As critical as I've been about Brexit, it might seem a contradiction to say that Frexit seems to me to have a better case for it.
I mean the French people have far more good reason to blame Brussels for their troubles than the British people do.
The big difference is the French are on the euro. The French elected Francois Hollande for Keynesian policies and this has been thwarted by Angela Merkel and the EU.
So they have more cause for anger. The UK has had austerity but the UK insists on voting Tory so they have no one to blame for it but themselves.
Having said that, there are a couple of caveats.
1. Ideally you'd prefer they just get out of the euro but stay in the EU. No doubt if France got off the euro that would be close to a death knell as the whole thing was France's idea in the first place.
I think the EU project is still worth saving but maybe the euro system needs to go. To be sure, this wold be very messy but even factoring that in, it still might be for the best.
2. Frexit is lead by Marine la Pen.
Trump in the US, and La Pen in France? Boris Johnson just fell today in the UK.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2016/06/that-person-cannot-be-me.html
"Since 2013, Le Pen has maintained that, if she attains power, she will hold a referendum on France’s membership in the E.U. within six months. A survey in March found that fifty-three per cent of French voters would support such a referendum, and another, published today, found that only forty-five per cent are certain they would vote to remain. Le Pen consistently leads polls for next spring’s Presidential election, and is all but certain to advance into the second round of voting. On Friday, she proclaimed Britain’s vote a first concrete step toward her vision, and the European question certainly will now become central to the campaign. “Before, this was unheard of,” Florian Philippot, a National Front vice-president and Le Pen’s top strategist, told journalists gathered at the Party headquarters, in Nanterre. “Now it’s no longer unheard of. There’s a precedent, and that changes a lot.” Philippot brushed aside suggestions that Britain’s exit would be painful for France, which is more economically integrated into the E.U., and that the fallout might affect public opinion. “That’s the propaganda of the Europeanists,” he told me, predicting that the market upset was temporary. “They have nothing else to say other than to try to scare people.” Le Pen and Philippot called for a “new European project,” of sovereign and “independent” nations."
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/marine-le-pen-prepares-for-a-frexit
This is the trouble. Whether you agree or not it's not true that the only ones who have concerns are 'fearmongers.'
But again, getting rid of the euro could be the best thing. Though you'd hate to see that power the National Front.
Leaving the EU seems to always end up empowering the Right.
I mean the French people have far more good reason to blame Brussels for their troubles than the British people do.
The big difference is the French are on the euro. The French elected Francois Hollande for Keynesian policies and this has been thwarted by Angela Merkel and the EU.
So they have more cause for anger. The UK has had austerity but the UK insists on voting Tory so they have no one to blame for it but themselves.
Having said that, there are a couple of caveats.
1. Ideally you'd prefer they just get out of the euro but stay in the EU. No doubt if France got off the euro that would be close to a death knell as the whole thing was France's idea in the first place.
I think the EU project is still worth saving but maybe the euro system needs to go. To be sure, this wold be very messy but even factoring that in, it still might be for the best.
2. Frexit is lead by Marine la Pen.
Trump in the US, and La Pen in France? Boris Johnson just fell today in the UK.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2016/06/that-person-cannot-be-me.html
"Since 2013, Le Pen has maintained that, if she attains power, she will hold a referendum on France’s membership in the E.U. within six months. A survey in March found that fifty-three per cent of French voters would support such a referendum, and another, published today, found that only forty-five per cent are certain they would vote to remain. Le Pen consistently leads polls for next spring’s Presidential election, and is all but certain to advance into the second round of voting. On Friday, she proclaimed Britain’s vote a first concrete step toward her vision, and the European question certainly will now become central to the campaign. “Before, this was unheard of,” Florian Philippot, a National Front vice-president and Le Pen’s top strategist, told journalists gathered at the Party headquarters, in Nanterre. “Now it’s no longer unheard of. There’s a precedent, and that changes a lot.” Philippot brushed aside suggestions that Britain’s exit would be painful for France, which is more economically integrated into the E.U., and that the fallout might affect public opinion. “That’s the propaganda of the Europeanists,” he told me, predicting that the market upset was temporary. “They have nothing else to say other than to try to scare people.” Le Pen and Philippot called for a “new European project,” of sovereign and “independent” nations."
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/marine-le-pen-prepares-for-a-frexit
This is the trouble. Whether you agree or not it's not true that the only ones who have concerns are 'fearmongers.'
But again, getting rid of the euro could be the best thing. Though you'd hate to see that power the National Front.
Leaving the EU seems to always end up empowering the Right.
Did you see that scowling Grinch I posted the other day as my concept of what Art Deco looks like? This is beyond juvenile on my part, but I was thinking it would be fun to get a wordpress login with that for an avatar, and take the name "fart echo" ... and do impersonations of him over at Sumners.
ReplyDeleteI saw it. My only wonder is if that's Art Deco what does Major Freedom look like?
ReplyDeleteI think Noah Smith nailed it.
Deletehttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ojNRfH0PeWs/UGEkNvzz-tI/AAAAAAAAC0M/tIYUFjITgek/s320/super-computer-nerd.jpeg
Actually, that might be Art. Hmm, hard to say.
BTW, Erickson get's positively Biblical on their (evangelical's) asses!:
http://theresurgent.com/you-are-not-daniel-you-are-an-idol-worshipper/
I don't understand most of that blather, but the last bit where he seems to be threatening them with hell made me laugh:
"the lions will eat you and the fire will burn you because of it."
O/T: This is a very interesting pod cast on understanding the extreme, self perpetuating paranoia which is America's gun culture:
Deletehttp://www.npr.org/2016/06/23/483211713/handguns-in-america-and-the-rise-of-the-concealed-carry-lifestyle
I say, it's kind of fun to be generally on Sumner's side these days against the majority of his commentators (on at least two issues). I see that fart echo has returned in a flurry of condescending comments. (I really wish I was a more skilled writer who could do a good job of parodying his responses... maybe there's a website out there to translate normal sentences into jackassed snobese? That would be helpful).
DeleteRubin gives HRC a few suggested cat calls for Donald:
ReplyDeleteHey, Donald, the Rat Pack went out of style 60 years years ago. Hey, Donald, the 1950s are calling and they want their culture back.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/06/30/trump-is-low-tech/
...and she provides a top-ten list of why HRC is thankful that Trump is considering Christy for the VP slot:
Deletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/06/30/10-reasons-clinton-wants-chris-christie-as-gop-vp/
Looks like Rubin wants in the fun as well
Delete