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Europe

Socialist Frenchwoman Takes Hard Stance on Violence

2006-06-02

PARIS (AP) - Military training for unruly French teenagers. Boot camp for their parents. A heavy hand and zero tolerance. The latest rhetoric from the far right? No, these ideas are coming from the top Socialist contender for next year's presidential race.

Cats and dogs living together in sin ...

Segolene Royal's hard-line response to renewed violence in troubled districts this week sounds suspiciously similar to that of her chief rival on the right, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. The battle is on between the two dynamic figures, and Royal's latest salvo attests that security will loom large in the campaign. It caught Sarkozy off guard - but also worried many of Royal's fellow leftists, uneasy about her soaring popularity and her departures from the Socialist Party line. The party has yet to choose its candidate for 2007, and many are jockeying for the spot.

"We need a return to the heavy hand," Royal, 52, said Wednesday night on a visit to Bondy, a suburb east of Paris hit by rioting that swept impoverished French neighborhoods for weeks last fall.

The heavy hand of the state in the statist way.

Critics say the government has failed to solve the problems the riots exposed: racism against immigrants, soaring unemployment among unskilled youth, and deep-seated alienation in the depressed housing projects that ring French cities. Royal, who became the darling of the polls largely without staking out any policy positions, called the government's handling of the suburbs' woes since the riots "an absolute failure."

Posted by:Steve White

#7 Dispatching "troublemakers...

Jeez, that sounded good until I read the rest of the sentence.

Posted by: Parabellum 2006-06-02 18:48

#6 "Ordering youths over 16 who cause trouble to perform military or community service or learn a trade"

Oh yes, there is nothing like giving thugs the skills needed to kill you. Perhaps the Legion could use them, provided they were shipped out of country.

Seriously, one has to wonder, given the current employment situations and business environment of France, what market will be available to those who do learn a trade.

Clintonian, indeed.

Posted by: Fordesque 2006-06-02 11:19

#5 Galouzeau "de Villepin" is a dead fish floating belly up in the water, a donkey would be harder to beat (last time it was asked, about a solid 1% of polled people wanted Shirak to run again, I wonfder what they would think of his heir?). Ségolène is a pure product of the socilaist party, but she has a rightwing family background, and has some "maternally conservative" values on family, but nothing much else.
She's very disputed in the socialist party, and while she's got the msm behind her, it's not sure she will be candidate. If so, she has a good chance, but she will be challenged on his left by the green-commies-trotskysts (about 20% of the electorate?), while Sarko has of course the diadvantage of being associated with the Shiraq debacle and of not having actually done anything while minister of industry or interior.
I really don't know what will happen in 2007, probably an another farce. Anyway, regardless of who wins, the issues France is facing won't be adressed, most likely, and it will have to be resolved through a real crisis. If Ségo wins, with her socialist buddies (with who else is she going to govern?), then it will come down to that sooner.

Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-06-02 11:16

#4 sounds VERY clintonian, from the third wayish tough line on crime, ("sista souljah") to the reluctance of the party base, to the interweaving of the personal and political life.

She'll get along VERY well with President Clinton. And President Clintons husband.

Seriously, this sounds also like a sign the socialists are scared of Sarko, who will be harder to beat than De Villepin. (but isnt that a parallel to - Sarko, to me, is sort of the McCain of France)

Posted by: liberalhawk 2006-06-02 09:16

#3 One more thing to piss off the RoP. I say go for it, France, just for the panty bunching effect it would have.

Posted by: DarthVader 2006-06-02 07:57

#2 She's very popular, media-speaking (I mean, it's not her opinions which are making her popular), she has a maternal "family values" image, and since the underlaying big issue of the 2007 presidential race will be (and already is) security, immigration, and related matters, she's racing after Sarko on that.
The reactions from the left were priceless, btw.

She might very well be France next's president, she will have the msm for her (first female president, socialist to boot, yeah!), and according to various rumors, the RG police intelligence is running a scenario of her opposed by pépé Le Pen during the second turn, and then very likely winning 80/20.
Still, she would have to win in the socialist party first.

Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-06-02 06:57

#1 Two esential and immeadate problems that have to be dealt with. Racism and the lack of firm virgirous law enforcement. Busting asses is effective.The cops need to break some bones and shoot a few thugs. French racism in employment and hiring is very bad and must be dealt with. It also goes both ways the "minority" (not for much longer) is plenty racist too.

The Socailists will not deal with either problem and the far right will make things worse as well.
So France, you are screwed I am afarid.

Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-06-02 05:03

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