Khalid al-Fahdawi, a member of the Iraqi parliament, reported to have been killed in blast at capital’s largest Sunni mosque A suicide bomber has killed at least 29 people and wounded at least 38 more at Baghdad’s largest Sunni mosque. Security officials said Khalid al-Fahdawi, a member of the Iraqi parliament, was among the dead. A spokesman for Baghdad’s military operations command confirmed that the bombing happened inside the Umm al-Qura mosque during prayers in the western Baghdad neighborhood of al-Jamiaah. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. The attack took place as Sunnis were praying at a service during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends on Tuesday. Iraq Middle East guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media As Ed Schultz noted earlier this week , it looks Sen. John McCain, who’s done nothing but criticize President Obama at every turn for his handling of the situation in Libya, has a little explaining to do. This Friday, Chris Hayes went after him for talking tough and playing the bully, when in reality he’s just another deal making politician who will cozy up with dictators if he feels it’s necessary. Here’s more on the leaked cable from Politico — Leaked cable: John McCain pushed to arm Qadhafi : A leaked U.S. diplomatic cable shows that Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain promised to help Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi obtain U.S. military hardware in 2009. The cable, released by the open information group WikiLeaks , reveals the pledge came at meeting that was attended by other prominent members of Congress, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). In the meeting, Muatassim Qadhafi, the Libyan leader’s fifth son and national security adviser, requested U.S. assistance in obtaining military supplies, both lethal and non-lethal. The cable indicates that McCain was the dominant voice among the congressional delegation in a push for military hardware for Qadhafi. “Sen. McCain assured Muatassim that the United States wanted to provide Libya with the equipment it needs for its … security,” according to the cable. McCain said that he understood the need for Libya to upgrade its existing ranks of C-130 Hercules aircraft. Libya had bought eight of the military cargo aircraft in the 1970s, but as bilateral relationships with the United States deteriorated, a ban of arms sales prevented the aircraft from being moved to North Africa. McCain pledged to do what he could to move the issue forward in Congress. McCain stressed that Libya needed to fulfill its commitments of giving up its weapons of mass destruction in order for bilateral engagement to go forward. Brian Rogers, communications director for McCain, said in a statement to POLITICO that the Arizona Republican never made any promises to Libya and never acted to help the Qadhafi regime. “At no point did Senator McCain ever promise to help the Qaddafi regime secure U.S. military assistance. Upon the his return to Washington, there were no follow-up discussions and no action taken by Senator McCain or his staff to provide the Qaddafi regime with C-130s or any other military assistance,” said Rogers. “There has been no greater champion than Senator McCain for Libya’s democratic revolution and for the toppling of the brutal Qaddafi regime.”
Continue reading …Lib Dems seek candidates for police commissioner posts, despite peer revolt
August 28, 2011 No Comment
Battle lines drawn as party touts for suitable candidates while its own peers work to derail controversial Tory policy The Liberal Democrats are advertising for candidates to become elected police commissioners despite the party’s peers still believing they can derail the policy in the House of Lords. The bill to bring in one of the prime minister’s and home secretary’s most cherished policies was defeated in the Lords by Lib Dem peers in the last parliamentary term. The Lords and Commons must now get together soon after parliament reconvenes in the autumn to agree how the legislation will reflect the Lords vote. The scene is set for a battle as Tories in the lower house do not want to water down their policy. They are now highlighting the fact that the Lib Dems themselves are touting for candidates – a fact seized on as evidence that the party has little faith in its parliamentary efforts to derail the bill. Campaigners in favour of elected police commissioners intend to have legislation in place in time for the first batch of police commissioners to be elected on the same day as next May’s local elections. The longer into the autumn the Lib Dems can delay the bill, the less likely that becomes, given the time the electoral commission would need to make the necessary arrangements. In a speech delivered last week, the home secretary, Theresa May, used the police response to the riots to push her case again. “One thing is clear. The experience … makes the case for police reform more urgent than ever.” Senior Lib Dems opposed to the policy fear an elected police commissioner might play to a particular portion of their electorate in a bid for popularity. Cost is also a concern. According to a Home Office answer to a parliamentary question, the system could cost £130m to set up and run and another £50m every four years at election time – this while the government asks the police to cut their costs by 20%. Peers voted in May against introducing elected commissioners, leaving open the possibility of their being appointed by a board of experts. Tory sources said the issue was one of trust between David Cameron and Nick Clegg as the Lib Dem leader acquiesced to the policy in the coalition negotiations. The coalition agreement reads: “We will introduce measures to make the police more accountable through oversight by a directly elected individual, who will be subject to strict checks and balances by locally elected representatives.” Advisers now say there is a small window of time for Clegg to decide whether he is going to face down his peers in the Lords to ensure the legislation is passed. Blair Gibbs, research director at Policy Exchange said: “This policy has clear support from the top and if anything, after recent months, the argument for a clearer system of police accountability is stronger than ever. “Most senior police officers now accept this reform is going to happen. There are some unelected peers and local councillors with a vested interest in the old regime who are still grumbling, but they cannot stop this reform from happening. “The mandate is clear and the main parties are starting to plan for the elections and search for good candidates. It is no longer a case of if and why we should have police and crime commissioners, or even how and when, but who. “These roles are really important and their success will depend more on the calibre of the office holders than any final minor amendments to the legislation.” Lib Dem MPs plan to hold an emergency debate at their party conference but Tory advisers believe the issue needs to be wound up in early September. Police Liberal-Conservative coalition Liberal Democrats Conservatives House of Lords Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …FEMA Almost Out Of Money Due To Multiple Disasters, While Cantor Plays Politics With Disaster Funds
August 28, 2011 No CommentYou want to see a revolution, Rep. Cantor? Just keep it up, you little twerp: WASHINGTON — As East Coasters brace for what some say will be a historic pummel by Hurricane Irene, at least one lawmaker is fuming over a requirement by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) that any potential emergency disaster aid be offset by spending cuts. “It is sinful to require us to cut somewhere … in order to provide emergency disaster assistance for American citizens,” Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) told The Huffington Post on Friday. The Louisiana Democrat pointed out that this weekend is the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated his district and cost the federal government more than $100 billion. That recovery effort would have been delayed “by years” if Congress had required the same kind of spending cuts to offset aid, he said. “I have been one who has been preparing for the hurricane, trying to give people some comfort. One thing they need to know is the federal government can come to their aid,” Richmond said. “I don’t think we’re in a position, given the rules set up by the majority, that we’re going to be able to come to their aid quickly.” Cantor raised some eyebrows on Wednesday when, in the aftermath of the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled the East Coast and originated in his district, he said Congress will help those hurt by the earthquake but will require finding offsets for any federal aid. “When there’s a disaster there’s an appropriate federal role and we will find the monies,” Cantor said during a news conference in Mineral, Va. “But we’ve had discussions about these things before and those monies will be offset with appropriate savings or cost-cutting elsewhere in order to meet the priority of the federal government’s role in a situation like this.” Obama didn’t seek emergency aid when the country endured its last major natural disaster. Back in May, when storms ravaged the Midwest, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was able to eat the costs with funds it had set aside for such disasters. The same scuffle over requiring offsets surfaced during that fight, but then disappeared since the president never made a request. The difference this time around is that FEMA is closer to running out of money, which makes the prospect of an emergency aid request more likely in the event of widespread destruction. What is “scary” is how spread thin FEMA is, said a House Democratic aide familiar with disaster relief operations. FEMA is now running relief operations “in every single state” due to a record number of disasters this year, said the aide, and the agency has been projected to run out of money by the end of September..
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Despite fears of disorder, a heavy police presence and showery weather help keep the streets of west London calm With a police helicopter hovering overhead and 5,500 officers drafted in to preserve order, an ebullient Notting Hill carnival got under way peacefully as showers and bleak bank holiday weather conspired to lower temperatures all round. More than 1 million people are expected to attend what is billed as the second biggest street festival in the world, after the Rio carnival. Three weeks after the biggest riots in the capital for a generation, with fears beforehand that the carnival could act as a catalyst for renewed outbreaks of disorder, police reported that the event got off to a quiet start, with just 14 arrests by late-afternoon, seven for drug offences. One dangerous dog had been corralled. An extra 1,000 officers will be on duty at the carnival on Monday – and an additional 4,000 will be policing the rest of London in case of trouble elsewhere. Despite bleak weather, Boris Johnson, London’s mayor, issued a call to “let the true spirit of London shine through,” in the hope that the carnival would help heal wounds left by the riots. “It’s right that carnival goes ahead so we can show the world that the overwhelming majority of London’s people are decent, law-abiding citizens who respect the law, love their city and want to celebrate our vibrant, diverse and historical culture,” he said. Fifty-one floats took part on the first day of the festival, with organisers saying that “babes in arms” took part in the costumed parades through west London on children’s day. Over half a million people are expected to attend on Monday, with the forecast for fine and dry weather. The carnival will begin as early as 9am, with the music due to be turned down early on both evenings. There was a small element of subversion – some more serious than others. Sunday saw 50 dancers and brass-band members from the Yaa arts group trouping through the streets in red, black and yellow camouflage, symbolising, organisers said, “hooded youth”. Spraypaint taggers, meanwhile, struck shops on the fashionable Ledbury Road. They covered fences and plywood hoardings, erected to protect premises, with graffiti. The Metropolitan Police put in place a section 60 order, giving extra stop-and-search powers, across London as part of the ongoing security operation. There was a heavy police presence on the streets and officers staffed checkpoints at underground stations. A statement said the order had been based on “the unprecedented scale and unpredictable locations of the disorder that was seen in London during 6-8 August”. The force said the powers would be kept under review “day by day” during the festival. Plainclothes officers with radios mingled with the crowds to try to spot potential trouble. The festival began with J’ouvert, in which festivalgoers covered themselves in white paint and chocolate – which has become a tradition at the carnival in the last three years. Simon Halls, 31, from Southend, said: “We got bombarded after lunch and everyone was getting hugged by people covered in chocolate.” Off the main parade route, dozens of stalls were selling food favourites such as jerk chicken, curried goat, corn dumplings and fresh coconut juice, although a brief lunchtime storm sent revellers scurrying for shelter. Festival co-organiser Chris Boothman said the riots had helped bring the carnival community together. “If today is anything to go by, Monday is going to be a really great day because it has been one of the best Sundays we’ve had in a really long time, maybe five years,” he said. “Carnival goers have been saying they’ve been reassured by the heavier police presence, which I found surprising. Young people are saying that as well.” Another organiser, Franka Philip, added: “The police have been very cooperative and the bands have been fast moving. It feels good and the vibe has been brilliant.” Liz Hone, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, who is getting married in seven weeks, had brought a dozen friends along. She said, “We’ve been in London for the whole weekend. We’ll eat lots and drinks lots and just party all day and all night. It’s amazing. I’m having the best time of my life.” “There’s loads of police around and everyone’s really happy. It’s the best atmosphere.” Notting Hill carnival Festivals London Police Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk
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They say that loyalist fighters have seized farms near Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte and are holding civilians as hostages Libyan rebels are closing in on Muammar Gaddafi’s home town, the final major prize of the war, after rejecting an offer from the ousted leader to form a transitional government. On Sunday night forces were pushing to surround Sirte, Gaddafi’s birthplace and one of the last bastions of his support, and preparing for what could be a bloody siege. Rebel commanders said Gaddafi’s forces were using civilians as human shields to block their advance. They claimed that a Gaddafi brigade had moved into farmers’ homes in the village of Heesh, 60 miles west of Sirte, and were refusing to let them go. Commander Ali Ahmed of the rebel Sidra brigade said: “The Gaddafi [brigade] came there and stayed with them. They (the government forces) are on a hill above there, and also in the houses. The people cannot leave.” As a result, the rebel advance from Misrata to Sirte has stalled, with opposition units unable to bypass the village without being shelled, and unwilling to fire back. But opposition forces advancing from Benghazi in the east said they had captured the eastern town of Bin Jawwad, 62 miles from Sirte. The rebels’ National Transitional Council (NTC) has said it wants to negotiate the surrender of Sirte, but will take it by force if it has no alternative. Colonel Ahmed Bani, the council’s military spokesman, said: “We will continue negotiations as long as necessary. However, the liberation of these cities will take place sooner or later. In our opinion this is a matter of days.” The offensive followed the NTC’s rejection of an offer from the crumbling regime to negotiate. Gaddafi’s chief spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, said Gaddafi was still in Libya and that his son Al-Saadi was offering to lead talks on a transitional government. But Mahmoud Shammam, the NTC’s information minister, said: “I would like to state very clearly, we don’t recognise them. We are looking at them as criminals. We are going to arrest them very soon as criminals. “Talking about negotiations is a daydream for what remains of the dictatorship.” British foreign secretary William Hague was equally dismissive. “A transition of power is already taking place. The NTC ministers are in Tripoli and in increasing control of the situation. What is needed from the remnants of the Gaddafi regime is the fighting to stop.” However, British hopes of prosecuting the suspected Libyan killer of PC Yvonne Fletcher, shot 27 years ago, received a blow when rebels said they would not extradite Libyans to the UK. In Tripoli, the stench of rotting bodies and burning rubbish still filled the city, although a volunteer clean-up operation was under way. An official said 75 bodies had been found at Abu Salim hospital, which was caught up in heavy fighting, and a further 35 corpses were found at the Yurmuk hospital. Rebels said they were concerned over the fate of prisoners who had been held by the regime. Rights groups say dozens have been massacred near prisons. The NTC is still facing a multitude of problems, its chief task being to restore water to the city’s 1 million-plus inhabitants. There has been no running water in Tripoli for six days. On Sunday, some desperate locals could be seen scouring the streets carrying empty plastic bottles. Others said they had been surviving by drawing water from neighbours’ wells. “Gaddafi has closed the water for all of Tripoli now,” said one rebel, Salah Zaruk, clutching three empty bottles. “We have a big problem.” But he added: “The most important thing is we have freedom. Freedom is more important than water.” The NTC announced that a tanker containing 4m litres of water had arrived. In the far west, Tunisian authorities reopened the main border crossing into Libya, restoring a key supply route for Tripoli, after Gaddafi forces were driven out last Friday. Trucks loaded with food and other goods were already moving across the Ras Jdir crossing towards Tripoli, about two hours’ drive away. A UN official said aid would be sent along the route once it was confirmed as secure. Another headache for Libya’s new rulers is what to do with the hundreds of Gaddafi fighters who have now been captured and are in rebel custody. Around 280 fighters are being held in a makeshift prison in the Tripoli suburb of Tajura, including boys as young as 14. In Green Square, rebel activist Nizar Mahani, head of the underground Free Generation Movement, erected a “martyrs’ wall” for the war dead. He was watched by a small crowd amid chanting, singing, tears and celebratory gunfire. Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Africa David Smith Chris Stephen guardian.co.uk
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The leftwing film director talks about the riots, his early work on television and the documentary he made for Save the Children 40 years that is about to be screened for the first time About halfway through our
Continue reading …Runoff likely as Democratic Party votes for sixth Japanese PM in five years
August 28, 2011 No Comment
Chances of a clear winner are unlikely, so five candidates will be narrowed down to two to ensure a decision Japan’s trade minister, Banri Kaieda, on Sunday looked to be the frontrunner during the final day of campaigning in elections for the country’s next prime minister. The chances, however, looked slim for a majority-winning vote in the first round, so an immediate run-off was expected between the two top candidates. The election winner becomes prime minister owing to the Democratic Party of Japan’s majority in parliament’s lower house. Five candidates – former foreign minister Seiji Maehara, the finance minister, Yoshihiko Noda, former transport minister Sumio Mabuchi, the farm minister, Michihiko Kano, and Kaieda – are vying for the votes of DPJ peers. The next leader, who will succeed the outgoing prime minister, Naoto Kan, will be Japan’s sixth in five years. Whoever wins faces huge challenges, including a resurgent yen that threatens exports, the forging of a new energy policy following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, and the raising of funds to rebuild after the tsunami in the spring and pay for ballooning social welfare costs. The obstacles to governing, including a divided parliament and internal party bickering, have raised concerns that the next premier, to be selected in the DPJ vote on Monday, will end up being another short-lived leader. “Unfortunately, chances are that whoever wins, we’ll be going through the same debate in 12 months,” said Jesper Koll, director of equities research at JP Morgan in Tokyo. None of the candidates appear to have presented any detailed vision of how to end Japan’s decades of stagnation. “Their positions already seem to have been watered down,” Koll said. The party leadership race, instead, has been a battle between allies and critics of the party powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa, 69, a mastermind who leads the party’s biggest group despite facing trial on charges concerning political donations. Kaieda, who has secured the backing of Ozawa, had support from about 115 of the 398 Democratic lawmakers eligible to vote in Monday’s party election Maehara, 49, who sees beating deflation as the priority, has been jostling with the fiscal hawk Noda, 54, and Kano, 69, for second place, according to the Mainichi newspaper, while Mabuchi 51, lagged behind. Maehara ‘s chances have been undercut by rivalry with Noda, as well as by the scandal of his accepting donations from a Korean resident of Japan. If he won he would become the nation’s youngest prime minister since the second world war. On Saturday, Maehara told a news conference that he had received more than $7,000 in donations from four foreigners and one firm led by a foreigner, between 2005 and 2010, but had not been aware of the donations, Japanese media reported. Whoever takes over from Kan, who resigned as party head on Friday after months of criticism over his handling of the nuclear accident, will face a struggle to implement policies in a “twisted” parliament where opposition parties control the upper house and can block bills. Maehara and Noda on Sunday reiterated their call for a “grand coalition” with the main opposition parties. But Kaieda rejected the idea. “In a democratic parliamentary system a grand coalition is not preferable,” he said during a debate on NHK TV. Feuds over the role of Ozawa, a one-time heavyweight in the conservative Liberal Democratic party, who helped briefly oust the long-dominant party in 1993, have rattled the Democrats since his party merged with the DPJ in 2003. Some credit Ozawa’s political skills with engineering the Democrats’ leap to power in the August 2009 election. Others say his scandal-tainted image is damaging the party, which has seen its support sink among voters disillusioned with its failure to deliver on promises of bold changes in the way Japan is governed. Ozawa, who lost a tough leadership race to Kan last year, cannot vote in Monday’s party poll since his DPJ membership was suspended following his indictment over the funding scandal. Japan guardian.co.uk
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Many businessmen in Syria are scared of President Assad, but they are also worried about the effects of economic sanctions Syrian businessmen are reaching out to western diplomats, expressing revulsion for the Assad regime but also concern at the crippling effect of sanctions. Diplomats say several businessmen from the merchant elite have approached western embassies to register their unease. “There are many businessmen coming to us to tell us how much they hate the regime,” said one senior western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. Protesters continue to take to the streets in large numbers but have so far been unable to dislodge those in power, prompting them to look for any splits within the regime’s political, military and economic base. While the international community has targeted the economy with sanctions, protesters have circulated lists of companies to boycott. The US and EU have accompanied their calls for President Basher al-Assad to resign with economic sanctions. “Business leaders are definitely moving because they are realising the regime may not be around forever,” said Adib Shishakly, a Saudi-based businessman. Almost six months of protests against Assad have all but wiped out the tourist industry, which accounts for 12% of GDP, while the International Institute of Finance forecasts that the economy will shrink by 3% this year. Neighbouring countries, including Turkey, have until now called on Bashar al-Assad to reform rather than resign. But in a sign of rising tensions, Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gül, told Anatolia news agency on Sundaythat Turkey has lost confidence. His comments came a day after Iran warned the regime to heed protesters’ demands and the Arab League sent its leader to Damascus. More than 2,200 people have been killed in the unrest since March, according to the UN, with thousands more detained. At least 10 more protesters were shot dead over the weekend, activists claim. An attack on a Damascus mosque on Saturday left its prominent sheikh, Osama al-Rifai, in hospital. Businessmen have helped finance the regime and prop up the economy by keeping their funds in the Syrian currency. But it is unclear how much any shift within the business community would affect the uprising, which some claim has moved into stalemate. Syrian economist Samir Aita said many businessmen had long deplored Syria’s “crony capitalism”. Exiled businessmen Ali and Waseem Sanqar funded an opposition conference in Antalya in south-west Turkey, but other businessmen inside Syria have ignored direct politics, opting to donate money, food and medical supplies covertly or grant time off to protesters. One businessman in Homs said: “I have sent food to Rastan and Telbiseh, but cannot do more than that.” A second diplomat from a different embassy said the leading businessmen who came to talk to him appeared more concerned about being targeted by EU sanctions than abandoning the regime. The US and EU have targeted businessmen, such as Rami Makhlouf, the president’s cousin, who side with the regime. The majority of unhappy businessmen, either those trapped in partnerships with regime figures or fearful of crossing Assad, may simply leave Syria or remain silent. Assessments of the effect of the economy on the regime is unclear and will be slow, according to analysts. The EU is still considering sanctions on oil, which accounts for around a third of GDP. The central bank has taken steps to limit foreign currency exchanges, but the regime says it will explore other markets. The Syrian economy was weakening long before the uprising started, but with its oil and agriculture, it is largely self-sufficient. “Businessmen think of their business first and do the best for that,” said one economist in Damascus. “To get a real split, the opposition needs to prove it can provide a stable alternative.” Nour Ali is the pseudonym for a journalist based in Damascus Syria Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Bashar Al-Assad Nour Ali guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …French Socialists project ‘caring and sharing’ in bid to beat Nicolas Sarkozy
August 28, 2011 No Comment
Candidates seeks to buck Europe-wide trend away from left and reassure voters of party’s economic nous ahead of 2012 election They are riding high in the polls, sensing a chance to win their first presidential vote since 1988 and buck a trend across Europe in which the left is in retreat. But France’s Socialists are gearing up for a bruising battle against Nicolas Sarkozy in next spring’s presidential election, worried that voters do not trust them to handle the financial crisis. With the 2012 presidential race wide open, the Socialists’ first hurdle is to find a candidate both charismatic and ruthless enough to defeat the genius of Sarkozy on the campaign trail and in the televised debates. François Hollande, the wise-cracking, self-styled “ordinary guy” of French politics, is the early frontrunner, deploying humour and economic nous in equal measure at this weekend’s conference in La Rochelle. A former Socialist party leader and MP in rural central France, Hollande, 57, has gone on a crash diet and smartened up his suits after splitting from his partner, the former presidential runner Ségolène Royal. Famous for his jokes – which charmed audiences at the party conference – Hollande is seen as the most presidential candidate and the most trusted on economic matters. He has an economics background and has positioned himself on the centre-left. “If we don’t dominate money, money will dominate us,” Hollande said in his conference speech, arguing that his priorities were tax reform, helping France’s desolate and largely unemployed youth, and kick-starting growth through careful state investment. Against him is Martine Aubry, 60, the mayor of Lille and the first woman to lead the Socialist party. An architect of the 35-hour week, she is seen as a defender of leftwing values and a “caring” society. One T-shirt slogan among supporters read: “Yes we care”. She told the party conference that austerity alone would not work and French economic woes must be resolved by tackling root issues of “education, employment and sustainable development”. She is seen as austere, less charismatic and less hungry for power. She jumped into the race late to replace the favourite Dominique Strauss-Kahn, viewed as dead politically after the alleged attempted rape of a New York hotel-maid. Royal is still in the race, in third position. The left may be in decline across Europe and are likely to lose in Spain this autumn, but all recent polls show that the Socialists would win if the election were to take place now. And yet party activists are extremely cautious. After the euro zone debt crisis raised investor doubts about France’s prized triple-A credit rating and unemployment last week soared to the highest level since Sarkozy’s election, the economy is at the heart of the presidential race. Sarkozy’s latest initiative for a temporary tax on the mega-wealthy was an attempt to steal the left’s clothes and ditch his “president of the rich” label. But it was attacked by the Socialists as a smokescreen to mask an unfair tax system which affords the rich tax breaks and loopholes while everyday people face new taxes on items such as fizzy drinks, cigarettes and visits to theme parks. The Socialists are aiming to convince France that a caring, sharing left can maintain a strong welfare state while kick-starting growth, cutting debt and creating jobs. For the first time, the Socialists are holding an open primary race allowing not just party members but the whole electorate to choose the candidate. The 9 October vote is open to anyone on the electoral register if they sign a declaration that they adhere to the values of the left and pay one euro. Many party members said the Socialist lead in the polls was down to the left-leaning spirit of French society – with the republican ideals of the strong state, social welfare protection and a general anti-capitalist feeling. Often opinion polls favour the left long before an election, but then voters swing right on concrete policy issues at the ballot box. “The French have their hearts on their left and wallets on their right,” said one Socialist activist from the south. “The individualism of Sarkozyism is winning out and our challenge is to convince people we can create a reasonable society where economic development is for everyone not just about a privileged few.” France Europe Nicolas Sarkozy Angelique Chrisafis guardian.co.uk
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