France24 reports Benoît Hamon and Manuel Valls take top spots in first round of left-wing primary in a field of seven candidates.
Let’s take a look at other reports, then we will look at Hamon’s amazing platform.
Bloomberg notes Valls, Hamon Qualify for French Socialist Primary Run-Off.
In the first round of voting Sunday night, Hamon was first with 35.2 percent with Valls on 31.6 percent, with about one-third of voting stations reporting, the primary authority said. Former Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg, who was third with 18.7 percent, endorsed Hamon saying that the primary shows that Socialist voters want more leftist policies.
The voters “have massively and seriously condemned” the government’s policies, Montebourg said. They “want the left to return to the path of the left.”
Benoît Hamon’s Platform
Benoît Hamon is a 49-year-old former education minister. Here is his platform.
- Universal basic income.
- Tax on robots.
- Progressive taxation of wealth.
- Reduction of tax loopholes.
- 32-hour working week.
- Legalization of marijuana.
- National conference on “environmental democracy”.
- 50% renewable energy by 2025.
- Differentiated VAT for the “most virtuous products”.
- Ban on pesticides.
- Better repayments for dental care.
- A “Sixth Republic”.
- Transformation of the Senate into “college of territories”.
- The right of foreigners to vote in local elections.
- “Humanitarian visa” and redo of France a land of asylum.
- Consideration of the white vote. If the white vote is a majority vote, the election must be postponed. Note: That translation was by Google. I am told ““Vote blanc” doesn’t mean “white vote” it means voting “none of the above”. No need to make French socialist sound crazier than they are.
- Media antitrust law.
- Labor law repeal to provide additional protection to employees.
- Help facilitate the takeover of SCOP companies by employees.
- Recognize burn-out as an occupational disease.
That reads like it came from The Onion. However, it’s translated from Benoît Hamon, favorite of the primary: his very left program.
According to the Financial Times, “Mr Hamon’s proposals have been criticized as unrealistic and costly by rivals including Arnaud Montebourg”.
Now, Montebourg backs Hamon because voters “want the left to return to the path of the left.”
Amazing Twitter Performance
In a field of seven candidates, that platform got Hamon 35% of the vote. Amazing.
How did he get there? The new-fashioned way. Hamon has a huge following on Twitter.
Looking Ahead
Don’t rule out le Pen.
Should Hamon square off against Marine le Pen, I believe le Pen would win. Le Pen might also win in the widely-expected final match-up against François Fillon, the Republican winner and former Prime Minister of France.
Recent political events are such that anything could happen.
Correction: In regards to Hamon’s platform point 16: The translation given was from Google. I am now told ““Vote blanc” doesn’t mean “white vote” it means voting “none of the above”.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
What happens when an entire nation gets high at the same time?
France.
LikeLiked by 1 person
…already taken into consideration. See #20, recognition of burn-out.
LikeLike
I’ll sell them chips and other munchies without worry that I broke every labor law.
LikeLike
Le Pen can use “The Erdogan” to her advantage.
Frighten the turn-out to turn right.
LikeLike
Same for Wilders in the Netherlands.
In fact LePen and Wilders could well be the first result/beneficiaries of an Erdogan dictatorship move.
LikeLike
Twenty proposals and not one addresses national defense. Will somebody please tally up France’s share of NATO’s operating budget and present it to this fellow for immediate full payment?
LikeLiked by 1 person
France OK as a % of GDP to NATO.
WIll be interesting to see if that % falls if GDP improves as they pick up business relocating form the UK (Banks & Nissan, Toyota etc) or if they will increase spending to maintain the %.
LikeLike
And people wonder why ‘we got Trump’.
This is ‘why’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What does NATO have to do with National Defense?
LikeLike
“Will somebody please tally up France’s share of NATO’s operating budget and present it to this fellow for immediate full payment?”
Actually, they’re very close to their 2.0% at 1.8% of GDP:
LikeLike
Great, now how much of the US is in need of protection by NATO or any other such alphabet soup concoction organization. Zero. That’s how much the US “needs” NATO.
LikeLike
Modern NATO exists to keep Europe from blowing each other up, not to keep the Soviet Union at bay.
LikeLike
National defense? They’re going to have a hard enough time affording the additional police needed to enforce this lunacy.
LikeLike
If the French vote for him, then he should do everything he said he would do. The rest of the world should allow the French to experiment with any policies they desire and require they experience all the consequences of their actions – without any international ‘bailouts.’
LikeLiked by 1 person
If we haven’t learned from Greece, Venezuela, and North Korea, why would France doing the same matter?
LikeLike
14. The right of foreigners to vote in local elections.
15. “Humanitarian visa” and redo of France a land of asylum.
16. Consideration of the white vote. If the white vote is a majority vote, the election must be postponed.
LikeLike
It’s the end of the world. Or at least the end of the world as we know it.
Meanwhile, the delusional who might think Trump is a modern-day Cyrus… might compare Trump’s building a new US embassy in Jerusalem with Cyrus’ decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
We are living in interesting times… and they will continue to get more bizarre.
LikeLike
HELP AU SECOURS I M FRENCH LIVING IN FRANCE IT IS HELL IT IS LIKE BERNIE SANDERS RULING THE USA
OUR FUTURE IS USSR OR NORTH KOREA
DON T WORRY I AM JOKING AS HE WON T WIN THE ELECTION FRANCE WILL BE LIBERATED NEXT SPRING
THE SOCIALIST PARTY GATHERED FEW PEOPLE AND MOST OF THEIR ELECTORS FANCY MONSIEUR MACRON FORMERLY MINISTER OF ECONOMY WHO COULDN T PASS HIS REFORMS BECAUSE OF LEFTISTS STRIKES AND RIOTS IN PARIS
HE IS CRITICIZED BY LEFT WING SOCILISTS HARDLINERS AS HE USED TO BE A BANKER A BAD WORD FOR SOCIALISTS HE EVEN WORKED FOR ROTSCHILD BANK THAT IS WHAT ARCHEO LEFTISTS HATE
ANYWAY WE RE EXPECTING THE REPUBLICAINS IE FRENCH REPUBLICANS AND
MARINE S NATIONAL FRONT AT THE SECOND ROUND OF 2017 FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
BUT BE CAREFUL THINGS ARE NOT DONE AND MAY CHANGE FOR 2 REASONS
1 MACRON HAS STRONG SUPPORT OF THE MEDIA THE INTELLIGENTSIA SOME PARTS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT THAT ARE PRO EUROPEAN UNION AND REFUSE ANY REFORMS TO REDUCE HIGH LEVEL UNEMPLOYMENT IGNORING PROBLEMS AS THEY DON T CARE LIVING AND DOING BUSINESS MOST OF THE TIME ABROAD
ON EVERY MAI STREAM CHANNEL OR PAPER IN FRNACE THEY KEEP ON SAYING REPORTING EVERYTHING HE SAYS OR DOES IS GREAT HE IS A GOD MEDIAS ARE CAMPAIGNING FOR HIM HE WILL RESOLVES EVERY EACH FRENCH SOCIETY ISSUES WITHOUT REFORMS AND EFFORTS FROM BEHALF OF THE CITIZEN EG WORK LONGER BECAUSE HE IS YOUNG HANDSOME AND SMART
2 MARINE LE PEN HAS NOT YET RELEASED HER ECONOMIC PROGRAM AND SHE MAY LOSE A BIG NUMBER OF ELECTORS AS HER VICE PRESIDENT FLORIAN PHILIPPOT IS IN FAVOUR OF SOCIALIST MEASURES HE IS FOR A GREATER STATE INTERVENTION WHICH WOULD INEVITABLY LEADS TO GREATER TAXES
WE HAVE ALREADY CONFISCATORY TAXES WITH THE SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT
COMPARE THE CORPORATE TAXES BETWEEN UK FOR INSTANCE AND FRANCE
LikeLike
Hamon looks like he needs more meat in his diet. Apparently it’s affected his brain too.
“The right of foreigners to vote in local elections.”
The right of foreigners to vote? lol. Slippery slope to Sharia Law and mandated accommodations for public muslim prayer rituals in private businesses.
“Consideration of the white vote. If the white vote is a majority vote, the election must be postponed.”
ha. Any Frenchman approves of this deserves to lose his country. Disenfranchise the white people! lol.
“32-hour working week.”
I guess Hamon missed the news on Greece for the last 5 years. Stupid is as stupid does.
“Universal basic income.”
Your basic ‘free sh*t’ progressive political platform.
If Hamon is actually elected France may be the first domino to actually fall in the EU.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Hamon looks like he needs more meat in his diet. Apparently it’s affected his brain too.”
I’ve seen the left’s email on that. Moscow has ordered them all too be vegans. Hollywood has gladly complied:
https://www.bustle.com/articles/149515-32-verified-currently-vegan-celebrities
How did I end up viewing that email? Simple, I sent those PC security geniuses an email asking for their network admin password, claiming to be a fellow traveler willing to do “my fair share” of security improvements to their email system… and that, P.S., I am a Nigerian prince just to make sure they bought it.
LikeLike
“Vote blanc” doesn’t mean “white vote” it means voting “none of the above”
LikeLike
I know the French are nuts but this is batshit goofy.
LikeLike
Whom the Gods would destroy they first make mad.
LikeLike
Should Hamon square off against Marine le Pen, I believe le Pen would win.”
I would not bet an arm on that outcome.
Frenchs are socialists and Le Front National for them is like the Nazi party.
They are demonized by the media like Trump in the USA and around the world.
But a miracle is possible, you never know.
LikeLike
It would indeed be a miracle…that Hamon (or even Valls, his opponent) would confront Le Pen for the final turn.
That will need an exceptional campaign, marked by sudden deaths of 2 or 3 major candidates to achieve this.
At this stage the “socialist” candidate is almost sure to find himself in 5th position after the first turn.
So that its program does not really matter. It’s more poetry than politics.
LikeLike
I’ve seen the tax on robots for a while.
The 20th C was a swing back and forth between taxes on Labor and Capital.
What are Robots but Capital performing Labor?
The universal income follows from the disappearance of jobs.
LikeLike
14, 15 & 16 would make for a winning politician’s campaign promises in the Democratic People’s Republic of Kalifornia.
LikeLike
Liberal Democracy hurdling headlong into oblivion. The Socialist International won the war by the way. We’re not demonstrably different anymore. The separation is only by degree and that is narrowing. Glad I’m getting old…
LikeLike
“Consideration of the white vote. If the white vote is a majority vote, the election must be postponed.”
Racist and anti democratic.
LikeLike
Mish you need to correct your translation. “Vote blanc” doesn’t mean “white vote” it means voting “none of the above”. No need to make French socialist sound crazier than they are.
LikeLike
Thanks – will do
LikeLike
Oh, so we blame Google do we?
Anyone with half a brain, would realise that Google translate is hopelessly inaccurate at times.
Moreover, it’s obvious to those with half a brain, after seeing the poor translation, the French wouldn’t be writing “white” voters only on a ballot paper.
But they, I’m giving you dribblers on the Alt-right, way too much credit, because everybody knows you don’t even have half a brain.
You have an overexcited limbic system, in which you view the world.
Hence, that’s why you’re incapable of making rational rebuttals, and purely rely on ad hominem and non sequiturs.
LikeLike
Peter did you forget to take your pills again?
LikeLike
I don’t know whether to laugh, or feel pity for these gormless Alt-righters.
You make the simple observation, that they are too foolish and dumb, to formulate a rational argument, and instead, you point out that all they have got are ad hominem and non sequiturs.
And then one pops up, and proves your point.
They are so stupid, they can’t avoid digging holes for themselves.
LikeLike
There there don’t get all worked up. Here have a cookie.
LikeLike
What, ya girlfriend knock you back??
LikeLike
If this nutcase wins which I think is as likely as me becoming an astronaut, France will join the club of countries like Sweden and Germany on the way to oblivion. That said, the snowflakes that would vote for him, will vote for whoever will face LePen in the second round.
LikeLike
The hunter-gatherer mindset functioned adequately before the modern world.
However, the socialist iteration of it is a failure in today’s technological world. It’s akin to eating your seed corn.
LikeLike
I hope he does win. His victory would probably be the most effective impetus pushing France over the edge. Unfortunately, before rational government can be restored, something completely off-the-rails insane must occur.
LikeLike
Ok, Being fluent in french I actually read the damn thing. It is not a white person vote they are protesting against it is the white ballot which is a form of civic dissent. Votig a white ballot to say you don’t approve of any candidates..
“le vote blanc pour ce qu’il est : un geste civique”
LikeLike
Notice the cost of the basic income is tabled at nearly half a trillion, Valls even seemed to be open to the idea. Both talk of fusing current benefits, Hamon mentions increased taxes as well.
Wonder what the Germans think of this!
LikeLike
Hello
You a right “white vote” s about “empty ballots”,where one votes but puts no name on the ballot. Nothing about race here
However, Hamon is still a stupid proggie, the kind of which you could see in California. His chance of being elected are pretty low (but definitely non zero, let’s give him 3% likelihood of being elected), but Le Pen’s chances are not that big
The fact that the socialsit pick a lefty means
* More political space for Mr Macron
* Increased likelihood of Macron facing LePen in the second round (a scenario I give at 66% LePen)
* Unlike Mish, I think LePen can’t beat Fillon in the second round of voting, but Fillon’s seat in the runoff election is not guaranteed at all
The real risk with Hamon, though is that he will become the de facto leader of the socialist party for the parliamentary election (a month after the presidential ones), wher ethe voting format favors the socialist party. He will become the leader of an opposition with at the very least 25% of the parliament, though he may also become french Prime Minister especially if Madame Le Pen is elected.
LikeLike
This item actually sounds reasonable. I would create a virtual party called big-fat-finger party which would allow you to express what you think of the whole system.
LikeLike
Great idea.
LikeLike
The “two cows” analogy works for this article. http://www.boredpanda.com/corporation-economies-explained-cows-ecownomics/
LikeLike
Humanity makes it own destiny,but it can not control it
LikeLike
Hamon is an interesting name.
Hamon – Haman
Atossa – Hadassah
LikeLike
Welcome to the Free Shit Planet.
LikeLike
And when they realize “it didn’t work”, it’ll be because they “didn’t do enough”.
Do not resuscitate.
LikeLike
Taxing robots to pay for basic income is a very elegant solution. The trick is setting the rate correctly.
LikeLike
You mean taxing the owner surely… just because a robot doesn’t complain or go on strike doesn’t mean it has an account that can be raided?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would side with the robots against their slavemasters.
LikeLike
Whats the point? It’s just another way to tax profits.
It’s a tax on profits not generated via human labour
.
Human labour would earn BUT (earnings + basic income) would no doubt push humans over tax thresholds = more tax at the same time as increasing the cost of manufacture too due to human costs and inefficiencies.
Either way its the same – a method to maintain consumer prices higher than they would be.
The higher consumer prices are then consumers earnings not spent on other thing – like helping to create demand best delivered by human capabilities over machines.
It’s plain dumb.
People need to be encouraged to deploy themselves in areas where their unique capabilities are needed and can be utilised. That won’t happen by taxing robots.
LikeLike
I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say it again…
France is a failed state.
When Le Pen is the closest thing to sane on the ballot… (note the word “closest”, not actually sane, just the closest)
LikeLike
Maybe a dear progressive Hamon would not mind to add one more progressive idea: given what the elected representatives of the people have done to all western societies, I would suggest to replace the governments by a super computer which would make laws and policies based on proven principles. It could do worse than the current crop.
LikeLike
Imagine the horror of the politicians everywhere if there were an option to vote “None of the Above” and if None of the Above had the most votes then there would have to be another election held.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting that “white ballots” are counted in France (or are they?). I tried not voting for some office with a touchscreen voting machine and it wouldn’t let me move on to the next item. So I had to just pick a name at random. It was for a local office that I really had no knowledge of the candidates and didn’t care who won, either. Now that I live in an area with all mail-in paper balloting I just ignore the stuff I don’t care about. I wonder what that does to the tally?
LikeLike
The he right of foreigners to vote in places they are considering for potential relocation, is precocious, given the sheer lack of any kind of constraints placed on governments anymore.
The rest is just the same old pap, different face, intended for uncritical consumption by those sufficiently indoctrinated to fall for the sham that government, of all idiotic things, is some sort of useful institution.
LikeLike