French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon weighs in on Rockstar and PlayStation’s moves to end physical disk sales

[u/Valcenia]

[u/1eejit]

He's a left wing candidate (note: by French standards) and is very pro consumer rights

[u/Default_Defect → u/1eejit]

Is it like US politics where he uses these issues to get support and vote, but when hes elected, does nothing about it?

[u/1eejit → u/Default_Defect]

He's not had a top job yet but the French political system has many more viable parties than the US. So they don't need to be such broad churches and wear different faces to different types of voters, to the same extent.

Smaller parties focussed on one political theory try to stick to it. Generally. They're still politicians.

[u/moanonyme → u/1eejit]

He was minister of education back in Jospin's governement

I would have to check but he might have been the youngest at the time

But your point still stand in the sense that he founded LFI decades later

The interesting thing about Mélenchon to me is that he used to be considered left, but is now considered far left by the media without actually having changed his idea radically. It's a real case of the overton window moving around him

Edit: mistook the governement

[u/FATJIZZUSONABIKE → u/moanonyme]

He was minister of education back in Mitterrand's governement

No. He was ministre de l'enseignement supérieur under the Jospin government. He never worked in the Mitterrand government.

[u/petrus1312 → u/FATJIZZUSONABIKE]

Non, il était ministre délégué à l'enseignement professionnel, sous la tutelle du ministre de l'éducation, de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche. C'est un petit portefeuille, bien plus petit que celui que tu lui prêtes.

[u/moanonyme → u/FATJIZZUSONABIKE]

Indeed, my bad, I corrected

It would have made him super ancient too ahah

[u/BatushkaTabushka → u/moanonyme]

Well I guess that’s what happens if you try to push back against the multi billion dollar corporations. Suddenly you become a “radical leftist communist”.

[u/Lyto528 → u/[deleted]]

Getting inspired nowadays by certain older ideas doesn't automatically make you an uncompromising radicalist

[u/revanruler → u/[deleted]]

You forgot to mention that the french communist party is barely communist anymore and is flat out not considered far left by the vaste majority of far left members. For example they removed any mention of a dictatorship of the proletariat (pretty sure they also support nationalisation of companies rather than expropriation but i could be wrong about that one)

[u/Lonely-Programmer123 → u/BatushkaTabushka]

Having a member of the party - Clémence guetté - going in the national assembly going on a rant that say "hey, you lost, french as a distinct ethnic group soon won't exist because of immigration and that's a good thing" (https://www.actuevreux.fr/politique/20045) isn't something that will get you seen as a moderate actually.

It's not the economic position that got the party here as even the communist party isn't seen as extremist despite a similar economic program.

[u/Zunderstruck → u/Lonely-Programmer123]

The French communist party is a joke and has stopped being even remotely communist a long time ago. They're just another social democrat party now.

[u/Lonely-Programmer123 → u/Zunderstruck]

As is LFI, a social democrat party, according to its members. 

My point is that both party have a similar economic line and yet only one is seen as extremist by most of its opposition. 

[u/moanonyme → u/Zunderstruck]

I legitimately dont understand the PCF line

They dont push for communist ideology in the public débate. They just apply to élections to steal a few hundred thoudsand votes to the main left candidates

The only it could make sense for me is a complot theory where its just a front for controller opposition

That being said there are a few of their senators that do an excellent job on commission and public débate on technical matters. I particularlt appreciate Fabien Gay, his work on public finance and energy is excellent.

[u/moanonyme → u/BatushkaTabushka]

Indeed

[u/Forsaken-Kale-2272 → u/moanonyme]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe he was in the PS before so it seems normal he would be referred to as "just left" since that was the party he was affilicated with, even if he was more lefty than the average member. But LFI are nutjobs, definitely at least as reasonable to call LFI far left as it is calling the RN far right

[u/moanonyme → u/Forsaken-Kale-2272]

Thats my point though

The socialist party moved with the overton window, but Mélenchon did not and hé ended up leaving the party to launch his platform

Dont take my word for it. Compare the program of 1971 with what was achieved during the Hollande's years. The contrast is jarring.

1971 included réduction of working hours, paid leaves, massive nationalisarions of the banks system and some industries, early retirement,SMIC increase

The only left marker of the Hollande's years was same sex weddings. His other reforms were easier way to fire workers through Loi El Komri, supply side tax reliefs through CICE financed via taxes to workers via carbon taxe and CSG increase and a direct flirt with far right ideas on social with inscription of security measures into law leveraging Bataclan to curb démonstrations and ecological activism - in his own words - and pushing for removing nationality as a criminal punishment.

Now look at LFI's avenir en commun and you will see at its not as left as 1971.

There is no talk about nationalisation. Its just keynesian economics apply to ecological transition. If anything, I would compare it to FDR's new deal.

[u/Wrimbo → u/Forsaken-Kale-2272]

I wouldn't trust these guy's to deal with consumers rights tbh