Interesting Poll Results...

En lieu of a more substantive post (I have one planned, fear not), here's a screenshot of a most interesting poll that was held over here at FdeSouche, the premier French political blog (and nationalist too!), which asked how the readers would identify themselves politically were immigration in France at near-zero levels - essentially, if things were normal.

For extra-specificity, here was the actual question: "If there was very little immigration in France, which political tendency would you be closest to?" Now, the poll is obviously imperfect, since it lists "Nationalist" as a separate item, when it could be included in most of them, and some choices are ideologies, others tendencies, some are options for the type of government! Sadly, there was no Bonapartist option. But there was a Royalist one, which I voted for because it's the closest, really.

So, let's take a look at the responses:

Royalism? In second place? In my France? Who knew! And I don't doubt quite a few of them would be open to Bonapartism (though browsing the comments shows the most ultramontane Catholics mixed in with Orleanists...)! Heartening news for fellow monarchists nonetheless. Well, inasmuch as a poll on a French nativist website with approximately 6,000 respondents can be heartening.

Also, by the time I am publishing this post, Royalism has 20 more votes.

Our New President

I can't say I'm optimistic.

It was a given since the 22nd of April that Hollande was going to win. Sarkozy put up a stunning fight, as is his manner - but neither of them would have been adequate to govern this great nation.

I've avoided posting anything on the elections this year because the subject is extensively covered on blogs far better than this one, and I had doubts about its relevance to Bonapartism proper (I think I will cover the legislative elections next year though). I do feel like it would be appropriate to make a comment or two on the new President François Hollande, and share my concerns for the future of France.

I'll be frank, I was rooting for Marine Le Pen since last year. Due to my current legal situation I couldn't actually vote, but I contributed to her campaign in a few minor manners. I didn't think she would win the presidency this year, I'll admit, though early polls placed her in second place versus Hollande or first versus Sarkozy. She came out with a very respectable 18% of the vote. Le Pen is well within bounds to affect the course that this presidency will take.

Naturally, once it was Sarkozy and Hollande battling it out for today's vote, I had little doubt that Hollande would win. And he did, by a small margin. You can say this about Sarkozy, despite him being a lying cheat, he's a brilliant campaigner.

So what does the governance of the Parti Socialiste mean for France? Nothing good, I can assure you. I foresee several immediate changes: voting rights for foreigners (subverting any sense of national preference), homosexual "marriages" (French bishops will of course be livid), accommodation and increase of immigrant populations (goodbye, Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, hello Colombey-les-Deux-Mosquées, to paraphrase De Gaulle), and no doubt only more hollow rhetoric against the EU and its economic policies. Out of all the things to expect, the economic problems are the ones I care about the least, simply because I don't think I'll ever properly understand how the system works. It will just be more of the same, and so on, and so on, ad nauseam.

But, the proverbial silver lining makes its appearance: Sarkozy has announced his effective retirement. He will no longer involve himself in French politics, leaving his party effectively without direction, and without a center. It is unlikely the UMP will find a substitute as charismatic as he is, and given recent polls, it is entirely likely a great portion of the Sarkozyist electorate will flock to the Front. This should allow sufficient support to get Le Pen's people into parliament (don't you hate parliamentary systems? They're so damn inefficient).

Keep an eye on France, future developments are likely to be as interesting as they will be devastating.

Death of Napoleon

Requiescat in Pace, Imperator Francorum.