If ever there was an example of the Libertas ability of self-delusion, that was it.Originally Posted by CookieMonster
French people regard de Villiers as being to the right of Ian Paisley in his old days. Even conservatives regard him as someone they would not be seen dead with. What next for Libertas - run Mina Bean Ui Chribin and link up with Youth Defence?
The French people or the French elite?If ever there was an example of the Libertas ability of self-delusion, that was it.
French people regard de Villiers as being to the right of Ian Paisley in his old days. Even conservatives regard him as someone they would not be seen dead with. What next for Libertas - run Mina Bean Ui Chribin and link up with Youth Defence?
I posted some links to some of the Libertas candidates around Europe either in this thread or in another thread, they all end up in the same mess anyway (which I have commented on before).If ever there was an example of the Libertas ability of self-delusion, that was it.
French people regard de Villiers as being to the right of Ian Paisley in his old days. Even conservatives regard him as someone they would not be seen dead with. What next for Libertas - run Mina Bean Ui Chribin and link up with Youth Defence?
regardless, when I did so I commented that people here willfully ignore the other names on the French list and that has proven to be the case. It's also telling they they have also spectacularly ignored the majority of the other names too, none of which suit the agenda of trying to paint Libertas as some far right Nazi party. It's absolutely not the case and demonstratively so but yet these deranged and deluded continue. The mind boggles.
A poster of some consequence...
Der Spiegal on far right de Villiers Libertas France candidate
Boston GlobeFor de Villiers, though, that may be reason enough. As head of the far-right party, Movement for France, he's basing his 2007 presidential bid on an anti-immigrant platform. His campaign is unlikely to garner any significant proportion of the vote, but he's sure to sell a few more books. Anti-Terror Investigation: Paris Airport Bars Muslim Workers - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
Wall Street JournalFar-right leader decries "Islamisation of France"
By Tom Heneghan | April 23, 2006
PARIS (Reuters) - A far-right French politician launched his 2007 presidential campaign on Sunday denouncing what he called the Islamisation of the country and declaring Islam incompatible with France's secular values.
Philippe de Villiers, head of the anti-immigrant Movement for France (MPF) party, also charged that Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport was endangered by Islamist radicals who he said had infiltrated the ground staff there.
Villiers has stirred up controversy in recent weeks with increasingly tough statements about Muslims, which critics call racist and officials describe as exaggerated. Far-right leader decries "Islamisation of France" - Boston.comCNNPhilippe de Villiers
• Party: Movement for France (far-right)
• Second presidential run (seventh place in 1995)
• Currently polling between 1% and 3%
Philippe de Villiers is running on an anti-immigration, euroseptic, pro-family platform. If elected, he would cut taxes, expel all illegal immigrants and prevent Turkey from joining the EU. He also wants to halt what he calls "the Islamization of France," pledging to stop the construction of new mosques and dismiss the French council of the Muslim religion. France's rejection of the European constitutional treaty -- Mr. de Villiers was an outspoken opponent -- convinced him to take another shot at the presidency despite his unsuccessful bid in 1995. (He sat out the 2002 contest.) But Mr. de Villiers is polling even lower than he did 12 years ago, and he is struggling to win the hearts of far-right voters against the better-known Jean Marie Le Pen. WSJ.com
Philippe de Villiers, 57, the aristocratic head of the far-right Movement for France party and member of the European Parliament.
Obviously just the French elite. That is why the people elected de Villiers in a landslide as president last time.
Oh wait. They didn't.
Cop yourself on, FT.
Just look at French election results. The French people of course.
People, some more stridently than others (!), are pointing out that some of Libertas' higher profile members, representatives and candidates have been associated with fringe views, some of which are regarded as being incompatible with the values which Libertas professes to hold in high regard.
It's absolutely par for the course in normal political debate to point out that the policies advocated by some of those you disagree with are incompatible with the stated values of the party they represent.
The nature and tone of some of the statements which have been made attacking Libertas are certainly virulent. However, the nature and tone of some of the statements made in repsponse has been no less virulent.
It's not strident, it's obsessive.
Well that's not what's happening, is it? No, what's happening is that some are taking the views of some of those associated with Libertas and taking a giant leap on the conclusion trampoline and pasting the entire organisation under the umbrella of these views and refusing to accept that it is not the case.pointing out that some of Libertas' higher profile members, representatives and candidates have been associated with fringe views, some of which are regarded as being incompatible with the values which Libertas professes to hold in high regard.
It's not virulent, it's frustrated. The attempts by people here and elsewhere to paint Libertas and all those who are part of the organisation as some sort of rag tag collection of fringe elememnt, far right, racist, nazi, money driven, secret agents and so on is not only ridiculous but also highly insulting.The nature and tone of some of the statements which have been made attacking Libertas are certainly virulent. However, the nature and tone of some of the statements made in repsponse has been no less virulent.
A poster of some consequence...
Yes, but Turkey has a more secular Constitution than we do. There is a world problem of radical Islam, but radical Islam emerged out of desperation in countries in which normal democratic development had been suppressed by western-backed dictators. Lets not forget when we're talking about the middle east that we're talking about the cradle of civilisation.Don't confuse the French ruling-class with "the French". Remember 1789.
As for concerns about "Islamcisation" in France, I think it is a widely-felt concern below the surface among mainstream Europeans. Tell me how many true democracies are found in the Muslim world, and how many of them allow women to vote. You don't have to be on the Far Right to share those concerns. Every week I turn on Sky I hear of the umpteenth suicide-bombing in some Muslim country. You can't expect people to just ignore that. It's on a vastly larger scale than what the IRA did. Such concerns do not reflect bigotry based on religion on the part of Westerners - rather, they reflect a reaction to actual events in the Muslim world, as well as concern as to how these traits might manifest themselves in Europe via mass-immigration. The Euro-elites do not want to discuss this issue, but ordinary folks do.
Once again, it seems we are through the Libertas looking-glass into a world where right-wing millionaires and aristocrats are true democrats, while elected representatives and working civil servants are the "elite".Obviously just the French elite. That is why the people elected de Villiers in a landslide as president last time.
Oh wait. They didn't.
Cop yourself on, FT.
Just look at French election results. The French people of course.
Never let the best be the enemy of the good.
Its remarkable that many of the Parties that Libertas is allying with are not only small, but declining. Perhaps that is what makes them susceptible to the generous funding offers being made by Libertas.
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