the losing candidates are forced to switch alliances. Marine Le Pen will face an enormous struggle. Firstly, the media are completely against her. There are also signs of ballot rigging, as we saw with Brexit and Trump. The two million expatriate French voters have all been sent two postal voting slips each due to an "administrative error"; the authorities know they are likely to be pro-EU and "anti-Frexit". Also she will probably have to overcome the hurdle that blew her father's 2002 presidential run a few years ago. When he got through to the second round the left, centrists and conservatives all united to back his rival Jacques Chirac simply to keep Le Pen Senior out of office. There are already calls from President Hollande to try that again, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39695686. The good thing is because Marine Le Pen is female I have the perfect rejoinder if a lefty SJW attacks me with: "Ben, how can you support this EVIL NAZI Marine Le Pen!? You know she want to murder all black people and put all homosexuals into labour camps!?" I will reply with fake tears in my eyes: "But she might become France's first 'woman president!' And you're against her!?... You MISOGYNIST!... SEXIST!... RAPIST!... I'm well-and-truly triggered right now, I thought you should know! (sniff)"

See here for background: http://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/not-voting-reply-to-thomas-g-clark.html.

And: http://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/conspiracy-theorists-finally-proved.html.

And: http://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/general-election-snap.html.