France... And elections.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

New drama in the French elections as Penelope-gate moves into full swing.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/27/penelope-gate-casts-dark-shadow-over-fillons-presidential-prospects

And if the centre-right are trumped now I wonder which candidate will step into the fray to rescue the slightly over three-quarters of French folk who think that politicians are corrupt?

Given that the Front National have their own problems with corruption, expenses, and suchlike, you would have thought that they wouldn't benefit that much. But I've put a tenner on Madame Le Pen doing rather better. There appears to be, after all, a distict pattern here: in the UK, US, and next in line France, and then Germany.

If there was a certain pattern to all of this one tends to ask cui bono?

So my question is this: who would the panel nominate for the nation or persons benefitting most from such a state of affairs? George Soros? The Illuminati? Uncle Vlad?

And as an aside for the betting fraternity amongst us, what are the odds that Angela Merkel has some as-yet-unidentified scandal blow-up in her face just before the elections?

As a postscript. Oh Julian, you are a bit of a dupe sometimes. Don't you know when you have been played like a Stradivarius by a master?

Comments

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Point.
Except before the "Post Fact" era the public sorted through things with a bit more in the way of critical thinking. Even Nixon wasn't quite as egregious as the Donald, or Farage, or Le Pen.

[mikeyxw.livejournal.com]

Dunno, the "Fake But Accurate" era was probably more damaging. Journalists such as Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass made careers out of making up stories which were published in some of the most respectable news sources, many of which wouldn't survive much critical thinking or fact checking. The initial reporting about George Zimmerman, where many people chose their sides, was deliberately manipulated by NBC. Of course, the recent state departments entire senior management team just resigned (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2017/01/26/the-state-departments-entire-senior-management-team-just-resigned/?utm_term=.00f71e22bfa0) fib was a bit less than accurate as well. These were examples where people at trustworthy publications went ahead with stories they knew were fabricated or manipulated. This seems much more damaging than fake stuff showing up in a Facebook feed, which has been building for the past few years with little attention. Of course, since fake news explains Mr. Trump's election as based on lies and foreign intervention rather than a failure by the democrats to run a good campaign with the most electable candidate, it's a popular narrative right now.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Excepting I'm seeing a row of dominos starting with Brexit and moving towards the scandals in France and the possible defenestration of Merkel, and the eventual break-up of NATO, the EU, and the defunding of the UN. I'd rather the break in the toppling effect occurred now.

As I said in the OP, cui bono?

As is, I think you chaps may well have the most amazing, most presidential, most bigly-est Manchurian candidate ever. And furthermore, one who neither grasps what it is to be an American with American values, nor who understands the constitution in any way; hence the present refugee/immigrant/green card debacle.

[mikeyxw.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there seems to be some confusion about due process and fundamental rights in the current administration. I don't actually know if the Don understands his supporters better than anyone or if he's misjudged and overplayed his hand, but I think we'll soon find out. Either way, it's not going to be pretty.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

It seems like the strict constitutionalist faction aren't actually that bothered with the meaning of the constitution. Apparently almost three-fifths of Americans back Trump's executive order.

But you'll get to keep your guns. So that's all right then.