I won’t beat about the bushes for long: Only one week away from second round of presidential elections taking place in this country I can’t say I’m that impressed by social plateforms for relaying anything but noise in the debate.
Je ne vais pas tourner autour du pot longtemps: à seulement une semaine du second tour des élections présidentielles qui auront lieu dans ce pays, je ne peux pas dire que je suis impressionné par les plateformes sociales qui n’ont fait que relayer du bruit dans le débat.
Not that this country does not have a few problems that desperately need to be addressed: unemployment, debt, education, environment, to name a few.
Non que ce pays n’ait pas quelques problèmes qui ont désespérément besoin d’être abordés: le chômage, la dette, l’éducation, l’environnement, pour en citer quelques-uns.
Once again what I heard was: things will change. Oh really Mister Sarkozy? Remind me: who’s been in charge for the past 5 years? What political party, you belong to, has run the business since … 1995? For good measure: how many times have you declared you had learned the lesson, you had changed?
Une fois de plus ce que j’ai entendu était: les choses vont changer. Oh vraiment Monsieur Sarkozy? Rappelez-moi: qui a été en charge pour les 5 dernières années? Quel parti politique, auquel vous appartenez, a géré le business depuis …1995? Pour faire bonne mesure: combien de fois avez-vous déclaré que vous aviez appris la leçon, que vous a changé?
How about Mister Hollande: things will change on account of … what deed? Seriously, what did you achieve, ever, that could seriously account for anything that could make the rest of us trust you? You haven’t even been in charge of a ministry once. Except for leading the socialist party (a feat that may credit you with not much except … survival skills) I’m afraid you are, once again but not much different in that regard than the rest of those you are following, asking us to sign a blank check.
Qu’en est-il de Monsieur Hollande: les choses vont changer sur la base de … quel acte? Sérieusement, qu’est-ce que vous avez réalisé, jamais, qui pourrait sérieusement vous être crédité et faire que le reste d’entre nous vous fasse confiance? Vous n’avez même pas été en charge d’un ministère une seule fois. Sauf mener le parti socialiste (un exploit qui ne peut compter pour beaucoup si ce n’est … qu’en tant qu’instinct de survie) Je crains que vous soyez en position, une fois de plus, mais en cela pas très différent du reste de ceux que vous suivez, de demander que l’on vous signe un chèque en blanc.
I follow 163 (to date) Twitter accounts of journalists. All I’ve read in the past weeks, months were just political slogans and borderline accounts of speeches and meetings. All things all candidates were ‘throwing’ at the mass for journalists to chew on and repeat over and over again. While doing so they were carefully kept away from more substantial topics I suppose.
Je suis (à ce jour) 163 comptes Twitter de journalistes. Tout ce que j’ai lu dans les dernières semaines, mois étaient de simples slogans politiques et les rapports limites de discours et de meetings. Toutes choses que tous les candidats «jetaient» à la masse populaire et que les journalistes mâchaient et répétaient à l’envi. Ce faisant, ils étaient soigneusement tenus à l’écart des sujets plus importants, je suppose.
I was hoping something different would happen, that social plateforms at large would finally manage to shift the balance and become recipients of meaningfull debates as well as offer honest accounts of whomever did what, where and when.
J’espérais que quelque chose de différent se passerait, que les plateformes sociales au sens large auraient finalement réussi à faire pencher la balance et devenir les bénéficiaires de débats porteuse ayant un sens ainsi que d’offrir des rapports honnêtes de qui avait fait quoi, où et quand.
Will they at least manage to keep records of next president successes and failures and make him accountable in 5 years? I’m not holding my breath for that to happen, not anytime soon.
Vont-ils au moins réussir à enregistrer les succès et les échecs du prochain président et lui faire rendre des comptes dans 5 ans? Je ne m’attends pas à ce que cela arrive, pas de sitôt.
I’m sorry I Cannot respond in French.
It is the same the world over. Politicians talk. They do not act on the big issues. They want wealthy industrialists to support them. They have money to give unlike the ordinary citizen.
Thanks for sharing.
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I keep asking my friends around me: what is the point of voting if any lobbyist working for a big company (rather an financial institution) has more power with his connections and, in the end, the possibility to make matters change the way that best serves his interests.
What can we do to fix that? When will we eventually wake up and realize the game is once again flawed?
Thanks for leaving a comment and I’m alright if people don’t speak French. I totally accept the fact that we’re a tiny minority 😉
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But embarassing for me. Just back from a lovely time in Dieppe, I can make casual conversation but no more than that. My German isn’t much better either. You see we English aren’t real Europeans are we?
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I guess it doesn’t help to live on an island ^_^
While in Dieppe did you notice how bad this population in general is at mastering any foreign language?
As for being bad Europeans, at least you didn’t make the mistake of adopting the Euro currency; look what mess we’re all in right now.
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We have been to Dieppe many times, living on the south coast of England it makes perfect. This trip I did notice that there weren’t many people in the Hotel that spoke French, but then I don’t want to speak English in France, what’s the point? I even try to speak Flemish in Belgium, we like Brugge too.
At the time I thought if the UK is part of Europe we should be in the Euro, probably the only good political decision this side of the channel for years.
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The democratic elections in the western world have become a cruel joke, since the popular political parties during election time are two sides of a coin. No matter which side wins, the people still end up with the same political predicament. Hopefully, more people will wake up out of this political trance and realize that both sides of any election are on the same team.
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Thanks for your comment. I guess you’re right, the question is: when will people wake up, what will make them realize they’re systematically conned and how will they be able to take matters in their own hands (and not succumb to anarchy)? I thought social plateforms would help in this regard, so far they’ve only been mere echo chambers. I’m disappointed.
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