What a clarifying event an election can be. In France, report the editors of National Review, the first round of the French presidential election has presented the French people with a clear choice.
The battle lines are thus unusually sharp and well-defined. It is liberal economic reform versus socialist stagnation.
Naturally the French are divided between those who think strong medicine is needed, those who think that more of the same is needed, and those who think that reform should exclude any pain.
The result, a win for conservative Nicolas Sarkozy, is a reminder about the essential shamefulness of politics. For years, right-winger Jean-Marie Le Pen railed about
crime, immigration, the Muslim challenge, loss of sovereignty to supra-national bodies, the divisive failure of multiculturalism, and the crumbling of national identity.
IN the 2002 elections he rode his issues to second place. Now the mainstream parties have stolen his issues and he is reduced to fourth place.
You could say that his career sends a message to all practical politicians. Keep an eye on the fringes. That’s where the future is being born.
No comments:
Post a Comment