French conservatives move toward far-right alliance - eviltoast

The leader of France’s Republicans party has said he would be open to an alliance with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in snap French elections. Such an alliance would break a decades-old taboo.

Eric Ciotti, the head of the conservative French political party Les Republicans (LR), astounded political observers Tuesday by suggesting it was time to drop the longstanding taboo against working with the country’s far-right National Rally (NR) party in hopes of taking power in snap elections called by centrist President Emmanuel Macron in the wake of Sunday’s European parliamentary elections.

Speaking on TF1 TV, Ciotti said: “We say the same things, so let’s stop making up imagined opposition. This is what the vast majority of our voters want. They’re telling us, 'reach a deal.”

In response, several of Ciotti’s fellow party members spoke out against allowing former NR President Marine Le Pen anywhere near the levers of power.

  • CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Doesn’t say why or how its taboo. Any locals care to expand? I thought coalitions were common in these types of govts?

    • unautrenom@jlai.lu
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      5 months ago

      Basically, Les Republicains (Trad-conservative right wing) is the descendant party of De Gaulle, chief of the French Free Forces and probably the most iconic french figure in WW2. This party has an history with fighting fachism, so this twist of position (which is not that surprising from the guy that proposed it) goes against the party’s tradition and heritage (ironicly).

      It’s been making headwaves here, and he does NOT have the support of his party in this endeavour. If someone were to speculate, the more likely outcomes of this decision would be a party splinter or even the death of the party itself (considering that since 2017, they’ve really lost a lot of their electorate whose moderates went to Macron and extremists to Le Pen) than an alliance with Far Right.

      Though honestly? There’s been so many twists in the past two days that anything’s possible at this point.

    • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      In the past, moderate conservatives would pretend to be disgusted by fascists so they could attract some of the normal people to vote for them. Now, moderate conservatives are revealing that they are OK with fascism. They are even starting to openly embrace it.

      Moderate conservatives don’t feel the need to attract the normal vote anymore. With this strategy of teaming up with open fascists, moderate conservatives can relax and just be themselves as they embrace their oppressive instincts.

      Unchecked conservatism always devolves into deadly oppression. Always.

      • unautrenom@jlai.lu
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        5 months ago

        *some. While as much as I heavily dislike this party and their positions, I don’t think they’re all just okay with fachism. There’s been a great number of high ranking officials from that party who denounced this proposal when it was announced out of nowhere on live TV yesterday.

        • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          And, as they have always done throughout history, when the time comes, those same moderates will shift their support toward fascism and oppression. Moderate conservatives of every nation have always reliably shifted toward fascism or oppression in the past. Always. There is no reason to think this time will be different.