Socialist President Hollande?

[Savicious]

How will Hollande winning effect the FFL and NATO operations by France. I'm not really up to date or knowledgable on French politics but from what I could gather Sarkozy was pretty active with international involvement. Sounds like Hollande will dial back French military in favor of fighting domestic economic problems.

Can someone with more knowledge chime in.

Thanks

[newb]

Does the recent election of a Socialist president in France affect anyone's opinions of whether or not to enlist? Would it make a difference if the would "national" was in front of it, or would it not matter regardless?

[Jackbrew]

Huh? Why should it? Did less Brits join the army when Blair was President? This thing against "Socialists" is an American thing. Yanks think anything with "socialist" in it comes directly from Joe Stalin.

Best
Chris

[Aolain1]

Newb:

Never been in the FFL, long time lurker, and only occasional poster. As Jackbrew observed, the "socialist" thing is an American thing.

In addition, your comment about "National" indicates you are perhaps a listener of Limbaugh or Beck.

My advice to you would be to ignore what those guys say about politics, the world and "socialism", as they have no idea what they are talking about. Particularly as those idiots try to link the dredded "socialism" with the little fellow with the vicious ideas back in the 1930s and 1940s.

My best advice is to leave American politics out of the FFL and these forums.

[Jackbrew]

The problem is, in the USA there are only 2 parties... One side thinks the others are "damn Communists" and the other side thinks the others are "damned Rednecks"... and in reality they are both just boring centralist parties...

In Europe you can have 20 or 30 parties in a country (the beer party and pirate party in Germany for instance), ranging from raving Communists to Frothing nationalists... These extreme parties do not exist as political parties in the USA... or if they do they keep their mouths shut and hide within the big parties.

Any "socialist" elected in Europe is basically somewhere in the middle, slightly to the left of mainstream. So looking at European politics and Parties through American eyes is a waste of time.

Anyone in the Legion in the 80s and early to mid 90s was under a Socialist president... and we got around plenty-good... no better or worse than under the conservative who followed.

[Tonyus]

I hate to interrupt this high-class conversation, but for f**ks sake, why do we talk about politics? It's Monday morning anyway.

[Jackbrew]

So... what do you talk about on monday morning for ****s sake?

[Tonyus]

Not much, still recovering from the week end. On the other hand, mr. newb here has made some threads/posts, that makes even watching paint dry, more interesting...No wonder the green's, specially the "older" one's (no offence), are away. I've seen more life in a cemetery than on this forum lately...

[Rapace]

How will Hollande winning effect the FFL and NATO operations by France. I'm not really up to date or knowledgable on French politics but from what I could gather Sarkozy was pretty active with international involvement. Sounds like Hollande will dial back French military in favor of fighting domestic economic problems.

Can someone with more knowledge chime in.

Thanks

Won't add much things to what Jackbrew and others have said about the different meaning given on each side of the Atlantic to the same word (socialist/socialism).
Now, to remain factual, Hollande vowed to withdraw French troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year (Sarkozy's agenda was end of 2013 and Obama's is 2014). There will be a NATO summit in Chicago somewhere end of May and this will undoubtedly be discussed. Obama may try to ‘arm twist’ Hollande into changing his plans, but in my view caving in on such a highly publicised announcement would be for him a political suicide. Even if for some logistical reasons, some French troops are left behind in Afghanistan after YE2012, my guess is there will probably not have any operational role.
To tackle the budget deficit issue, one may also expect some ‘cost cuttings’ in the military, but Hollande was not very clear on this during the campaign and we'll have to wait till July – when the new National Assembly is due to vote a budget amendment – to know more. But there shouldn't be any ‘Legion specific’ type of measures (like for example in 1981, when Mitterrand was elected and his allies from the Communist Party wanted to disband the Legion).

[psychopigeon]

He's associated with the Bilderberg group, I wouldn't take any of his political rhetoric seriously. You don't get to be President without approval from the boys at the top. Expect more globalisation and less individual rights. He's also a Zionist just like Sarkozy, Israel comes before France.

[newb]

Not a fan of the Jews eh psych?

[Rapace]

He's also a Zionist just like Sarkozy, Israel comes before France.

Wrong... He's expected to adopt a firmer stance against Jewish settlements in the West Bank than Sarkozy... with probably the same (absence of) results, however. But this is making us drift quite far away from the Legion... .

[Samtoo]

But there shouldn't be any ‘Legion specific’ type of measures (like for example in 1981, when Mitterrand was elected and his allies from the Communist Party wanted to disband the Legion).

We thought Mitterrand was going to disband the Legion... He gave us the FAMAS and AMX10! Invited me to his palace for 14 Juillet... A fine commie he was.

[Surfguy]

I just wonder how long it will be before some little shite in Brussels decides employing non EU "mercenaries" to fight your battles is illegal under some EU regulation or Geneva code.

[duke13]

fcking EU i salut the day it falls down