Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY spent the week leading the international effort to enforce a UN resolution for a no-fly zone over Libya.
But the president’s time in the limelight risks ending on a sour note, with his governing conservative party expected to take a drubbing in local elections, where his newly burnished international stature will likely count for little.
French leftists and the resurgent extreme right are widely expected to consolidate their gains tomorrow in the second round of voting in France’s cantons, subdivisions drawn up in the 18th century that are the country’s smallest administrative segments.
The elections serve as the last test of parties’ nationwide strength before next year’s presidential elections.
The leading role of the unpopular Sarkozy in launching the international military campaign in Libya — on the eve of the first round of voting March 20 — appeared not to have swayed the outcome in France’s cantons.
The opposition Socialists gained the most votes overall in first-round balloting a week ago with about 25 per cent of votes, according to preliminary results Sunday night from the Interior Ministry.
Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party plus allies on the right had about 32 percent overall, Interior Minister Claude Gueant said. However, the UMP alone had less than 20 percent of the vote, French TV stations and rival parties noted.
The interior minister’s method of counting that covered up the poor UMP party showing led to claims that the minister was being less than candid — as the far-right National Front bounded ahead. The party, which gained 15 per cent of the vote, is riding a wave of popularity of its new leader, Marine Le Pen. Like her father, the party’s charismatic founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, she has tapped into worries about Muslim immigrants — but with a softer touch.
Turnout was exceptionally low, however, at about 45 per cent.
Voters in this election care little about Sarkozy’s renewed global stature, political analysts say, and France’s leading position in pressing for an international force to assure a no-fly zone over Libya and protect the population will have no bearing on Sunday’s poll.
“Sunday’s election will be a double test for Nicolas Sarkozy,” said political analyst Stephane Rozes of corporate consulting firm Cap. “First he will see if he has limited the UMP’s decline. And second, he will see if the strategy established in the Grenoble speech works or not in view of the 2012 election,” Rozes said.
In a speech last July in the southeastern city of Grenoble, Sarkozy carved out his political territory — one that clearly treads on ground familiar to the National Front — by saying he wanted to revoke French citizenship of any immigrant who endangers the life of police officers.
He has since pulled back on that, but his party has pushed forward on another front, the principle of secularism so dear to France, with plans for round-table discussions April 5 that would center on France’s Muslim population of about 5 million, spurring a contentious debate.
A pasting by France’s bickering leftists and the resurgent National Front might intensify divisions in Sarkozy’s UMP party that have emerged since recent polls raised the specter of the conservatives being knocked out in the first round of presidential elections next year — or forced to face down the National Front in an embarrassing replay of 2002 elections. Then, conservative President Jacques Chirac was in a showdown with the elder Le Pen, and saved when left and right banded together to ensure Le Pen’s defeat.
Recent opinion surveys have showed Sarkozy’s approval ratings at historic lows. Leftist voters are angry at his cost-cutting measures and say he is too cosy with corporate interests. Many conservatives are disappointed that he has not been bolder about loosening up the labor market and hasn’t eased tensions between police and youth in suburban housing projects.
A win in a cantonal election gives the victor a seat on councils overseeing France’s departments, or provinces.
- AP
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
What a complete waste of money, this is going to be a bonanza for dodgy fas trained web designers putting up lame websites for dog groomers and hairdressers. Any business that has a genuine online business model should invest in their own business. Instead of a grant why not a low interest loan?
Joe, I have grown a business from 1 employee to 14 without any financial backing over the last few years, so I feel qualified to comment here. First off, I think this is an excellent idea – for a small business this would be a huge help. Businesses NEED to be on the web these days, but it does cost about 2500 for the most basic decent web presence (unless you are a web designer yourself). Small businesses don’t have that kind of money. It’s a vicious circle. You know you could increase sales (way more than 2500 per year) with a good web presence, but you don’t have the spare money to get one and the banks won’t lend it to you unless you are buying something tangible that they could repossess if they had to. Websites do not fall into this category.
Second, there’s nothing wrong in Fas trained people. Whenever I hear people talking down FAS training, I know they have never employed anyone who has completed a fas course. It’s an unfounded prejudice with no basis in fact, you are merely quoting “bloke down the pub says…” and it doesn’t reflect well on you. I’ve employed 4 fas trained people and they are excellent.
Having said all that, yes, I think the idea of a low cost loan, with a long repayment period is a fair compromise, though.
I agree with most of your points Andy, but I think Joe is talking about FAS trained web designers. I am a web designer myself and I agree with him that a course in web design with FAS doesn’t make you a designer. You might learn how a website can be created, mostly with outdated software and techniques, but the design part is not taught. This results in pretty ugly bloated websites.
IT Developers can not be got at the moment, lucky for them they are flat out if they are good.
Good sentiment here but poor execution again. Grants are a joke. We need on the ground assistance, less red tape and a lowering of costs for doing business.
This is like what FF did in the 90s &00s horsing out grants to build and worsened a “building bubble”. IT Developers will do as the builders did and jack up prices.
I wonder if an IT lobby had anything to do with this decision??
Oh I am getting very cynical about politics in this country.
Andy I have what I believe to be a brilliant web based business idea but cannot secure funding to get it off the ground,as a man who seems to know about such things what would you recommend my next step to be? Thanks in advance.
John, I’m working on a few ideas online myself at the present with a business partner. There are ways of doing it cheap. Drop me an email if you’re interested, darrenoceall@gmail.com
Use open source software, dip into your own pocket and start designing.
John, try kickstarter. Crowd funding is really taking off. Either that or talk to enterprise Ireland about their hpsu (high potential start up) programme. Good luck.
Why not cut real business costs for us like rates! If 2,500 was gone off my rates bill this year it would be a start! Government please start listening to small business’s, we are on our knees. Asking business’s who don’t have a shilling to spare to “match” any money invested by government is down right insulting at this moment in time, as we struggle daily to pay government induced costs. We need urgent incentives that mean something, not watery options like this were only a few will benefit!
Lets face iy it looks better for Rabbitte to be seen givng out (taxpayers) money than cutting rates and sorting out restrictive rent contracts.
Your rates aren’t set by central government they’re set by your local authority.
In the meantime at Enda’s breakfast table…eur 50 tax for every new domain plus we can create the mb tax, that works out at…
Once the money is handed over to a damn good web designer or developer then I think it’s a great idea for small business. Portfolio and good testimonials/refererrals can help you find the right developer or else It’s money down the drain.
Seconded.
People with MONEY to purchase products, thats what small business requires.
A business owner that needs to be incentivised to get online, is not a business owner that should be in business.
I just find it incredible that just 37pc of SME business in this country use the internet and now they are being subsidised by the taxpayers with a grant to do do,i have used it for years and im nearing 70,and would find life impossible without it, as would most people,as i say it just beggers belief.
sPEND IT IMPROVING THE BROADBAND NETWORKS OUTSIDE OF DUBLIN, THEN MAYBE A BUSINESS CAN ACTUALLY GET ONLINE TO SET UP A WEBSITE!
Super idea! Good move by the govt!
You really must be stupid.
Hey Brian,
Take your negative comments and name calling some place else. If you have a counter suggestion on how the govt can assist small companies I would love to hear it.
Name calling is for little boys.
Good lad Brian.
It is not name calling its an observational comment, Unlike your back Kenny and Co at all cost reductions contribution.
Kenny has his major faults however this initiative is a great one. To think it is stupid is stupid, are you stupid?
Actually you sentence does not make sense. It’s grammatically poor.
You are correct the word “reductions” should have been “ridiculous”
No counter suggestion then Brian or are you just a negative person who points out faults and doesn’t contribute?
The majority of SME’s are begging for cash flow. Free up cash to assist in this. And not thro the corrupt banking system. Companies like pay pal, visa etc take up to 6 months to forward payments to suppliers from
On line sales. Where is the working capital for even 60 days coming from. No bank over drafts or credit facilities for established SME. What chance a new start venture have???
Support for SME’s. Started a new business, promised before I came off the live register of a grant from my local development office. Went for grant to be told in April I may add that there was no funds left for that grant for the rest of the year. Disgraceful !!
As initiatives go, it’s a step in the right direction, but there is a caveat – and this is not a complaint, but a genuine concern, which I hope will be yielded by even one SME business owner.
I hope there is some vetting involved in sourcing the website designers and developers, before a lump sum is paid out. My fear is that a growing number of template-merchants and hack ‘designers’ will be running (if not sprinting) to cash in on this.
So – please vet any third party based on portfolio, testimonials, ask for ‘links’ to previous work (and how these sites are doing on Google), and an outline of their working process, discuss website warranty etc
A hint; if you receive offers of simply ‘x pages for x€’, this is selling on a template as a commodity, and ‘not’ an invested designer interested in finding a ‘solution’ for your business.
Muppet
End your financial worries today:
I am from Russia I can smile with this God Fearing man I received a loan of $45,000.USD last two weeks also two of my colleagues have also received loans from this man without any difficulty. I advise you not to choose the wrong person if you actually apply for a cash loan for your project and any other. I publish this message because Mr.Andres Williams made me feel blessed with his loan. It is through a friend I met this honest and generous God fearing man who helped me get this loan fund to regulate your life, You needed financial help, You are stuck, No access to bank credit, or do not have the benefit of a bank, you need to finance your construction, real estate development, creating your own business up your personal business, you have seen and need to make money, a bad credit or need money to pay bills or debts. So I advise you out there to kindly contact and meet you for the services you ask of him. His contact address: andresloanfirm07@live.com
Contact him for more information, be clear and honest.
His Email: andresloanfirm07@live.com
have your say