The official list of candidates for France's presidential elections next month was announced today. A grand total of 12 people are running, with really only 4 being considered serious contenders. There are a few dull ones nobody cares about (including one defending "Hunting and Traditions" - whaaaa?). There are also some fun ones, like the ones on the Far Left. Yes, in 2007, in an industrialized country, a third of the candidates for the presidential elections represents various flavors of old-school Communism.

Chosen bits from the economic programs of the illustrious morons pictured above, from left to right:

• José Bové (Anti Globalization movement): all part-time work to be progressively changed into full-time, employee representatives given veto power over layoffs, 32-hour work week with no decrease in compensation
• Olivier Besancenot (Revolutionary Communist League*): also all part-time work to be progressively changed into full-time, 30-hour work week with no decrease in compensation, layoffs to be outlawed, unemployment benefits to be equal to last salary
• Marie-Georges Buffet (Communist Party**): 32-hour work week, using public funds to increase local government stakes in public companies
• Arlette Laguiller (Worker's Party): overall increase (€300) of all salaries, all companies to be forbidden from laying off workers as long as they make profits, hike corporate tax rate to 50% (in US: 35%)
  

Now, at least, all four of them together only get 8% of votes in various polls, but still, pretty scary stuff. Well, not as much scary as pathetic and comical. They couldn't even run one candidate for the four of them (their programs are pretty much all the same).

The humanity!

*: I shit you not.
**: Yes, the Communist Party

Labels: france