[Rastagong]

(Original post by Made in the USA)
I understand it perfectly. It's the politicians proposing this insane ideas that are lacking understanding. They don't understand how these kinds of tax policies effect the behavior of people. It's very unlikely that a French Steve Jobs or a French Bill Gates will start the next Apple or Microsoft if they only get to keep 25% of their income past a certain level. Socialists think that the best and brightest and most productive people they have will continue to produce for free.

Have you ever wondered why the USA is so far ahead in technology? Why is the US producing iPhones, iPads, fantastic MP3 players, and 95% of the worlds software? Why is every almost every computer CPU made by a US company? It's not because our schools or education system is better (although we are good at the university level). It's because our tax code doesn't shackle the entrepreneurs.

If France decides to elect these kinds of leaders (who would be mocked and ridiculed into obscurity in most 1st world nations) I guarantee there will be more economic misery and unemployment.

I agree on your analysis, but not on the solution. Indeed, entrepreneurship isn't encouraged enough in France. Indeed, no Zuckerberg could ever manage to found Facebook here. But the actual problem is rather our culture of innovation. Our higher education is literally divided into two paths, our schoolsystem overvalues culture and forgets practical skills, IT is poorly taught, our society lacks fluidity. In these conditions, how could we innovate?

Still, you're right: Socialists don't seem to bother that much about this issue. Neither do the others. I'd love to see a candidate worrying about our lack of specialisation in high value-added products, a candidate who would reject protectionnism, xenophobia and all of these ideas whose times have past. Someone who would take us to the technological frontier.

But definitely, I don't think that lowering tax rates would magically attract entrepreneurs, unless we adapt our culture too.

[Morgsie]

Hollande and Sarkozy are in the second round. Hollande 27.4% Sarkozy 25.4%

[tehFrance]

(Original post by Morgsie)
Hollande and Sarkozy are in the second round. Hollande 27.4% Sarkozy 25.4%

Why are you using out of date figures?

[Morgsie]

(Original post by tehFrance)
Why are you using out of date figures?

Those figures are from the BBC, Exit polls

[tehFrance]

(Original post by Morgsie)
Those figures are from the BBC, Exit polls

Ah the ol' beeb... Le Figaro has different figures... you may want to check out, using the BBC for a French matter is ridiculous.

[Rastagong]

Here are the complete figures, from Le Monde:

[tehFrance]

You guys seem to be using IPSOS only.

[TheHansa]

Can somebody please explain how Hollande is expected to win as surely when the second round kicks off the LePen voters will rush to the current boy to keep Hollande out.

[Heeck]

Feel sorry for the French voters, the candidates haven't been really attacking or debating the policies of the opponents rather just trying to smear the opposing candidates. This has resulted in candidates with really terrible policies being considered a "sensible vote" .

[Patriot Rich]

Sarkozy is definitely the 'least worst' candidate. France already has ridiculous labour laws which are half the reason it has 10% unemployment. If Hollande shows up with 75% taxes amongst other things France's economy won't stand a chance.

On a purely selfish level a Socialist victory might be good news for the UK. Think of all those investors, and highly skilled, educated and wealthy immigrants, fleeing across the channel. Apparently there's already something like 300-400,000 French in London (according to the French consulate, but it seems everyone has different figures). Who's going to chose to build their car plant or whatever it is in France with such an anti-business president. France needs Sarkozy.

[rockrunride]

****, 20 percent of the French are of the far right.

[Patriot Rich]

(Original post by TheHansa)
Can somebody please explain how Hollande is expected to win as surely when the second round kicks off the LePen voters will rush to the current boy to keep Hollande out.

Hollande has the almost guaranteed support of the far left under Melenchon and the Greens. Sarkozy can't count on the far right since a lot of them are disgruntled former Sarkozy voters anyway, who wouldn't bother voting for anyone other than Marie Le Pen. Quite frankly their not intelligent enough to vote tactically, although some of them might it's unlikely to be enough to counter the swing to Hollande from the Left Party.

[Patriot Rich]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17806398

Oh dear.

[tehFrance]

(Original post by rockrunride)
****, 20 percent of the French are of the far right.

I bet most of them are those that are pissed off with Sarkozy....

[hmjessop]

(Original post by TheHansa)
Can somebody please explain how Hollande is expected to win as surely when the second round kicks off the LePen voters will rush to the current boy to keep Hollande out.

A lot of Le Pen supporters may abstain if they don't support Hollande or Sarkozy... Only Joly and Mélenchon have given their 'consigne de vote' so far.

[Vérité]

(Original post by TheHansa)
Can somebody please explain how Hollande is expected to win as surely when the second round kicks off the LePen voters will rush to the current boy to keep Hollande out.

The Left is united, with Joly and Mélenchon both supporting Hollande in the 2nd round. He has managed to attract their support by entertaining the possibility of a Coalition government and offering Les Verts and Front de Gauche seats in the National Assembly. The same cannot be said of the right, however, with not all of the National Front supporting Sarkozy; a recent survey shows about half of their supporters would prefer to see Hollande in power rather than the incumbent.

The voters for Bayrou could go either way, but as there is currently an alliance in Lille between the Partu Socialiste and Modem it is evident that there is scope for the two parties working together. What is more, the alliance in Lille is headed by Martine Aubry, who is incidentally the First Secretary of the PS.

It seems there is a very high chance of a victory for Hollande in the 2nd round.

EDIT: Possibly even more bad news for Sarkozy, with Jean-Marie Le Pen ruling out a consigne de vote from the FN. According to Le Figaro, the supporters of UMP are extremely unhappy with this decision.

[rockrunride]

(Original post by tehFrance)
I bet most of them are those that are pissed off with Sarkozy....

Yep. To win he will have to instantly adopt a hard line far-right appeasement policy and then be accountable for it during the entirety of his second term if he does win. Apart from the quasi-total union of the left I also think Hollande will also get most of the Bayrou bloc, given that the latter's party's reason for existence is to be unaligned with the UMP. Though I don't have any figures on how many UDF voters chose Sarko in the 2eme tour in 2007.

[anarchism101]

(Original post by TheHansa)
Can somebody please explain how Hollande is expected to win as surely when the second round kicks off the LePen voters will rush to the current boy to keep Hollande out.

Because just about everyone else whose candidate goes out in round one will move to Hollande.

[TheHansa]

(Original post by Patriot Rich)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17806398

Oh dear.

Chin up

A 75% tax band could do wonders for the UK economy

[anarchism101]

(Original post by rockrunride)
Though I don't have any figures on how many UDF voters chose Sarko in the 2eme tour in 2007.

I suspect it was a split but the majority went for Royal. Based on the assumption that pretty much all NF and MPF voters moved to Sarkozy.