The Gaming Den

Starmaker wrote:supposedly 75% 140% popular approval.

Oh Putin, you card!

That said, my contact with a Russian on IRC is... let's just say it's either the cause or the result of the kind of government Russia has. Such fascinating insight from him!

[*]Putin has never rigged elections, he's always been so popular he hasn't had to
[*]It's Russia, people randomly get murdered by gangs and such all the time! What makes you think those reporters specifically got killed for being anti-Putin or asking the wrong questions, and didn't just wander into gang territory?
[*]It doesn't matter what people do in their own homes (he included fucking dogs in this category, as in specifically mentioned it), but don't go around doing that stuff (he specifically included "being gay") in public, it's disgusting
(Note: apparently someone else found a back door into his computer and discovered he had ~500Gb of horse porn. WELL THAT EXPLAINS THAT ONE. Also I use the word "had" because they replaced it with lolcats.)
[*]Chechnya is a total shithole and has always been, it's all because of those crazy muslims who live there, Russia just tries to settle them down every now and then, that's all!

So unless that guy is simply saying that stuff because he knows what's good for him and doesn't want to fall off a building, it looks like Russia has the same kind of crazy people that America has. Joy.

So, it looks like Hollande has better-than-even odds at outsing Sarkozy in the runoff. Good.

What's this crap about La Pen getting the highest showing evar, though?

France has a huge Muslim Immigration problem. It's only gotten worse. It's also the middle of a really high unemployment rate. Think of Muslims in France like Mexicans in the US.

It's a multi part problem:
1) The Muslim community isn't really blending. Instead, they are going insular. What's weirder, is that there is this weird thing going on where the muslim women who were raised in France in the 80's went in one direction, assimilating into French Culture to the point where only their last names would make you try to figure out where they were from. And the men, went super-hardcore extremist. 30 years ago, you saw women with headscarves on occassion and that was it. These days, (until the ban) it was not uncommon to see women in full body burqas. So they are self-marginalizing themselves.
2) unemployment is crazy high, and the Muslims make an easy target to blame. If it wasn't the muslims, it would be the Gypsies. That's just how we roll.
3) Muslim unemployment is even worse. Which causes a sort of weird, insulation common to ghetto communities in America.

Basically:
Muslims are marginalized, so they becmoe insular and self-marginalize even more. Making themselves even more marginalized.
French people are fucking culturalists, and these days not religious at all. Sure the country is 85-90% Catholic. But they're Catholic by culture, not by religion. The vast majority to go church for, Baptism, Marriage, Easter and Christmas and that's it. So they view the religious zealotry in the increasingly hardcore muslim community as 'weird' and different. So, not only are they not French, but they've got crazy fringe ideas we don't approve of.

LePen is running on Neo-Nazi anti immigration propaganda, and in the current climate it's resonating well. That's not really a surprise. The big worry has always been that a lot of people don't vote in the first election, because noone has ever won the first election, and there's always a second run off. One day, enough people are going to not vote that lePen will get 50.000001% of the vote and become President and then it'll be too late.

Lago PARANOIA wrote:So, it looks like Hollande has better-than-even odds at outsing Sarkozy in the runoff. Good.

What's this crap about La Pen getting the highest showing evar, though?

In 2002, Le Pen came in second. In 2002, he got 16.9% of the vote out of a field with 16 candidates, seven of whom polled more than five percent. In 2012, he got 17.9% of the vote out of a field with 10 candidates, five of whome polled at more than five percent. While that is strictly numerically "the best showing ever", it's much more accurately much much worse than he did in 2002.

But the media loves drama, so the fact that Le Pen got a very small windfall from having less opponents (compared to the socialists and center-rightists who both picked up over 8% from the same field culling) is being played up as a huge burst of uncertainty or some shit.

-Username17

So, if/when Hollande boots out Sarkozy, what does that mean as far as France and non-France goes?

Germany/France friction, mostly, and a break in the power bloc that has let Germany ride roughshod over the EU. He's also a socialist, and doesn't buy into Austerity Now! as much, but only time will tell how he deals with the very real issues.

I would expect to see the French/American relationship to stay the same. The French President being all friendly, and the US president being all aloof and shit.

Hollande is also stanchly agaisnt Acta and the 3 strike law, so we'll have to see how that goes. President is important, but the Prime Minister spot, and who controls theSenate/Assembly is also going to be the biggest difference. The French president is not like the US President. The Assembly and the Prime Minister have a lot more power, although in the last 15 years that's changed a bit. One of the things about Sarkosy has been his power consolidation that was not traditionally that of the president.

Just so I'm clear, there are two Le Pen's in this thread. Marine Le Pen is the one Lago and Sabs is talking about, I believe. Her father is Jean-Marie Le Pen and is Frank's Le Pen, right?

Yes
but they both represent the Neo-Nazi Fascist party of France, called the National Front Party. Her father retired, and Marine Le Pen is his heir in the party. She seems to be doing better than he ever did. She's gotten more percentages, though less actual votes, but she's doing well in Assembly elections. She's a force the right has to deal with, much like Rand Paul.

So, now UK is officially entering a recession. An austerity-driven recession.

Don't fuck this up, Hollande. The fate of the free world depends on you. ... no pressure.

Lago PARANOIA wrote:So, now UK is officially entering a recession. An austerity-driven recession.

Don't fuck this up, Hollande. The fate of the free world depends on you. ... no pressure.

Merkel's other lapdog, Rutte is out on his ass. Queen Beatrix signed Holland up for new elections on September 12th. Unfortunately, he may well get voted back in despite the fact that he has been a key member of the Merkel Austerians. Holland has a true multi-party democracy, and Rutte's party is only a bit over 20% of the parliament now, so he might be in charge of the coalition even after new elections. But I'm hoping that the #2 and #3 party (the Socialists and Labor, respectively) can put together a coalition around not doing the harsh austerity measures that Merkel and Rutte have demanded. Since a majority of Dutch people are opposed to the cuts, campaigning on that should be easy.

Nominally, the Socialists are a left-leaning Euro-skeptic party, while Labor is a left-leaning pro-Europe party. The thing is that in this topsy turvy world, anyone who wants to meet the EU Stability Pact obligations is actually trying to destroy the European Union, and anyone who is trying to repeal the Stability Pact is trying to save the Union. So the fact is that while the Socialists are "anti-Europe", their actual platform is good for Europe.

-Username17

This article is hilarious:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17826455

Especially this part:

The Germans are rattled. The foreign minister says the pact must remain in place. "What we have agreed on in Europe to overcome the debt crisis", said Guido Westerwelle, "is agreed and it holds".

"It will not be made dependent on election results." That is, of course, part of the problem because electorates want their votes to count.

So basically fuck you voters, your opinions are invalid.

Congratulations, France. So proud of you.

Sarkoszy had no chance. Not only were his policies hated, but he was personally so disliked that tons of people who were right leaning, voted for Hollande because they hated Sarkoszy that much.

Don't predict fire and brimstone yet. We'll see what President Hollande does vs Candidate. I have great hopes, The last time Socialists were in power in France was a great time for France.. so we shall see.

Holy shit. It's now been three months since the majority of the collegial and university students are on strike to oppose the rise of tuition fees, and the QLP is getting tired of playing fair. I swear, (Sorry, I haven't gotthe english version) they're making it illegal to wear masks or covering your face in a manifestation, because you're not so easy to gas that way.

The students are fighting for free education, which means they must be the devil's own spawn. The word that gets thrown around the most? "Entitled". Honestly, I'm sick as fuck of this bullshit. If you think everybody should get a chance to be whatever he wants, then you're a self-centered egomaniac, apparently.

The QLP's latest offer to the students? The rise stays, individual school prices are lowered by the same amount (HA HA, OH WOW), more (not enough by a whole lot) student loans, and nobody manifest ever again on this subject, or the deal's off.
FUCK. THIS. BULLSHIT.

Maudit crisse de tabarnak, m'a te leur en calisser une.

I didn't know Canada had such a big problem with Ghosts that they have to regulate manifesting and implore the ghosts to stop manifesting on a particular subject.

I feel especially sorry for that subject, must suck to have all the ghosts manifesting on you.

Raising tuition by 82%?! Are you shitting me up the ass?

That's straight-up class warfare, dude. What the fuck... I'm not even Canadian and I want Stephen Harper's balls on a platter.

Lago PARANOIA wrote:Raising tuition by 82%?! Are you shitting me up the ass?

That's straight-up class warfare, dude. What the fuck... I'm not even Canadian and I want Stephen Harper's balls on a platter.

And they just passed a law requiring police permission for any gathering of 50 or more people.

Its on, now.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ ... trike.html

In the mood for some despair? Sort the comments by highest rated.

Le député d'arrière-ban conservateur Blake Richards propose que des peines de prison pouvant atteindre cinq ans ou des amendes maximales de 5000 $ soient imposées aux manifestants ayant porté un masque.

My french is a little rusty, but does that fucking say five years in prison or up to a five thousand dollar fine for wearing a mask?

For Protesting while wearing a mask.

And yes, it does.

The rise stays, individual school prices are lowered by the same amount

What is the difference between tuition fees and individual school prices?

And were the fees in Canada really low or are they just really insane (or both?)

Who cares how low the fees are?

People should be paid for going to friggin' university. Seriously.

Welcome to the US/Canada where politicians get to make fun of the President for suggesting that every kid in America should get post-highschool education. The US is 17th in the world for education. And wondering why the hell they're falling behind economically.

The Christian Right is like one of those abusive husbands, who swear he loves you and would die without you, all the while shooting you in the chest with a handgun.

Lago PARANOIA wrote:Who cares how low the fees are?

People should be paid for going to friggin' university. Seriously.

Well the fees here are about $1500 a year. Though you would add the costs of books and well staying alive to that.
I honestly don't mind that there is a fee, that also seperates those who actually want to study and those that don't.
It shouldn't be so high that anyone can't afford it though.

- Edit: you also get money from the government every month (less if you live with your parents and more if your parents don't make a lot of money) if you study and free public transportation. Though you'd have to pay this back if you don't finish your studies. And you can also get student loans on top off that.

Lago PARANOIA wrote:Raising tuition by 82%?! Are you shitting me up the ass?

That's straight-up class warfare, dude. What the fuck... I'm not even Canadian and I want Stephen Harper's balls on a platter.

82%? That's adorable! Remember, not too long ago, the UK's tuition fees trebled. 200% raises are much more economically sound than 82%, right?!