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Sarkozy's auto-da-fe

by Carrie Wed Aug 24th, 2016 at 02:29:58 PM EST

Cross-posted on The Court Astrologer.

In his satire Candide, published in 1759, Voltaire pokes fun at the way the Portuguese Inquisition persecuted jews who had falsely converted to Catholicism:

After the earthquake had destroyed three-fourths of Lisbon, the sages of that country could think of no means more effectual to prevent utter ruin than to give the people a beautiful auto-da-fe; for it had been decided by the University of Coimbra, that the burning of a few people alive by a slow fire, and with great ceremony, is an infallible secret to hinder the earth from quaking.



In consequence hereof, they had seized on a Biscayner, convicted of having married his godmother, and on two Portuguese, for rejecting the bacon which larded a chicken they were eating[7]; after dinner, they came and secured Dr. Pangloss, and his disciple Candide, the one for speaking his mind, the other for having listened with an air of approbation.
Fast-forward to 2016, and Sarkozy's extremism is indistinguishable from Voltaire's satire.

Frontpaged - Frank Schnittger


Nicolas Sarkozy declares candidacy for French presidential election (22 August 2016)

He wants to ban the Muslim headscarf from universities and public companies, limit the French nationality rights of children born to foreign parents, and ban pork-free options in school canteens, meaning Muslim and Jewish children would no longer be offered a substitute meal.
It comments itself, really. Banning pork-free options means no vegetarian menus? Mandatory pork in every dish? Maybe this is not a knuckle-headed dogwhistle but Keynesian stimulus for the pig-farming industry?

Oh, and, by the way...

That's the French police forcing a woman to take of her veil on the beach in Nice (see HuffPo France). It appears the project to roll back Western social progress is well past 1789 and is rushing towards the 17th century. Religious wars cannot be far off.

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Nuance : that's the Nice municipal police, not the French national police. Yeah, you will think that's a distinction without a difference; nevertheless, in my opinion, the actual police probably would be smart enough to distinguish between a (banned) Burquini and a woman sitting on the beach with a perfectly ordinary headscarf.

Indeed, mayors all other the Deep South have been given licence (with central government sanction) to bother Muslims, and these Nice guys/goons are going to make the most of it.

This is a central part of Daesh's strategy to drive a wedge between European populations. What I don't understand is how they persuaded the French government to implement it.


It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Wed Aug 24th, 2016 at 06:29:00 PM EST
Indeed, mayors all other the Deep South have been given licence (with central government sanction) to bother Muslims, and these Nice guys/goons are going to make the most of it.
With Manuel Valls' approbation, indeed.

What I don't understand is how they persuaded the French government to implement it.
Triangulation: Valls believes that borrowing from the right's playbook will make him look "more presidential" (and drive centrists away from Sarkozy). Sarkozy believes that speaking the same language as the Front National will draw Le Pen's voters to him.
by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Aug 24th, 2016 at 06:44:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Were Sarkozy again gain high office in France he might well push for France, Italy and Greece to form their own currency union and join the ACU. That would be the apotheosis of his Mediterranean strategy and then he would be conducting the Auto-da-fe of the leaders of the remaining existing EMU leaders and collapsing their strategy. It would also likely make him one of the most important leaders in Europe. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. Better Sarkozy than Junker, Orban, Tusk or any UK politician.  

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Aug 24th, 2016 at 06:51:02 PM EST
Sarkozy cannot let go of the long time French politicians obsession to appear "as SeriousTM as the Germans" (because Germany = serious, whereas Southern Europe countries = feckless).

This obsession has been shared by the PS and the right wing (UDR/RPR/UMP/LR) alike, since at least Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl in the 80s. This includes fetishism for a strong currency, starting with the "franc fort" and now the Euro. And also appearing as the "strong man" in the French-German couple: that's the very definition of "most important leaders in Europe" for Sarko and his ilk.

by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Aug 24th, 2016 at 07:41:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
In the scenario I outlined Sarkozy could find the ground beneath his feet liquefying. Forming a new union might be his best choice for survival if the EMU is dissolving anyway, as with a financial collapse in Italy.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Aug 24th, 2016 at 09:10:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
What do you base this on? Anything Sarko has said?

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Aug 26th, 2016 at 05:23:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Only on his opportunism, history and general tendencies and how they would apply in such a situation.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Fri Aug 26th, 2016 at 06:31:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sarkozy negotiated the damn fiscal compact with Merkel.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Aug 28th, 2016 at 02:41:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That suited Sarko's needs of the moment. He is like Trump in that respect - needs of the moment trump any concern about consistency.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Sun Aug 28th, 2016 at 04:26:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well if even social democrats like Hollande don't believe in social democracy any more, why shouldn't opportunist politicians like Sarkozy go after the growth market in votes which seems to be in the extreme right nationalist Le Pen wing of politics. At least they are passionate about what they believe in. The question is, though, whether they would vote for Sarkozy when they might as well vote for the real thing: Le Front Nationale...

Index of Frank's Diaries
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Wed Aug 24th, 2016 at 09:34:22 PM EST
The question is already answered: when presented with racist Front National dog-whistle, voters tend to prefer the original to the copy. This kind of tactics from Sarko and other right-wing pols has only ended up in strengthening Le Pen's electoral base and given the Front National a new legitimacy (after all, the "traditional" right wing parties say the same things as the FN...)
by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Aug 25th, 2016 at 07:48:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Vote Sarkozy/Orbán for the hollowest democracy money can buy!  (And more racial scapegoats than Hitler ever dreamed of.)

Solar IS Civil Defense
by gmoke on Thu Aug 25th, 2016 at 07:08:12 PM EST
France's controversial burkini ban overturned by country's top court after Muslim women ordered to remove garments on beache

Le Conseil d'Etat invalide les arrêtés anti-burkini

Hopefully the restoration of sanity will continue apace.  But I'm not optimistic.

Point n'est besoin d'espérer pour entreprendre, ni de réussir pour persévérer. - Charles le Téméraire

by marco on Fri Aug 26th, 2016 at 01:49:23 PM EST
The municipal ordinances were all based upon a "public disorder" justification for the ban. The Conseil d'Etat has blown this argument sky high, stating that "the disputed ordnance carried a serious and clearly illegal infringement upon fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of movement, freedom of conscience and personal freedom".
(quick translation from the above text).

And it's not over yet, what with right and extreme right parties clamoring for tougher legislation to be passed before the parliament - and they have a good chance of winning next year's election.

by Bernard (bernard) on Fri Aug 26th, 2016 at 08:06:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hm....

is this about non-pork or halal food?

I case of just non-pork, depending on the size of the kitchen (how many meals they provcide) it may or may not be nonsensical.

If it's about halal, I consider it justified. Halal food rules require that all butchers involved are Muslim, which is blatant discrimination that no public institution should support. They are also in contradiction to many nation's animal protection laws because they prescribes the method of killing (throat cutting with a knife).

by cris0 on Thu Sep 1st, 2016 at 06:16:29 PM EST
Many school cafeterias do propose non-pork menus, when they propose several menus, that is. Same for enterprise cafeterias. No explicitly halal food, though: for a public school, this would be a violation of the 1905 law of separation of church and state.

Since school cafeterias are subsidized by municipalities, several right wing mayors have made it a point to suppress the non-pork menu options, as a not so thinly veiled dog whistle to their supposedly Islamophobic constituents.

by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Sep 1st, 2016 at 06:53:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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