Post by rogerbuck on Jan 27, 2023 1:17:07 GMT
Have found something by France's Marion Marechal in English.
I am somehow deeply HIT by it. This 32 year old politician former deputy in the French Parliament. Her like is unimaginable here.
I post it, as I find it VERY interesting and it's just not easy to get the French scene in English.
Link: marionmarechal.info/articles/entretiens/marion-marechal-frances-eclaireuse/
But I'll pull out some quotes too, with some bolding of things I find interesting. Finding them interesting does not necessarily equal agreement!
Also breaking up the quotes with lots of white space for easier reading from a screen . . .
On the EU:
On Germany and America
On New Alliances
On Building Islands of Resistance:
Comment: She should see the state of Ireland. The French Right's lack of timidness compared to Ireland is something to behold . . .!
On Building Islands of Resistance:
On De-Christianised Individualism
The electorate is built by adding up minorities, but no one cares about creating a unifying vision, an idea of common destiny. From my point of view, this is the biggest political challenge in France: to form a consensus, a consensual vision. I have no ready-made solutions here.
This is the reason why our democracy works so poorly, this is why we have so many protests in the streets, because democracy does not work properly without “fait majoritaire.”
When this element is missing, we are left with a war of the minorities and that is what we are seeing. This war is also fueled by the individualism which has taken hold in Western societies.
In France, which is very de-Christianized, individualism has developed exceptional force.
Very interesting from this perspective is the data on people who aren’t voting. The number of people who do not vote has grown considerably since Macron’s victory. The record was broken during the last regional elections.
Jerôme Fourquet explains in one of his articles that this has to do with the fact that people see voting as a civic and communal act, but they themselves have a consumerist approach to elections.
They don’t think in terms of community, especially the young, in whom materialism and individualism are most prominent.
We face the great challenge of how to maintain social cohesion, and it’s not going to be an easy task.
When Asked Will France Always Exist?
I am somehow deeply HIT by it. This 32 year old politician former deputy in the French Parliament. Her like is unimaginable here.
I post it, as I find it VERY interesting and it's just not easy to get the French scene in English.
Link: marionmarechal.info/articles/entretiens/marion-marechal-frances-eclaireuse/
But I'll pull out some quotes too, with some bolding of things I find interesting. Finding them interesting does not necessarily equal agreement!
Also breaking up the quotes with lots of white space for easier reading from a screen . . .
On the EU:
One thing that needs to be understood is that there has been a huge transformation in the EU. It was built by Christian Democrats, primarily focused on the common market.
It began with six countries, and this, too, must not be forgotten, because a common market for six countries is much easier to coordinate than a market for 27 countries.
But then the project was taken over by the progressive left. The EU has become a project of left-wing activists. Even recently it released a document that talks about “men being pregnant” — so we are descending into madness.
Today the EU is definitely overstepping the boundaries of the treaties, seizing on topics that should remain outside its remit. Every day we see how the principle of subsidiarity, which was one of the founding principles of the EU, is being undermined.
Every day we see how the distinctiveness of individual nations is being undermined, in a forced march towards a federal project.
The question also remains, what is the EU supposed to be? Is it to be an independent power, independent of America as well as China and Russia, which is the traditional French vision, or is it to become part of the Atlantic system, placing its defense in the hands of NATO?
This is a real, serious strategic discussion that needs to take place. If you take for example what the Americans have done regarding the French submarines it shows that, in a clash with China, the American interest will always prevail over friendship with its allies.
And, of course, they are right in a way. The United States has always acted in a way that their own interest takes precedence over the interests of their allies.
It began with six countries, and this, too, must not be forgotten, because a common market for six countries is much easier to coordinate than a market for 27 countries.
But then the project was taken over by the progressive left. The EU has become a project of left-wing activists. Even recently it released a document that talks about “men being pregnant” — so we are descending into madness.
Today the EU is definitely overstepping the boundaries of the treaties, seizing on topics that should remain outside its remit. Every day we see how the principle of subsidiarity, which was one of the founding principles of the EU, is being undermined.
Every day we see how the distinctiveness of individual nations is being undermined, in a forced march towards a federal project.
The question also remains, what is the EU supposed to be? Is it to be an independent power, independent of America as well as China and Russia, which is the traditional French vision, or is it to become part of the Atlantic system, placing its defense in the hands of NATO?
This is a real, serious strategic discussion that needs to take place. If you take for example what the Americans have done regarding the French submarines it shows that, in a clash with China, the American interest will always prevail over friendship with its allies.
And, of course, they are right in a way. The United States has always acted in a way that their own interest takes precedence over the interests of their allies.
On Germany and America
In my view, for France to defend a vision of an independent Europe, it cannot tie itself too tightly to Germany.
Germany, which after all exports so many cars to America cannot be in favor of this vision. Or they are at least torn.
Germany lives in fear that if it were to support strengthening the European market against the competition of American markets, the U.S. would impose sanctions on it or hinder its exports.
However, they will have to change their attitude if we consider, for example, Nord Stream II. Germany cannot make up its mind and clearly bet on an independent Europe.
Therefore, France has to break out of the illusion concerning the ‘Franco-German couple’. Belief in this illusion leads to one place: towards a German Europe. German hegemony contradicts the spirit of Europe.
Germany, which after all exports so many cars to America cannot be in favor of this vision. Or they are at least torn.
Germany lives in fear that if it were to support strengthening the European market against the competition of American markets, the U.S. would impose sanctions on it or hinder its exports.
However, they will have to change their attitude if we consider, for example, Nord Stream II. Germany cannot make up its mind and clearly bet on an independent Europe.
Therefore, France has to break out of the illusion concerning the ‘Franco-German couple’. Belief in this illusion leads to one place: towards a German Europe. German hegemony contradicts the spirit of Europe.
On New Alliances
Accordingly, France must work out new alliances according to circumstances, with the countries of Eastern Europe when it comes to civilization, social issues, or immigration, with its allies in the south when it comes to economic issues. We are the big losers of the Eurozone.
Eastern European countries have fortunately not shared this fate. For us, this remains an important issue.
We must be able to defend the common market against countries that engage in unfair competition, that do not respect our social or environmental standards, and therefore have an advantage over our markets, contributing to the impoverishment of the EU, and relocations.
Eastern European countries have fortunately not shared this fate. For us, this remains an important issue.
We must be able to defend the common market against countries that engage in unfair competition, that do not respect our social or environmental standards, and therefore have an advantage over our markets, contributing to the impoverishment of the EU, and relocations.
On Building Islands of Resistance:
Macron . . . changed a lot of the heads of different services and agencies. The Right is afraid of doing this. When it comes to power, its afraid that it will be called ‘fascist’ and so it does what the left wants. So when the Right was in power in France, the administration remained in the hands of the left. This resulted in a political blockade.
The government didn’t get the necessary information, it didn’t have the resources to carry out its policies well.
The secondary element is the intellectual centers, media and universities, where the left reigns supreme.
The Right will need to make a great effort to create alternatives here through grassroots, social initiatives. Now in France some right-wing voices are appearing in the mainstream media, but they are still insignificant, timid.
The government didn’t get the necessary information, it didn’t have the resources to carry out its policies well.
The secondary element is the intellectual centers, media and universities, where the left reigns supreme.
The Right will need to make a great effort to create alternatives here through grassroots, social initiatives. Now in France some right-wing voices are appearing in the mainstream media, but they are still insignificant, timid.
Comment: She should see the state of Ireland. The French Right's lack of timidness compared to Ireland is something to behold . . .!
On Building Islands of Resistance:
Above all, I believe that we must not allow our initiatives to depend on the state, to rely on its resources. We must not allow the end of our government to mean the end of us all . . .
Change has to be made from the top down, but it will never succeed if we don’t create islands of resistance from below that persist even when the government changes.
It is necessary to build islands of resistance in society; it is through them that we will win.
I often quote Gramsci, but it was not only Gramsci who said this: political victory comes only after a cultural victory.
There are no political victories without cultural victories.
Change has to be made from the top down, but it will never succeed if we don’t create islands of resistance from below that persist even when the government changes.
It is necessary to build islands of resistance in society; it is through them that we will win.
I often quote Gramsci, but it was not only Gramsci who said this: political victory comes only after a cultural victory.
There are no political victories without cultural victories.
On De-Christianised Individualism
The electorate is built by adding up minorities, but no one cares about creating a unifying vision, an idea of common destiny. From my point of view, this is the biggest political challenge in France: to form a consensus, a consensual vision. I have no ready-made solutions here.
This is the reason why our democracy works so poorly, this is why we have so many protests in the streets, because democracy does not work properly without “fait majoritaire.”
When this element is missing, we are left with a war of the minorities and that is what we are seeing. This war is also fueled by the individualism which has taken hold in Western societies.
In France, which is very de-Christianized, individualism has developed exceptional force.
Very interesting from this perspective is the data on people who aren’t voting. The number of people who do not vote has grown considerably since Macron’s victory. The record was broken during the last regional elections.
Jerôme Fourquet explains in one of his articles that this has to do with the fact that people see voting as a civic and communal act, but they themselves have a consumerist approach to elections.
They don’t think in terms of community, especially the young, in whom materialism and individualism are most prominent.
We face the great challenge of how to maintain social cohesion, and it’s not going to be an easy task.
When Asked Will France Always Exist?
I hope so. I don’t even want to ask myself that question. I cannot allow it to be otherwise. France is the land of my ancestors. I come from region of Bretagne and I cannot imagine that the land of my ancestors, where they have been buried for a thousand years, could be abandoned.
I refuse to pose that question to myself. I draw hope from the history of France, and of Poland, and of Hungary.
We in France have never felt the existential fear that we might disappear like the Hungarians or the Poles have. Poland lived through the partitions, always between the threat of German or Russian hegemony.
Hungary had to face Ottoman invasions and resist colonization by Austria. In our history we have never experienced this fear, the fear that we might cease to exist.
Today we are beginning to feel it, it is something new for us. It has different manifestations, it is something new in our history. We have had great collapses in history, like 1940, like the defeat at Sedan, the religious wars or the Revolution. But we have also had great resurrections.
Like Jeanne d’Arc, the enigma, how to understand her? She was 19 years old and she led the liberation of France from English domination. That is a miracle of history.
If this historical miracle happened once, and it was accomplished by a 19-year-old, there is still reason to hope, to believe that this thousand-year-old nation has hidden resources that we do not suspect.
I believe that the French will still surprise us and that they have enough vitality not to be buried by history.
I refuse to pose that question to myself. I draw hope from the history of France, and of Poland, and of Hungary.
We in France have never felt the existential fear that we might disappear like the Hungarians or the Poles have. Poland lived through the partitions, always between the threat of German or Russian hegemony.
Hungary had to face Ottoman invasions and resist colonization by Austria. In our history we have never experienced this fear, the fear that we might cease to exist.
Today we are beginning to feel it, it is something new for us. It has different manifestations, it is something new in our history. We have had great collapses in history, like 1940, like the defeat at Sedan, the religious wars or the Revolution. But we have also had great resurrections.
Like Jeanne d’Arc, the enigma, how to understand her? She was 19 years old and she led the liberation of France from English domination. That is a miracle of history.
If this historical miracle happened once, and it was accomplished by a 19-year-old, there is still reason to hope, to believe that this thousand-year-old nation has hidden resources that we do not suspect.
I believe that the French will still surprise us and that they have enough vitality not to be buried by history.
