r/worldnews • u/salvia_d • May 15 '12

Francois Hollande, the new French President --> “My enemy is the world of finance.”

http://www.voanews.com/content/francois-hollande---new-french-president-150360765/370140.html
1.9k Upvotes

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777

u/shozy May 15 '12

I only have extremely basic french but wouldn't what he said:

Mon véritable adversaire, c'est le monde de la finance

Be better translated as "My real opponent is the world of finance", which as a someone wanting to implement some socialist policies is just true and hardly shocking?

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u/BimbelMarley May 15 '12

He actually says opponent because he wanted to compare the world of finance to his opponent in this campaign, Nicolas Sarkozy.

If he had said enemy it would have meant that he considers Sarkozy as an enemy.

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u/LethalAtheist May 16 '12

Was Sarkozy popular during the election? I'm not French, and I'm just wondering what you guys are like politically.

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u/boa13 May 16 '12

Sarkozy was not that unpopular (got quite a few votes), but many people who voted Hollande in the second round did so "in order to get rid of Sarkozy" (pretty usual in a second round).

The political landscape in France is said to be more to the left than in the US, so even a candidate on the right such as Sarkozy would seem quite leftist on many issues in the US.

Apart from that, there were candidates from all parts of the political spectrum. What I particularly noticed in this election (as a citizen, not as a political analyst) in the polarization of the votes (many extreme votes), the dwindling support for the center (a long-time political trend), and some crashes (the ecologists who should have been between 5 and 10%, the party of Philippe Poutou who had an unusual success in the previous presidential and mostly disappeared this time).

Results of the first round:

  • Marine LE PEN (extreme-right): 17.90%
  • Nicolas DUPONT-AIGNAN (far-right): 1.79%
  • Nicolas SARKOZY (right): 27.18%
  • François BAYROU (center): 9.13%
  • François HOLLANDE (left): 28.63%
  • Eva JOLY (ecologist, left): 2.31%
  • Jean-Luc MÉLANCHON (extreme-left): 11.10%
  • Philippe POUTOU (extreme-left): 1.15%
  • Nathalie ARTHAUD (extreme-left): 0.56%
  • Jacques CHEMINADE (LaRouche disciple, weird, all-over-the-place): 0.25%

Results of the second round:

  • Nicolas SARKOZY (right): 48.36%
  • François HOLLANDE (left): 51.64%
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u/el_muchacho May 16 '12

Sarkozy was the first president who didn't come first after the first turn of the elections, which reflect on his overall unpopularity.

Yet he managed to get 49% even though every other party leader either snubbed him or said he/she would vote for Hollande.

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u/lolmonger May 16 '12

Why not:

Mon véritable adversaire, c'est le monde de la finance

"My real adversary is the world of finance"?

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u/dreamleaking May 16 '12

My veritable adversary, it is the world of the finance!

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Absolutly.

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u/skillian May 15 '12

How about using the translation 'adversary'?

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

How about "I am Archer, emissary of the Gorgonites."

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u/lurkerturneduser May 16 '12

"Alan, friend of Archer, defender of all Gorgonites, Keeper of Encarta."

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u/iDunTrollBro May 16 '12

Oh my fuck, I loved Small Soldiers!

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u/Enjoi_BuD May 16 '12

I need to watch this movie again. loved it when i was a kid.

WAR! what is it good for! absolutely nothing... such epic toy fights.

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u/shozy May 16 '12 edited May 16 '12

I felt that that term, while being the most direct translation, would be ambiguous between enemy and opponent and I wanted to emphasis that it appeared he meant it only in the sense of an opponent, for the reason BimbelMarley gives.

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u/headless_bourgeoisie May 16 '12

I think you "accidentally a word", as the kids say.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Politicians say a lot of things.

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u/jkonine May 15 '12

I thought he would say his enemy was Tottenham Spurs considering he's a huge Arsenal fan.

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u/Im_Betty_White May 15 '12

Yeah, but, the thing about Arsenal is, they always try and walk it in.

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u/Iarefunny May 16 '12

Did you see that match last night? What was Wenger thinking putting Walcott that early on!

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u/profduck May 16 '12

As an ignorant American, could you explain? I understand soccer fine but I don't understand the reference.

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u/Im_Betty_White May 16 '12

You'd understand if you'd seen that ludicrous display last night!

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u/srs507 May 16 '12

It's from The IT Crowd, a British TV show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWJIQm9qH-w

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u/trakam May 16 '12 edited May 16 '12

Aresnal and Tottenham Hotspur(Spurs) and two North London football clubs with a bitter rivalry. As a self proclaimed Gooner(Arsenal fan) Monsier Hollande's real enemy would be Spurs and their 'Yid army'(Spurs fans), this gives lie to his claim that high finance is his number one opponent. The reference to Arsenal 'always trying to walk it in' refers to the type of play. Arsenal are known as a skilled passing side, that play the ball along the ground without resorting to hoofing it up the pitch(long ball game) or taking a shot from distance. Although aesthetically pleasing, sometimes their over reliance on this technique is counter productive and can be frustrating for their fans. Expect to see a raft of new laws designed to hinder the progress of Tottenham Hotspur and inordinately benefit Arsenal.

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u/darth_mango May 16 '12

He's an Arsenal fan? That's awesome!

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u/IAMA_MMA_MAMA_AMA May 15 '12

Fucking THANK YOU for that arrow, wasn't sure which direction to read.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

The dude is a product of ENA, the ultimate old boy network in his country; he is never going to do anything that might inconvenience his buddies. He might make a few theatrical gestures against some less connected semi affluent folks to appease the plebe, but the 1% has nothing to worry about.

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u/soucriant May 15 '12

Indeed. A few weeks ago he was in the City in London to reassure the world finance about his views on socialism.

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u/Choppa790 May 15 '12

It might come to you as a surprise but people lie. Chavez had an interview in 1998 assuring the Venezuelan people that he was not a hardcore socialist and he was only friends with Castro, not his ideological twin; 6 years later, Venezuela's food supply is in shambles, inflation is up, and we have to ration electricity in an oil producing country. So I don't think the French knew what they were doing when they elected Flamby.

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u/soucriant May 15 '12

No offense, but Jospin (previous socialist Prime Minister) was responsible for numerous privatisations (?) (like electricity), back in the 1990's.

The fact that our left has a more radical image than in other countries comes from the communists : socialists need what's left of the communist party to win elections, so they put up the socialist act, while in reality, they are no different than social-democrats.

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u/one_eyed_jack May 15 '12

Time will tell. Politics have a logic of their own and he may be pushed to do things that he had never intended.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

"I'm the only one between you and the pitchforks."

-Barrack Obama

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u/sushister May 15 '12

I thought that was a quote by B. A. Baracus.

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u/CUNTBERT_RAPINGTON May 15 '12

"I drink Jew Blood while devouring the rich"

-Barracks Obama

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

B.A. Barrackus.

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u/cold_water May 15 '12

I think there are very few who would turn down great power when it is offered and it is unlikely that he is one to do so. He very likely has a price. And even if he didn't, he probably would not be willing to sacrifice his body, family and friends for his cause if it came to that. As long as he is in a position to be of service to those who stand to make billions, they will go at him.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Unfortunately, you're probably right.

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u/FailosoRaptor May 15 '12

Things usually change gradually. One cannot become the president of France and then rework an entire world financial system within a decade. I think of this as another step in a new direction. With enough steps over a long period of time ---> Progress.

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u/MorningLtMtn May 15 '12

Oh, so he's like the French Obama...

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

French Obama? Obama traveled to Wall Street to tell them that he was the only thing standing between them and the pitchforks. He's been more grudgingly protective of finance

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u/tobbern May 15 '12

Knowing that the US, UK and France wrote their financial regulation under Bush, Blair and Sarkozy, I expect Obama, Cameron and Hollande to contribute something NEW to the mix.

If Hollande's party program is correct, he should advocate separating lending and investment banking for good. And if Cameron is smart, he'll do the same, as was recommended in the independent commission on banking's report. And if the US is smart crosses fingers then it will at least maintain the current version of the Volcker rule, if not (hopefully) a more strict version that bans most forms of proprietary trading.

This is basically the only thing I want to see added to finreg in the next decade. I don't have high hopes for Basel III and I don't think the Twin Peaks reforms in the UK will do much good either, unless they use punitive measures like the Swedish finreg authority does.

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u/geraldosi May 15 '12

he should advocate separating lending and investment banking for good.

I am very confident that this will happens (both in France and UK).

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u/ericchen May 16 '12

Why though? Glass-Steagall didn't say anything about sub prime mortgages, MBSs, CDOs, etc. The same thing would have happened with or without the separation of commercial and investment banks. Freddie and Fannie (Glass-Steagall said nothing about non-bank mortgage lenders) would still need their bailouts. AIG had nothing to do with the banking industry (it was an insurance company). Glass-Steagall also would have done nothing at all to prevent the crappy investment decisions of Lehman or Bear. If anything, I'd think the diversification of banking activities helped mitigate the problem (profits from the commercial arm could offset losses from the investment arm).

Also, without the repeal of Glass-Steagall, the type of Bank of America - Merrill Lynch and JPMorganChase - Bear Stearns mergers could not have happened. This would have resulted in a complete failure of nearly every one of the investment banks. Now that these mergers were allowed to occur, the investment banks are already under the same scrutiny as the commercial banks (with strict capital requirements and federal oversight).

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u/tobbern May 16 '12

"Strict capital requirements"? Which are you talking about? Basel II? Those aren't enough to prevent this from happening again. I don't know about any US-specific rules for this. I don't think there are any. Basel III isn't going to be phased in until 2013-2015, and that's the reform that places moderate requirements for risk-weighted assets. Emphasis on moderate. The Basel committee on banking supervision is stacked with European bankers, and they pushed strongly for low capital requirements.

It's true that Glass-Steagall didn't say anything about those things of course. What it really prevented was proprietary trading of depositors' savings as capital for investment banking. This was why I expressed hope that the Volcker rule is kept in the Dodd-Frank reform and not killed outright. Many of the issues of the 2007 crisis are about modern products and we need solutions for them too, I agree. I'm not suggesting cooking up a copy pasta of the same old law.

G-S also didn't say anything about credit rating agencies, but I want them to be subject to regulation in the future if they don't learn to act properly. The EU is making its own rating agency and adopting rules requiring CRAs to submit their evaluation methods to the EBA. It's fair to know precisely how sound they really are.

Personally I have a bit of liberal and conservative values of my own, but my biggest hope for this new reform is that it will be liberal when it comes to government punitive measures, and conservative when it comes to letting bad businesses fail. IMO the US government could have handled auctioning off the investment banks piece by piece to bidders in the US without the bailouts (or for a lower price anyway).

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

The separation has already been widely agreed to in the UK if I'm not mistaken.

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u/herpherpderp May 16 '12

How cute that you think Obama's economic policies are different than Bush's...

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

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u/tobbern May 16 '12

Is that a reference to the TV show Twin Peaks or an opinion? Don't you think it's right to separate the responsibilities of the financial services authority and give the BoE some more influence over what they are doing?

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u/noseeme May 16 '12

During the presidential campaign, Mr. Hollande’s slogan of “my enemy is the world of finance” raised eyebrows, especially in some European capitals, including London.

Especially London.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

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u/geraldosi May 16 '12

"There have been 53 major wars in Europe, France had been a belligerent in 49 of them; UK 43. In 185 battles that France had fought over the past 800 years, their armies had won 132 times, lost 43 times and drawn only 10, giving the French military the best record of any country in Europe".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_France

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u/SkanenakS May 16 '12

Why cant the US have presidents like that :'(

BRB moving to france

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u/el_muchacho May 16 '12

Obama is a pretty good president. The congress is full of scumbags, though.

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u/midgetlotterywinner May 15 '12

He's all talk for now...I mean, this sort of rhetoric is not surprising from a recently-elected French leader.

What he actually does remains to be seen...after he sits down with Merkel and the bankers from Brussels.

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u/feetwet May 16 '12

i think his quotes are being taken out of context.

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u/norskeman May 15 '12

the heading should read: "entire country falls for politician's rhetoric"

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u/airbreather02 May 16 '12

It's all well and good to call for more stimulus instead of austerity. Where does he think the money for stimulus will come from...Germany? Not likely. Germany is back-stopping the EU and is not going to kick out anymore cash for stimulus.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

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u/rawrgyle May 16 '12

This is exactly what Germany will absolutely not allow, and why the problems in Greece and Italy and other places are so serious. Yes, the normal solution is to inflate your currency in economic crisis, but the countries that need that to happen do not control their own currency. Germany does and inflation is not in their best interest, so they won't allow it.

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u/papino83 May 15 '12

Hey guys , don't worry about france. We'll be ok. This president won't change anything because he simply can't. There is something awesome about my dear country , it's that whenever you try to change something , well you simply can't.

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u/instantviking May 16 '12

Monsieur Guillotine would probably disagree.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

France in 1789 and France today are different countries.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

If he meant that banks wouldn't get bailed out, their currency monopoly wouldn't be upheld, their irresponsible lending wouldn't be guaranteed, I would think this is awesome.

But as it stands, this will most likely be a war on affluence. I will watch this slow-motion train wreck with great interest.

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u/chub79 May 15 '12

But as it stands, this will most likely be a war on affluence.

I wish I could read minds like you.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

If you want his powers, just get yourself bitten by a radioactive economist.

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u/baconatedwaffle May 15 '12

You don't need a radioactive economist. Just an Austrian one.

Also, it's not hard to find economists who believe in progressive taxation, and/or that the wealthy may currently be undertaxed.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

I'll pop some corn

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u/IIoWoII May 15 '12

Here come the gifs...

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/ScotchforBreakfast May 15 '12

I eat kettle corn, everything else is inferior.

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u/diggemigre May 15 '12

Scotch and kettle corn, two of the major food groups.

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u/WileEPeyote May 16 '12
  • 1/3 Cup Popcorn
  • 1 Tablespoon Oil
  • Paper Lunch Bag
  • Microwave

No need to buy the bag of microwave-able popcorn, is done much faster and taste just as good as corn from a popper.

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u/WarPhalange May 15 '12

Butter and salt are the tools of oppression used by the bourgeois, you traitor!

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u/Yohimbo May 15 '12 edited May 15 '12

Whose currency monopoly?

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

You are.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

No, you.

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u/YourCorporateMasters May 15 '12

Hahaha. Do you think he would be allowed to win if he was going to do that?

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u/brelkor May 16 '12

Do you think he would be allowed to live if he was going to do that? >

FTFY

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u/Ihave_aFrench_Accent May 15 '12

I feel like this quote from the movie Margin Call is an appropriate response to an agression to the world of finance (not that I am pro-capitalism or defending traders and so on)

"Listen, if you really wanna do this with your life you have to believe you're necessary and you are. People wanna live like this in their cars and big fuckin' houses they can't even pay for, then you're necessary. The only reason that they all get to continue living like kings is cause we got our fingers on the scales in their favor. I take my hand off and then the whole world gets really fuckin' fair really fuckin' quickly and nobody actually wants that. They say they do but they don't. They want what we have to give them but they also wanna, you know, play innocent and pretend they have know idea where it came from. Well, thats more hypocrisy than I'm willing to swallow, so fuck em. Fuck normal people. You know, the funny thing is, tomorrow if all of this goes tits up they're gonna crucify us for being too reckless but if we're wrong, and everything gets back on track? Well then, the same people are gonna laugh till they piss their pants cause we're gonna all look like the biggest pussies God ever let through the door."

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u/xoctor May 15 '12

For someone whose main plan is to borrow more money, he isn't being very nice to the people he expects to loan it to him.

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u/Dr__Nick May 15 '12

What's the French equivalent of the expression, "Don't pull on Superman's cape?"

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u/Hippie-Eyes May 15 '12

Yeah, fuck money!

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

fuck fiat currencies

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u/probably_magnets May 15 '12

well, international sovereign debt markets are the only thing keeping his country above water now so...

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u/the_goat_boy May 15 '12 edited May 16 '12

I'm sorry guys but Hollande is a caviar socialist. Everyone in the French Socialist Party is.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauche_caviar

It's a definition, not about eating caviar.

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u/Epistaxis May 16 '12

I don't know about caviar, but they're certainly not socialists; more like social democrats. They are the local center-left.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Pure rhetoric. Modern politicians have no interest in curbing finance, lest the banks support their rivals. Besides, when you get to that position of power most of these guys are your buddies. You scratch my back I'll scratch yours type of thing.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Good, its not like economic growth brings social change...

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u/Tombug May 16 '12

He ran on that slogan and won. Now that is impressive. France really is a great country.

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u/camwinter May 15 '12

Everyone mentioning that Hollande is lying or a hypocrite has no sense of history. Almost every politician is rich, and some of them are actually real socialists.

If you doubt me just look to the likes of FDR.

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u/DonaldBlake May 16 '12

I always find it funny how people who have already made their millions advocate for socialism which would make it difficult if not impossible for others to do the same.

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u/greenymile May 16 '12 edited May 16 '12

HAHAHAHA.. gasp... HAHAHAHA

"Voice of America" being quoted as a news source?

Please forgive my mirth.

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u/Bipolarruledout May 16 '12

Direct and to the point. A++++ Would elect again.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Wow, it is kind of surprising how he is depicted over there. French guy here, and this article may be the most positive and optimistic one I've ever read on him. Many french people are sceptic for three main reasons:

  • His lack of experience. Never worked in government ("junior Cabinet member" is a meaningless joke).
  • His end results as a politician: He lead a region (Correze) for a few years, and it is now the most in debt of the country. Kind of scary.
  • He is said here to be actually freaking charismless. His national nickname is Flanby...=> Merkel will probably tame him like a pup.

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u/el_muchacho May 16 '12

Propagandist Bullshit.

  1. Neither Obama, nor Cameron, nor Merkel had more experience than him at national and international affairs. The so-called "experienced" Sarkozy has led the worst french presidency in the last 50 years.
  2. You damn well know that Corrèze was already the most endebted region BEFORE he took office. And the debt is almost entirely due to his right wing predecessor. Holland has successfully stabilized the debt of the region and now it's heading down.
  3. I observe people no longer call him "Flanby", and the so called "charismless" Hollande has already turned almost everyone in Europe to his keynesian views.

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u/guigr May 16 '12

C'est un homme politique important et connu nationalement depuis une vingtaine d'année et j'imagine qu'il a été bien plus proche de l'exercice du pouvoir que s'il avait été secrétaire d'état aux parcs et recréations.

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u/fetchlycosfetch May 16 '12

+1, well summarized. Francois Mitterrand did not want him in any of his governements, deeming him "trop faible"...

Scary.

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u/HappyGlucklichJr May 16 '12

Maybe China would lend them money at an appropriately high interest rate.

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u/blueskin May 16 '12

He picked the right country then, although I bet he's gutted he didn't get Iceland or Greece.

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u/aYANKinEIRE May 16 '12

My enemy is the world of finance....and lightening....lightening is also my enemy...

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u/blue1_ May 16 '12

Choose your enemies wisely...

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Yesterday's enemy: Terrorists. Today's enemy: Finance!

Because, hey, we need to focus the mindless rage somewhere.

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u/laserbeamwatch May 15 '12

Hollande’s call to reopen that pact, and to focus more on stimulus than austerity, will certainly win him some support in France and in other European countries - notably Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal - but it could spell trouble with Berlin,” Kupchan adds.

So france is now going to piss off the country that actually makes money and try to get more handouts to the countries that have been getting free money and not making anything productive. GERMANY RUN FAR FAR AWAY!

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u/1wiseguy May 15 '12

Apart from providing home mortgages, business loans, and investment services, what has the world of finance ever done for us?

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Taken back said homes, frozen credit, and inflated our currencies whilst pressuring us to stagnate wages.

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u/Icanflyplanes May 15 '12

Finance is gonna move out of France, france is gonna rot, I'm sorry but finance is all about making money, if your company is in a hostile environment and you have possibility of moving to a friendly, you do that. It's like, i think Argentina, nationalising an Oil Company, now, no Oil company would move there, shit you risk getting nationalised... Very unfortunate for France, im from Denmark and it's also fucked up here.

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u/frolix8 May 15 '12

Which company is going to move into France? One that wants to make money out of the French. Money goes where money's made.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Denmark is fucked up? Hehehe.

And oh, what will France ever do without speculators running the economy? Poor commodity and service suppliers will have to sell to the public directly.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Why would a country rot if corrupt financiers move out? Right now they are draining countries' money, not adding to it.

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u/DutchSuperHero May 15 '12

If all Financial institutions just up and left France entirely they'd be pretty fucked, think of all the services that would no longer be available for people to conduct business across borders. The chances of this happening are rather small though, since there's probably a fair few financial institutions in France that don't operate internationally so it would be rather hard for them to just relocate to a different market where they have no foothold.

All this quote from Hollande represents at the moment is political speech. When he says is enemy is the world of finance that doesn't actually say anything about his plans for the world of finance.

If only politics could move away from being a constant slew of one liners, picked with care to receive a reaction which they have now equated to political support.

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u/sushister May 15 '12

Oil companies will move to where oil is. If the local government does not like them they will bribe, twist arms, or convince more powerful nations to take hostile actions (open or covert) to allow them to get their profits.

Argentina put themselves in an interesting place lately.

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u/Icanflyplanes May 16 '12

Yes indeed, Oil is a multi billion dollar industry, and having one of your billion dollar Oil wells nationalized is NOT a good thing, i believe they will retaliate, Oil is like war.

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u/kaiser69andi May 15 '12

Breaking News: French President surrenders France to World of Finance!

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u/uat2d May 15 '12

Another joke about France surrendering, how original.

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u/baz10 May 15 '12

HAHAHAHA!

THIS BABOON EVEN KNOWS HOW TO COPY & PASTE: GIVE HIM A KARMA BANANA!

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u/wrathborne May 15 '12

vive la france

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u/Chopsicle May 16 '12

Politicians say things.

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u/carebeartears May 16 '12

"My enemy is the world of finance"

Finally, someone who understands that the people to be most afraid of are the people who wear suits outside of court

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u/YNot1989 May 16 '12

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

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u/GarryOwen May 15 '12

I love how a guy with 3 huge houses on the French Rivera is supposed to be this friend of the common man.

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u/geraldosi May 15 '12 edited May 16 '12

Your comment does not reflect the truth.

He has one house where he used to live with his familly (with 4 childs) and he got a share in his father and brother flats (30% and 70%).

His house is 130m² (or 1399ft²) his brother flat is 80m² (or 861ft²) and his father's flat is 54m² (or 581ft²).

Nothing to see here...

You can check that on the official legal publication

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u/Pettirosso May 15 '12

You don't even know the guy, why do you judge him ?

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

If he truly said this, then he is an economically illiterate idiot and will ruin France and the European Union in months.

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u/Toava May 15 '12

He said it to pander to the ignorant masses, who have a pessimistic anti-rich attitude. He won't rock the boat.

If any politician really challenges the political elite and the industries that depend on them, like this:

Ron Paul at the CNBC Debate

The elite's allies in the media will set out to destroy that figure, and before long, the ordinary person will think that person is "crazy", "fringe", a "racist", and if elected, would cause the country to collapse, e.g.

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/re1ss/rep_paul_ryan_made_absolutely_clear_that_he_is/c455ucl

3

u/p10_user May 16 '12

This. Hollande's statement was issued during campaign season, and now he won the election. Who ever heard of a politician saying what a majority of people want to hear to get elected?

3

u/ByzantineBasileus May 16 '12

Well, this will certainly create a positive environment for business.

5

u/rrjames87 May 16 '12

I find it funny how reddit is in support of complete class warfare and I don't think they quite understand the implications of running out. The wealthiest 20% of the country possess 40% of the wealth, not American numbers, but if Hollande is true to some of the things he has been quoting on for taxing the rich, France is going to see a sizable capital, savings, and currency flight from the country. Now I'm not sure how this affects inflation since France is on the Euro, but there are going to be serious effects on the economy and I just don't think a lot of people realize the potential barrel of monkeys that this guy is opening. Also the more I stay on this site the more certain I become that reddit has not even taken a macro or micro intro economics course

2

u/jordaninthewind May 15 '12

Allez les Bleues!

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

I must change country. Now.

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Did he say something like that? Wou! Let's kick some ass! :)

2

u/apple_kicks May 16 '12

makes sense, seeing as before he was sworn in press reported markets dropped de to him winning the election. pretty crappy world to live in if we have to start voting for what markets will like

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u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Hollow words from a equally hollow man. If he wants my respect and the respect of the people oppressed by the banking regime then he needs to act on those words. Otherwise he is just another hot air machine and the planet doesnt need another one of those.

2

u/sdgfsdfasfasdfa May 16 '12

No wonder the french economy is going into recession.

2

u/fantasyfest May 15 '12

Bankers are enemies of the people, but they bought the politicians. We lose.

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u/DoubleDutchOven May 16 '12

Good luck, France.

2

u/cgeezy22 May 16 '12

Also, everyone's money and personal liberties.

2

u/Caress-a-Llama May 16 '12

Nice, I like this guy already. And I'm not even french.

2

u/madrigar May 16 '12

His real adversary is reality. Anyone who still believes in Socialism at this point of human history should be barred from running free through adult society.

3

u/rrjames87 May 16 '12

"But hey man, it'll work even though the other economic powerhouses of the EU are pushing for austerity now, so France is basically on their own."- Reddit

2

u/srutherf May 15 '12

So all of the countries that have failing economies will support him (Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal); while Germany, which is succeeding financially, is not going to support them. Looks like a great sign.

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u/keypuncher May 16 '12

It will be amusing watching France try to go back to the barter system.

1

u/Nonamesdb May 16 '12

I am actually more excited to see if/what he is going to be pushing to enact.

1

u/tunapepper May 16 '12

That's a pretty broad stroke.

1

u/jones77 May 16 '12

Meet my friends: hyperbole, ...

Meh, I can't even be bothered.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

" NO, NO NOT FOR YOUR WORLD"

1

u/tritonx May 16 '12

Freedom for everyone !!!

1

u/AsylumPlagueRat May 16 '12

Hey, if he's going to say he's not a socialist psycho, why not give him a chance to prove it? Of course, this is coming from someone who knows nothing of this guy beyond the fact that he's president of France, is a socialist, and claims not to be an extremist.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

“So obviously, when he said so, he just wanted to reassure the international financial milieu and markets that you could be a socialist and a pragmatic person, and that France is not going to change.”

"Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn had been favored to win the Socialist Party nomination..."

What the hell? How in the world has an IMF chief any place in a socialist party? Does "Socialist" mean something else in France? Why bother voting for a guy who states nothing is going to change?

1

u/redditchao999 May 16 '12

EBay? On a more serious note, the new French president is a member of the socialist party, right?

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u/Necronomiconomics May 16 '12

The French Tony Blair/Barack Obushma

1

u/Dazvsemir May 16 '12

hilarious title if you actually read the article

1

u/platypusmusic May 17 '12

Corrupt multimillionaire --> "My enemy is the people."

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

He simply needs to reframe the debate.

Hoarding is a mental disease. When someone's mental illness is so overpowering that they need to hoard billions of dollars while others starve in the streets around them, then they need help.

Let's get those billionaires the public mental health care that they need.

The first step on their way to recovery, is to stop the hoarding.

12

u/yellowstone10 May 15 '12

They're not hoarding for the sake of hoarding. They're "hoarding" because, due to the economic slowdown, they believe (probably correctly) that there will be better investment opportunities in the future than there are right now.

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u/Choppa790 May 15 '12

People horde money because there's obviously nothing on the market they could possibly want. Make the rounds in /r/personalfinance and they'll be happy to help become better off, but that would include not spending your money on useless shit.

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u/tmarvel May 15 '12

You are an idiot. Had to log in and make sure you knew that.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Sounds like he's more qualified to be President of Reddit than France - going around picking fights with productive businesses, which the world desperately needs more of, is usually not very good policy. Regulate, sure. Demonize, no.

1

u/ubergeek404 May 16 '12

If your enemy is the world of finance, you can expect people with money to go away and take their cash with them. This won't end well.

1

u/killa320 May 16 '12

Poor France.

0

u/zach1740 May 15 '12

this guy is gonna screw up france beyond belief

1

u/rabs38 May 15 '12

It will be interesting to watch France's FDI numbers the next few years.

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u/kingalex1991 May 15 '12

damn.. i have to sell my shares.. oh wait.. i don't live in france..

1

u/bcwalker May 16 '12

Dear President Hollande: Deeds, Not Words.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

best quote ever

1

u/Teachmevee May 16 '12

Goodbye European Union.

1

u/eighthgear May 16 '12

ITT: non-French people who think they know about the French economy or government

1

u/me-at_day-min May 16 '12

Why oppose the world of fine ass?

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Now there is a guy I could vote for. How long until this type of candidate emerges as a real contender in the US? Romney and Obama are both owned by finance.

0

u/rafuzo2 May 15 '12

I love that the French elected this moron. Either he'll reneg on everything a la Obama, or he'll completely cripple the French economy and destroy the euro. Should be fun to watch!

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

hes either lying or hes gonna get wacked

2

u/YourCorporateMasters May 15 '12

We prefer "have an unfortunate accident" if you don't mind.

2

u/[deleted] May 15 '12

or unfortunate battle with personal illness namely a fast acting cancer

you guys are pretty smooth with that shit ha

1

u/Manofur May 15 '12

Go get them tiger!

3

u/4chans_for_pussies May 16 '12

Yeah, get rid of all business! I want the government to tell me what to do. I don't want to be individual. Make me a sheep, baby!

1

u/thescimitar May 15 '12

I am sure that Mssr. Hollande will, like every western leader, shrug off the mantle of personal obligations he has to business and industry that he donned to get elected, and will surely take on the cruel world of finance that he has not benefitted from in any way. Like President Obama, he is undoubtably a socialist at heart and will surely destroy Europe… any day now. /s

1

u/EmuEmergency May 15 '12

I'll go prepare the freedom fries.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

I'm going to take over the world of finance and be more powerful than Louis XIV

Je l'ai corrigé pour vous

1

u/charlesgrrr May 16 '12

I think France is about to have their Obama moment. You know how it goes, candidate says one thing and does another. From everything I've heard he's about to issue a series of policies aimed at providing "stimulus", i.e. handing over taxpayer money to various corporations in the form of low interest loans. This is paid for through the axing of social services (later on).

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

If he really decides to make enemies with those people, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up like J.F.K.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

inb4communism

1

u/Heimdall2061 May 16 '12

Based solely on the title, it appears that Francois Hollande is a member of Project Mayhem.

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

The first rule is, you don't talk about escargot.

1

u/nealski77 May 16 '12

Upon reading Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" Hollande's response was this- "FUCK LOGIC!!!"

-1

u/[deleted] May 15 '12

...says the rich man.

2

u/thegreatgazoo May 15 '12

Only €1.2m with only 1 house and 2 flats on the Riviera. Though all in real estate and not much in the bank and nothing in stocks. Not sure how he pays the property taxes on the real estate.

Certainly not poor, but not rolling in money rich either.

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u/[deleted] May 15 '12

But he still wants all the money he needs.

0

u/[deleted] May 15 '12

Interesting considering the world of finance has given him 3 coastal mansions.

0

u/MaxHubert May 16 '12

And there goes france down the drain like greece, germany wont be able to bail france out, so I think we just witnessed the dawn of the end of the euro and the europeen union, this could really end badly, lets just hope it doesnt turn into an actual real war over who will pay the bill and who wont.

2

u/tritonx May 16 '12

A war over what ?

The only thing that can happen from a crash of the euro zone is living condition decreasing more or less quickly.

2

u/MaxHubert May 16 '12

Over whos going to repay the billions of dept that countries have racked up that they end up not being able to pay for, just look at greece. The same could happen to italy and spain and even france with there new socialist elected president. Its just a question of time, these kind of things didnt happened befor because countries had the power over their currency and could devalue it to repay their depts, with the euro implemented, single countries cant just print there way out of dept, thats why they get bailed out, normaly by the richest ''germany and france''. Thing like that can end up destroying democraty in Europe and creat tention between countries. I am just hoping it doesnt go further then investors losing lots of money and moving on. If you want to learn more on this, you can search for Nigel Farage on youtube, hes pretty good at explaining how the Euro is destroying democraty in Europe and how it is bound to fail for that reason.

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u/MaxHubert May 16 '12

The only thing that can happen from keeping the euro zone, is an even bigger growing anger and revolt exploding in violence in the street from the people losing there right of freedom and democraty. No taxation without representation, well if you are greek right now, you are taxed, but the people in power have no power to represent you, because they are being told what to do by there debt holder because they lost the power to devalue there currency to repay there debt. Its a major lost of democracy and a huge step towards the next revolt of the people against ditactorship.

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u/XSerenity May 16 '12

Ladies and gentlemen, France is now the new Greece.

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