Does the Le Pen Conviction Finally Prove Democracy is Dead in the West?

ArcadiaJunction

The writing has been on the wall since we were told to "go back and vote for the Lisbon Treaty the right way next time". But after the Le Pen stitch-up, along with the events in Romania and Germany were every effort is made to ignore the popular vote in favour of the Globalists, I would be interested in hearing from people who think all this stuff is how democracy should work and why only Left and Far Left Politics is allowed to exist?

Nody

Yes, how dare an independent judiciary find a right wing politician who's been caught lying actually sentence them in accordance with the law… There's a common theme here how the right love to play up the judiciary / police until they actually get caught out themselves (and they do very often and in multiple countries usually taking bribes from questionable sources). Signal fiasco in USA? Republicans chanting lock her up over Hillary using an e-mail server? Where are the calls for an actual leak on an actual third party application to actual third party people from the Republicans? Actual assault police officers in Washington on 6th January leading to deaths? Sorry; they were misunderstood freedom fighters who should get paroles and besides it was actually AFA people (who still got the paroles then somehow, explain that one…).

L1011

How, precisely, is it a stitch-up to be convicted of blatant fraud?

You clearly fail to understand how Governments are formed in countries if you think anything unusual is happening in Germany, so I don't expect a coherent response, but some attempt would be nice.

NattyO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058404751/does-the-le-pen-conviction-finally-prove-democracy-is-dead-in-the-west

I certainly think it is concerning. When you see what the president of the European Commission, Ursula van der Leyen has gotten up to (allegations of corruption in the appointment of consultants in her role as German minister of defence, deleting of phone records when being investigated (which she would do again later), then the Pfizergate scandal when European Commission President), it seems that corruption isn't a bar to serving in politics, as long as one is on the correct side.

I'd love to know if all French political parties were investigated for the same financial breaches Le Pen was? Given the history of corruption in French politics, it is surprising to see a serving politician banned from running in this way.

The same people, politicians, and media cheering this ban would be outraged if the same thing happened in Russia.
The charges, if real, are fine - nobody should be immune from the law, the ban on running is a different matter - this makes this political, not criminal. When you add the charges against Călin Georgescu and Björn Höcke, it is hard not to suspect that democracy in Europe, especially the EU, is in a precarious place.

ArcadiaJunction

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316654#Comment_123316654

"I'd love to know if all French political parties were investigated for the same financial breaches Le Pen was?"

Yes this did happen and the guilty were acquitted.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316667#Comment_123316667

the guilty were acquitted

That's some oxymoron

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058404751/does-the-le-pen-conviction-finally-prove-democracy-is-dead-in-the-west

You will need to explain how the Largest, 3rd largest and 4th largest party in Germany making up a coalition government is a "stich up by globalists" and not democracy in action?

Also, a court found Le Pen Guilty of a crime. Does the law not apply when one is a politician? Is that your contention?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316667#Comment_123316667

Ah, I over-estimated the coherence of a possible explanation by an order of magnitude.

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316688#Comment_123316688

A French court. The same herd of gobshites who found Ian Bailey guilty without requiring any evidence from the great man.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316702#Comment_123316702

You do know that what in effect LePen organised was a scheme to take your tax money to fund her party. She is a criminal. The new right love criminals though

Kaybaykwah

Yes, Sarkozy and Fillon were let go.

I believe the case against LePen was more solid.

Sarkozy was once or twice interrogated on and off behind closed doors for a period of 48 hours.

But the question of whether democracy has ever been undermined in regards to this case is an interesting one. The veneer of democracy is showing cracks due to the later varnishes being of lesser quality.

Democratic processes have always failed the people over time because politicians will use every opportunity to wiggle out of rules to push an agenda, remain in power. Chump and January 6th was the more blatant attempt at this.

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316727#Comment_123316727

Happy to defer to your hard-won expertise on the "new right".

Mind you, only a gullible left winger would be naive enough to believe that the "old left" aren't up to a variant of the same scamology! For example, what do you think that the "programme managers" that Spring's Labour Party brought into government in 1993 were doing?

ArcadiaJunction

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316685#Comment_123316685

Gaslight all you wish but that is what happened to Sarkozy and Fillon.

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316759#Comment_123316759

The old "well others are probably up to it too so they should get away with it" gambit.

The "new left" is now also defined by the noisy reactionaries as starting somewhere to the right of Margaret Thatcher

ArcadiaJunction

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316816#Comment_123316816

Probably the covid booster worming its way through your blood brain barrier. You have my sympathies.

Mod: no covid conspiracy theory nonsense here! Warning given

Nody

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316816#Comment_123316816

Last time I checked Sarkozy is recommended for a 7 years sentence in a French court for *gasp and horror* not following the French laws on funding his campaign… But I guess that one does not count.

Drake66

A far right grifter breaking the law. No surprises there. Its interesting to see how many far right leaders over here have criminal convictions.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316816#Comment_123316816

Clearly not. Aquited persons are not guilty

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316816#Comment_123316816

I think you either don't understand the meaning of guilty, or else you don't understand the meaning of acquitted!

NattyO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316901#Comment_123316901

One can be guilty and acquitted.

OJ Simpson, R Kelly, Gary Dobson and David Norris etc.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316816#Comment_123316816

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2025/03/27/nicolas-sarkozy-s-trial-prosecutors-request-7-year-prison-sentence-for-the-former-president_6739578_7.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/09/french-appeal-court-upholds-conviction-of-francois-fillon-for-embezzlement

what exactly is your point?

Hoop66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058404751/does-the-le-pen-conviction-finally-prove-democracy-is-dead-in-the-west

No, it proves that if you break the law and are caught there are consequences.

banie01

Why are you replying to and indeed apparently trying to insult yourself?
Did you forget to switch accounts or something🤔

Sunny Disposition

A lot of people with right-wing opinions who are not French are showing massive confidence in their knowledge of French legislation and political culture.

I dunno, maybe someone who committed a crime got caught?

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058404751/does-the-le-pen-conviction-finally-prove-democracy-is-dead-in-the-west

No, it proves that we in democratic Europe don't live in Orcistan where the judicial system isn't judicial, and is instead just another twisted side of an authoritarian state where 'Judges' decide cases with political considerations on the basis of instructions from Putrid or his cronies.

Any outrage at the Le Pen judgement and the exclusion of Putrid's stooge in Romania, is based solely on the massive disappointment of so much money and FSB resources being thrown away in failed attempts to undermine the political process', only for these corrosive and damaging schemes to come undone.

Hopefully the EU will soon deal with Orban and neuter his maleficent influence and you can rage post about a new blow to Orc attempts to sabotage democracies and pull them down to the fetid and degraded level you seem to admire.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123316816#Comment_123316816

Sarkozy was convicted - twice - not acquitted. And his convictions were upheld on appeal.

Fillon was convicted, and his wife was also convicted. Again - all upheld on appeal.

Why on earth would you push such easily disproved lies?

NattyO

Interesting statement by the European Commission today:

The European Commission paid money to NGOs to engage in “specific advocacy actions and undue lobbying activities" against it's own rules.

I presume people will be going to jail, and will be banned from running for office?

Strangely, the only media coverage I can find on it is in Gript (which I know is like Kryptonite to some posters here, but if they can find any other media outlet posting this, I'd be glad to know):

Commission: EU Funds Used for "Undue Lobbying Activity" by NGO's

I've a feeling that, like the media coverage, we won't be seeing a lot of criminal cases here, given it's the "right" kind of people and NGO's involved.

pjohnson

Took much longer than expected but NGO's finally unveiled as the true Scooby-Doo villain.

Glaceon

Who are these “NGOs”?

NattyO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123317561#Comment_123317561

Funnily, the Commission statement doesn't specify them - you'd have to ask the commission that question I guess.

NattyO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123317554#Comment_123317554

Do you think that's how the commission sees them?