[Mishmashmoo]

What do you think of the recent election results? Do you think it will help the country or do you think it will hurt the economy. I'm interested to see what other students think about this.

Personally I think taxing the rich into oblivion will destroy their remaining economy by forcing all the rich corporations to migrate. What kind of millionaire will continue to contribute to an economy that takes 75% of earnings over 1million euro.

[internetguru]

A patriotic one? If I were a socialist dictator I would probably hang traitorous defectors.

[Mishmashmoo]

(Original post by internetguru)
A patriotic one? If I were a socialist dictator I would probably hang traitorous defectors.

This is a perfect example of why socialism will never work (Although I am not suggesting that the new French government would be dictators)

[Luke Williams]

Nuke them! Before there is another bloody communist regime!

[Craig_D]

The main thing about it for me is that it provides a great chance to compare Britain's growth whilst under a government focusing on austerity with a similar country now focusing on spending its way out of the recession. The next 3 years will demonstrate if the coalition's plan for growth really is the best solution, I look forward to it being properly put to the test. The problem with criticising the coalition at present is that nobody really knows what growth would have been like if Labour had stayed in power (not that I'm suggesting Labour would have a similar policy to Hollande).

[siwelmail]

Marxism/socialism ftl.

[SnoochToTheBooch]

I don't really know what it means in real life terms, how will day to day life change for french people?

[meenu89]

I just wonder how many of his pledges he will abide by.

[Mishmashmoo]

(Original post by Craig_D)
The main thing about it for me is that it provides a great chance to compare Britain's growth whilst under a government focusing on austerity with a similar country now focusing on spending its way out of the recession. The next 3 years will demonstrate if the coalition's plan for growth really is the best solution, I look forward to it being properly put to the test. The problem with criticising the coalition at present is that nobody really knows what growth would have been like if Labour had stayed in power (not that I'm suggesting Labour would have a similar policy to Hollande).

This is very true. It's annoying that people are blaming the current government for the double dip recession when we have no idea what would have happened with Labour in power. In my opinion the current government has made some very smart moves so I'd be very interested to see how the next few years go. With the current attitude in England everyone will just vote Labour back in because all our problems were not solved in one term and then our economy will be even more screwed.

[Ups7]

Isn't the French Socialist Party more the equivalent of the British Labour Party or the German Social Democrats in the SPD, i.e. just another centre-left party? I don't get the hysteria.

[mimx]

(Original post by Craig_D)
The main thing about it for me is that it provides a great chance to compare Britain's growth whilst under a government focusing on austerity with a similar country now focusing on spending its way out of the recession.

Why would we want to compare them? We already know spending can aid growth, at least in the short term.

Our austerity isn't about getting out of recession. We may very well have been spending our way out of it if we weren't so worried about the debt we've already got.

[Mr Dangermouse]

It's not proper socialism, it's just center left tax and spend.

[internetguru]

(Original post by Mishmashmoo)
This is a perfect example of why socialism will never work (Although I am not suggesting that the new French government would be dictators)

Well in the past taxes on the rich have been way higher than their proposals so they do work. In the feudal days it wasn't strange for 90% taxes to be on peasants and they got by. Of course personally I all for low government spending and as a result lower taxes simply because spending money on useless things is pointless.

[justmyopinions]

Just a little bit closer to communism.

[LtCommanderData]

(Original post by Ups7)
Isn't the French Socialist Party more the equivalent of the British Labour Party or the German Social Democrats in the SPD, i.e. just another centre-left party? I don't get the hysteria.

Yeah, this is a very different situation from "France going socialist".

[When you see it...]

France has not 'gone socialist' - they have elected the social democratic party, their equivalent of Labour.

[HARRY PUTAH]

Excuse me while I LOL.

Socialists in power? They believe in the head-in-sand attitude like Labour and believe massive public funding is the way forward.

Where does this money come from you ask? Why the tax payers ofcourse! Of which they were split very evenly in the French elections and I guarantee you the 75% tax rate will lose them more cash than it would gain.

A lot of the French will not like the idea of these idiots in charge.

[mimx]

(Original post by internetguru)
Well in the past taxes on the rich have been way higher than their proposals so they do work. In the feudal days it wasn't strange for 90% taxes to be on peasants and they got by.

Bit different now that financial mobility is a reality. Couldn't exactly walk into Ye Olde Banke and get an offshore account in the Cayman Islands.

[marky--mark]

I think it's about time the left took France back. It's just been way too long since they had a real change of government. Not sure about spending the way out of recession, but if it works then great. If not, then it's a chance for the right to prove that austerity is indeed the way forward. (I'm a LibDem supporter, though admittedly not a fan of Clegg, so my attitudes might well differ to everyone else's)

[The Patriot]

France isn't really going socialist. It's a centre-left tax and spend ideology, not far from the Labour Party of the UK.

Besides, we (Europe) need a move to the left IMO.