Francois Fillon: the ‘dark horse’ who wants to change France

 

 

PARIS: -- Francois Fillon, France’s dark horse in the primaries is now a strong favourite for president.

 

On winning the Republican party’s nomination contest, the centre-right candidate said Francoise Hollande’s left has failed and Marine Le Pen’s far-right means bankruptcy. He said his job is to rise to the challenge of changing France and changing its software.

 

Fillon has promised to slash the cost of government, by getting rid of half a million public sector jobs over five years, abolishing France’s 35-hour week and raising the retirement age from 62 to 65.

 

Part of the radical economic reform plan Fillon has laid out to ‘halt the decline of France’.

 

In another sign of his determination to reduce state involvement in the economy, Fillon? wants to roll back state spending and slash red tape in the healthcare sector.

 

Among other things, he would like to abolish wealth tax, take action on immigration, and invest in security, justice and defence.

 

A moderate European, he has defended a Europe of states and national identities. He’s called for a genuine government for the eurozone, which would be autonomous from the European Commission.

 

Ultimately he wants a strong and sovereign France within the EU.

 

Fillon says Russian President Vladimir Putin is no threat to the West and should be a partner rather than a rival in Syria.

 

He also says European sanctions against Russia over Crimea should be lifted.

 

“I saw that some people caricatured my remarks by painting me as close to the Russian president,” Fillon noted. “It’s absurd, when the France of the Resistance aligned itself with Stalin against Nazism, did we suspect General De Gaulle of becoming a communist?”

Fillon says his cost-cutting plan is doable if public servants work 39 hours a week instead of the current 35.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-11-29

Yes lot of clowns here on both sides of the fence.

 

However Fillon, who will probably be the next President, is a dangerous old timer who promised to use the 49-3 as much as he can...what a democracy it will be!

 

Edited November 29, 20169 yr by Scott
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If he can carry out all those promises then it might bring back France from the basket case it is now - good luck to him !

I think it'd take at least a generation to bring it back out of the mire. The current liberal-leaning generations have had it too easy and won't like having to work for a living.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Francoise Hollande’s left has failed and Marine Le Pen’s far-right means bankruptcy. He said his job is to rise to the challenge of changing France and changing its software.

I think Marine Le Pen will clean his clock. He wants to do the following quote  Fillon has promised to slash the cost of government, by getting rid of half a million public sector jobs over five years, abolishing France’s 35-hour week and raising the retirement age from 62 to 65. unquote. Any working man that votes for this program needs to get his head read. And what sacrifices pray tell are the rich making. Le Pen will win and its goodbye EU.