Amazing to see the differences between brexit voters in so much of England compared to London. France as well has this disparity between multicultural, urban, cosmopolitan voters and rural and small town voters
Behind the Power of Marine Le Pen | Time.com
"Patrice Sinoquet loves the United States of America. In this bleak corner of northern France, he stands out in his Harley-Davidson jacket, his arms tattooed with Old Glory and a Route 66 sign.
But Sinoquet's fondness for the U.S. took a jolt earlier this year, when his Michigan-based employer, Whirlpool Corp., announced that it was shutting its factory here and moving production to Poland. Workers there earn significantly less than their French counterparts and have less robust benefits and protections, yet Poland conveniently sits within the European Union's borderless, tariff-free zone.
Sinoquet's grim assessment is echoed across France's old industrial heartland, an area that spans some 200 miles near the Belgian border. Much as voters in the rusting factory towns of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan helped Donald Trump defeat the Establishment in the U.S. last year, the French living in these neglected "departments" threaten to torpedo the dual-party establishment that has governed France for generations, and send a shock through the rest of Europe too."
The candidacy of far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen has been nourished by a groundswell of support in hard-hit towns across France."
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
