Hear, hear to all the above.

I didn't have any particular problem with Sarko (I think Merkel & Germany may be the biggest threat to the EU), and now we have Hollande, well we'll see.

I actually think it doesn't really matter who is "in power" 'cos so much is influenced by global, and closer to home, EU, conditions, so their hands are tied. Yes, the internal budget can be apportioned according to the whim of (& the advice given to) the present incumbent, but, in general, historically, if the "peuple" don't like it, they will show it. This really is what I like about the RF - compared to the UK, for example, but there is a strange dichotomy that, locally, even the most intelligent people will bow to the "better knowledge" of someone like a schoolteacher, but they will go out on the streets opposing the "better knowledge" of their politicians. Strange .....

As a spectator, with no vote anywhere on this planet, it's all hugely entertaining, but I can't do much about it. And if the situation in France becomes intolerable or untenable for us, there are x hundred more countries to consider emigrating to - once an expat, always an expat

Hils

Sorry for the tangent but I'm curious what his policies will mean in relation to foreigners looking to live or work in France - will he make it harder, easier, no change? Socialism should make immigration a bit easier shouldn't it? I'm about to have a follow up job interview with a company for a job over there and I'm just hoping nothing major has changed/ will change in the near future that may affect my chances.

Hollande didn't campaign on any particular "foreigner" issues and I doubt they have any big plans in mind in that area. What could, however, throw a monkey wrench into things is the result of the legislative elections in early June. Both the Front National and the Front de Gauche are big on furthering the interests of the working classes, which tends to favor some sort of limit on immigration. Nothing overt just yet, but after the elections we'll see how the Assemblée stacks up.
Cheers,
Bev

Thanks for that explanation Bevdeforges, it's very reassuring. Hopefully everything will already be in progress before the legislative elections come up, and any changes will be too late to get in the way.

I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
Charles De Gaulle
French general & politician (1890 - 1970) *

I don't have anything meaningful to add to this the thread, but I am just fascinated by politics and am still trying to find out where I stand as far as France is concerned.

In the US I am decidedly a liberal, but when living in London I realized (to my initial horror) that I was actually a conservative in terms of the UK. All of my French friends here are die hard conservatives-but not in the LePen sense- (which also is a bit disorienting for me) but I really think it is a semantics issue. I just need to get over the terms "liberal" and "conservative" because they have vastly different degrees of interpretation depending on the country in which you live. I am looking forward to seeing where I fit in politically. Right now, I'm just watching and waiting.

I think if you look back, I dont think people dislike Sarkozy for his policies (well the people that voted for him at least) economic or otherwise. They disliked him for his distaful attitude, his awkward and sometime way too strong stands against immigration and just simply for the "nouveau riche" attitude. A lot of people actually liked the change (what you see on tv, about strikes, etc..) never represents the whole picture in france (as everywhere else).
As far as Hollande, I was surprised to see a lot of my friends, in their early thirties, historically left wing, to be so strongly against him. They saw the danger in too much of his policies. That was very surprising change over the last election were they could not bear the though of sarkozy being elected. Now, it seems like most are hoping that Hollande will appease the strong divide created by sarkozy, and not actually be able to do much of what he said he would do given the current situation.
On the note of françois mitterand, a lot of french will tell you that major economical conservative policies were often voted on when a socialist president was in office disguised as something else. Le'ts just hope he will not raise benefits for too many people and bankrupt the country. As a newcomer to my own country, I am shocked at what the government is not only making available to me, but also freely pushing me to apply for. Sending me letters about this , that and this I can get and should apply for.. That is a little crazy. A middle point would be nice.

We're off back to the US, and won't become residents in France until things have become a bit clearer. We had no problem that we would be paying more tax if we decided to live in France - but only up to a certain point. Now with the quasi-1789 rhetoric about punishing higher earners, and the sense that no-one's willing to tackle the pachyderm-in-the-room problems of French industrial competivity, rising social costs, and the euro mess... well, I'm not ready to gamble.

Just as well two center living is fun!