When in Paris, Your Survival Guy spends plenty of time gathering on-the-ground intelligence. Parisians aren’t quick to talk politics, but it’s been a growing issue in my conversations in France.
In a recent ruling, French populist candidate for president, Marine Le Pen, was found guilty of embezzlement and barred from running for office, and will serve two years of house arrest. The ruling reeks of foul play.
Apparently, the bourgeoisie still feel they can keep the proletariat or populists down through lawfare. You saw how this played out with Biden’s attacks on Trump and how that opened the door to the White House. You may not see Le Pen in the next French presidential election, but someone will fill in for her, and avenge this injustice. Most likely, that will be her party’s up-and-coming young leader, Jordan Bardella.
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board points out the increasing use of lawfare against populist politicians around the world:
‘If you can’t beat ’em, try ’em,” might as well be the motto of the age. So it is that France’s Marine Le Pen joins Donald Trump, Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and plenty of others in the pantheon of political insurgents whom prosecutors have tried to keep out of office with criminal indictments.
Other recent additions to the list include Romania’s Calin Georgescu and Turkey’s Ekrem Imamoglu. Both have been jailed before the upcoming elections in their countries.
Action Line: Keep your eye on upcoming elections in places where popular candidates are prosecuted off the ballot. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
