Election Year or Fear!

[swaledale]

Q1. In which European country was the most recent election?

Q2. How did any Le Pen/Wilders type of candidates/parties fare?

I've just finished reading a book on the fall of France in WW2 and the Americans handling of it, very interesting reading which threw up a few interesting points.

The first was that a nationalistic, isolationist USA, had prior to WW2 relied upon France and the UK to hold back fascism in Europe and had not bothered to spend a great proportion of its economy on defence. They were caught napping when France folded, they thought it would be able to resist the Germans. Even after the fall of France the USA recognised Vichy France (the unoccupied bit) and was actively assisting them with aid. Even when it was clear that those in charge of Vichy were basically toadying up to Hitler in the hope of forming a German/French future the USA still supported them.

The second was that the French whether those in Vichy or De Gaulle's "Free French" were far more concerned with what France's future would be after the WW2, rather than fighting the Germans and both blamed the collapse of the French army on "communist" and leftist elements undermining the spirit, rather than the failure of government and military.

In particular they were concerned about the rise of the communists, the loss of the French empire and their own personal political aims. The USA as now was divided between those who saw the danger of Germany (reinforced by Japans attack on pearl Harbor) and those who thought the war in Europe was of no concern to the USA.

What it did show was that nothing much changes really as one can see with the current chaos in France and Germany, rather than blame the failure of opposing groups to be able to compromise and work for the greater good of the country, each faction sees the chaos as a way of advancing their own agendas and a possible route to power. In the meantime the general populace suffers and so does the economy.

Obviously its a simple summary of a more complex set of issues, but basically nothing we are seeing in the USA or elsewhere is new.

[MadAmster]

Answers.

Q1 Ireland

Q2 next to nowt. 1 seat I think it was.

[Ramshank72]

Obviously its a simple summary of a more complex set of issues, but basically nothing we are seeing in the USA or elsewhere is new.

Yep.

[Andy_Faber]

I suspect saying something like, ?I mean the sort of madness that makes normal people think twice before putting one front of the other?, is intended to provoke.
Little point in being provocative if no one understands what you mean and I, for one, don?t. Little point also in blaming your reluctance to explain on the ?entrenched? views of others. Bit of ?Trickyspeak? going on there and you?re better than that.

Not intended to provoke at all, and it had the desired effect with one exception (yourself).

[ramAnag]

Not intended to provoke at all, and it had the desired effect with one exception (yourself).

Hardly provoked AF, just curious as to how you define ‘normal people’ and what you mean by being concerned about ‘putting one foot in front of the other’.
Still they’re your words and sentiments and if you don’t wish to explain that’s up to you.

[Andy_Faber]

Reinforcing my own, MA and TTR's assertion that there's nothing to choose between the blues or reds, today's news snippets include the observations that Keir Starmer has gladhanded the same middle eastern heads of state that he castigated Boris Johnson for in the recent past, and Angela Rayner, having described Boris as scum for, amongst other things, employing a personal photographer, has now done exactly the same. Clearly they both knew they were out of order in their respective actions, because they put up Angela Eagle to fend off the press with her God-given skill of providing answers so convoluted even the interviewer usually wishes they'd not bothered asking

[Andy_Faber]

Also of interest today, not a news item as such but an opinion piece on the R4 programme 'when it hits the fan', which predicts the dismantling of the Murdoch media empire, in summary due to his legal advisors making a horlicks of his succession planning. As a constant critic of the way The Media 'gaslights' us I'd be delighted if this came to pass

[Andy_Faber]

I suspect saying something like, ?I mean the sort of madness that makes normal people think twice before putting one front of the other?, is intended to provoke.
Little point in being provocative if no one understands what you mean and I, for one, don?t. Little point also in blaming your reluctance to explain on the ?entrenched? views of others. Bit of ?Trickyspeak? going on there and you?re better than that.

I?ve bided my time and I may have an example you understand. All depends on your answer to this question. What are your top 5 comedy series of all time? Don?t think about it, what pops straight into your head?

[ramAnag]

I?ve bided my time and I may have an example you understand. All depends on your answer to this question. What are your top 5 comedy series of all time? Don?t think about it, what pops straight into your head?

Just like that? Top of my head?
Monty Python, Citizen Smith, Rising Damp, Dad’s Army, Till Death us do Part. They’re the five that spring most immediately to mind anyway.

[SithHappens]

Frasier, Goodnight Sweetheart, The Inbetweeners, The Office, Only Fools