Neo Liberal Approach fails in France...will it fail across Europe (even in Ireland)?

[Socratus O' Pericles]

RTÉ News: Sarkozy facing regional election wipeout

A "crushing defeat" for Centre -Right is predicted in regional elections.

Government party(s) low in the polls in UK and other EU countries, they did disastrously in Irish local elections.

Even in Germany voters are rejecting the centre right.
Poll: Merkel's party slipping before German state election that could curb government power - Worldnews.com

Are the days of the oligarchy over for the present? Is there a marked swing to the left across Europe as business and its handymen the bankers and "pro-business" politicians jump in the life rafts at the expense the poor, the sick, the needy and the disabled who may sink or swim as far as thet are concerned? And could left wing Irish parties and individuals benefit from this?

[Sync]

Probably not. If you're looking across Europe, Centre Right parties are gaining ground in the general election stakes (Germany, Ukraine, the increased polling for Tories etc). Here in Ireland you can see the sustained growth of FG who are as close as we get to a party on the "right".

There's also the tendancy in most countries to kick the ruling parties during local elections only to return them in the general votes, with Clinton and Bush's losses in the congressional elections coming to mind, where the both comfortabl won re-election.

Finally you've got the makeup of Ireland itself which doesn't really have "Right" or "Left", more a group who are trying to grab the centre. Using the UK as a mirror, FG would be significantly to the left of the Tories, FF would be to the right of Lab and Labour would be slightly to the right of the LibDems.

So imo it would be far too soon to look at regional elections in a country where there is a hard left/right split and try to read too much into them on a European stage.

[beamish2010]

RTÉ News: Sarkozy facing regional election wipeout

A "crushing defeat" for Centre -Right is predicted in regional elections.

Government party(s) low in the polls in UK and other EU countries, they did disastrously in Irish local elections.

Even in Germany voters are rejecting the centre right.
Poll: Merkel's party slipping before German state election that could curb government power - Worldnews.com

Are the days of the oligarchy over for the present? Is there a marked swing to the left across Europe as business and its handymen the bankers and "pro-business" politicians jump in the life rafts at the expense the poor, the sick, the needy and the disabled who may sink or swim as far as thet are concerned? And could left wing Irish parties and individuals benefit from this?

The French don't want the neo-liberal Thatherite model.I think that Sarkozy
will not last until 2012 when the next presidential elections come.

[mazzington]

Spinning this as a defeat of so-called neo liberal policies is a bit of a stretch, no? It's like saying that FF getting kicked in local elections is an anti-socialist reaction against social partnership and related ills. Sarkozy likes to talk up his free market credentials, but at the end of the day France is, in relative terms, a very socialistic country and Sarkozy has done little to change that.

[beamish2010]

RTÉ News: Sarkozy facing regional election wipeout

A "crushing defeat" for Centre -Right is predicted in regional elections.

Government party(s) low in the polls in UK and other EU countries, they did disastrously in Irish local elections.

Even in Germany voters are rejecting the centre right.
Poll: Merkel's party slipping before German state election that could curb government power - Worldnews.com

Are the days of the oligarchy over for the present? Is there a marked swing to the left across Europe as business and its handymen the bankers and "pro-business" politicians jump in the life rafts at the expense the poor, the sick, the needy and the disabled who may sink or swim as far as thet are concerned? And could left wing Irish parties and individuals benefit from this?

The French have had a taster of the neoliberal Thacherite model since
2007 when Sarkozy became president and clearly they do not want to follow
this model and I think the French will reject it come 2012.

[beamish2010]

The French have had a taster of the neoliberal Thatcherite model since
2007 when Sarkozy became president and clearly they do not want to follow
this model and I think the French will reject it come 2012.

[beamish2010]

Spinning this as a defeat of so-called neo liberal policies is a bit of a stretch, no? It's like saying that FF getting kicked in local elections is an anti-socialist reaction against social partnership and related ills. Sarkozy likes to talk up his free market credentials, but at the end of the day France is, in relative terms, a very socialistic country and Sarkozy has done little to change that.

Zanu-FF are hardly true socialists,well jobs-for-the-boys socialists is the
nearer to the mark.In reality this current govt are the most right-wing in the history of this State.

[Socratus O' Pericles]

[QUOTE=Sync;2515790] Centre Right parties are gaining ground in the general election stakes (Germany, Ukraine, the increased polling for Tories etc).

I prefer to leave emerging democracies out of it as nationalist issues tend to define the politics of these countries.

There is no serious Left wing party in the UK -perhaps the Liberal-Dems are slightly so.

Germany not so sure SPD are powerful ,well regarded entity. I suppose my broader point is that apart from the obvious human desire to boot out the existing government in times o crisis is there a real opportunity for the left here? a lá Iceland
Icelandic centre-left wins historic election - Politics : news, world | euronews

[beamish2010]

Zanu-FF are hardly true socialists,well jobs-for-the-boys socialists is the
nearer to the mark.In reality this current govt are the most right-wing in the history of this State.

Also the Sarkozy govt are the most right-wing govts in post-war French
history.

[Cassandra Syndrome]

Neo Liberalism, Neo Keynesianism, is it all Statist control ideology at the end of the day.