Le Pen says euro a deadweight, capital controls an option if she wins power

[webfact]

Le Pen says euro a deadweight, capital controls an option if she wins power

By Ingrid Melander, Simon Carraud and Johnny Cotton

REUTERS

 

 

Marine Le Pen, French National Front (FN) candidate for 2017 presidential election, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, May 2, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

 

PARIS (Reuters) - Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen said capital controls were an option if she won Sunday's presidential election and there was a run on banks as she negotiated France's exit from the European Union, but stressed they were unlikely to be needed.

 

After days of mixed messages about ditching the euro, a move unpopular with a majority of voters, Le Pen made clear in an interview on Tuesday that she wanted to take France out of the single currency <EUR=>.

 

"The euro has protected no one, quite the contrary. The euro has been a deadweight for prices, a deadweight for jobs, a deadweight for the competitiveness of our businesses and it would be much simpler to kick-start the economy without this common currency," Le Pen said.

 

She accused the political establishment of wanting to "frighten" voters into thinking otherwise.

 

Le Pen said she wanted to replace the EU single currency with another, looser type of cooperation in the form of the ECU basket of currencies that preceded the euro.

 

That would exist alongside a national currency, which she said she hoped the French people would have in their pockets within two years if she won power.

 

While a strong majority of National Front supporters back a return to the Franc, opinion polls show three quarters of French voters want to keep the euro, a major obstacle in Le Pen's run for the Elysee.

 

Last week Le Pen said abandoning the single currency was not her top economic priority and the measure has not featured on her campaign fliers ahead of the second round.

 

Both were widely viewed as moves to soothe the worries of mainstream right-wing voters whose backing she needs if she is to defy opinion polls and triumph. But she told Reuters it was because "99.999 percent of French know very well what my stance is."

 

EU REFERENDUM

 

France was a founding member of today's European Union and many investors believe its exit from the euro would precipitate the single currency's demise.

 

Asked if eventual French negotiations to quit the EU could trigger a run on French banks, Le Pen said: "I am convinced there won't be any banking crisis."

 

When pressed on whether she would impose capital controls if savers nevertheless did rush to take their money out of banks, she said: "If there's a run on banks, we could very well imagine such a solution for a few days, but I'm telling you it won't happen."

 

Le Pen said she would launch negotiations with the EU immediately after winning to regain national sovereignty. The talks would include dumping the euro as well as regaining control of France's borders and being able to decide French legislation alone, she said.

 

Those negotiations could last six to eight months, she said, after which France would hold a referendum on its EU membership. She advocated replacing the EU with a "Europe of projects", a loose cooperative of nations that collaborates on ventures spanning business, security and energy on a case-by-case basis.

 

If she were happy with the outcome of the negotiations, she would recommend staying inside the bloc, she said.

 

If she was dissatisfied, which would be most likely, she would urge voters to support France's exit, following Britain's example after its referendum last summer.

 

Le Pen said her first trip abroad would be to Brussels, headquarters of the EU, where she would inform leaders of EU member states of France's intentions.

 

The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, would not be welcome at that meeting, she added.

 

Asked what she would say to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at their first meeting, Le Pen said: "France will now stand up for the interests of France."

 

(Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Richard Lough)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-05-03

[darksidedog]

It doesn't matter what she thinks, cos she is not going to win.

[tomwct]

10 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

It doesn't matter what she thinks, cos she is not going to win.

That's what the left-wing media said of Trump! Europe needs change, so maybe she'll be a conduit for change.

If the election was held in the USA today 96% who voted for Trump would vote again for him. Only 15% would

vote for Hillary a send time. So maybe change will be good for France and a wake-up call for the Unelected European

Union in Brussels. Only time will tell!

[Stargeezr]

If Le Pen did actually win, would she be any worse than Donald Trump is as a leader.

  I still think that Europe needs a good shake up  and this would be it, a bit scary to be

sure, but no scarier than the result in the USA.  Of course this is just my old guy

opinion

Geezer

[Guest]

If Le Pen wins, she could skip Francs and go directly to her master's currency Rubble.

[dazzz]

4 hours ago, oilinki said:

If Le Pen wins, she could skip Francs and go directly to her master's currency Rubble.

idiot statement

[Jingthing]

6 hours ago, tomwct said:

That's what the left-wing media said of Trump! Europe needs change, so maybe she'll be a conduit for change.

If the election was held in the USA today 96% who voted for Trump would vote again for him. Only 15% would

vote for Hillary a send time. So maybe change will be good for France and a wake-up call for the Unelected European

Union in Brussels. Only time will tell!

Source please for the 15 percent figure because it's obviously false information. 

[Jingthing]

5 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

If Le Pen did actually win, would she be any worse than Donald Trump is as a leader.

  I still think that Europe needs a good shake up  and this would be it, a bit scary to be

sure, but no scarier than the result in the USA.  Of course this is just my old guy

opinion

Geezer

trump is actually worse than Le Pen and I say that with full awareness that Le Pen is a fascist. Le Pen seems to at least be mentally competent. trump obviously isn't. He's dangerous to the entire world. 

[Jingthing]

6 hours ago, tomwct said:

That's what the left-wing media said of Trump! Europe needs change, so maybe she'll be a conduit for change.

If the election was held in the USA today 96% who voted for Trump would vote again for him. Only 15% would

vote for Hillary a send time. So maybe change will be good for France and a wake-up call for the Unelected European

Union in Brussels. Only time will tell!

French polls are pretty good and she isn't even close. I'd bet on the polls this time. 

[Jingthing]

14 minutes ago, dazzz said:

idiot statement

Yes, sort of, but it's no secret that Putin is trying to get Le Pen elected just as he tried (and succeeded) in helping trump get elected. 

[Guest]

Good news. The work against Russian trolls is starting to give results.

 

-------8<------

Russia-linked fake news 'lost influence' in France

Normal media have gained ground over bogus news, much of it emanating from Russia, in the run-up to the French vote on Sunday (7 May), a new study said.

<...>

British and US activists from the “alt-right” movement, which is anti-EU and pro-Russian, tried to launch an online “war” against Emmanuel Macron, a leading pro-EU candidate, the Atlantic Council, a US think tank, reported.

-------8<------

https://euobserver.com/foreign/137755

[dunroaming]

8 hours ago, tomwct said:

That's what the left-wing media said of Trump! Europe needs change, so maybe she'll be a conduit for change.

If the election was held in the USA today 96% who voted for Trump would vote again for him. Only 15% would

vote for Hillary a send time. So maybe change will be good for France and a wake-up call for the Unelected European

Union in Brussels. Only time will tell!

You are right that is what the media said about Trump, left and right wing media and still Trump got elected.  Now we can all see what a terrible disaster that was hopefully people will now realise and vote responsibly.  After all The French tend to be better informed than the American public

Edited May 3, 2017 by dunroaming

[Linzz]

8 hours ago, darksidedog said:

It doesn't matter what she thinks, cos she is not going to win.

Hazard a guess you thought Trump wouldn't win too!

[Linzz]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Yes, sort of, but it's no secret that Putin is trying to get Le Pen elected just as he tried (and succeeded) in helping trump get elected. 

Have you got an undercover conduit for this opinion stated as fact or is it from an unknown source?

[Linzz]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

trump is actually worse than Le Pen and I say that with full awareness that Le Pen is a fascist. Le Pen seems to at least be mentally competent. trump obviously isn't. He's dangerous to the entire world. 

Liberals are the new fascists lately or haven't you been watching the violence at Berkeley?

[Jingthing]

Liberals are the new fascists lately or haven't you been watching the violence at Berkeley?

That is incorrect. Fascists are from the far right.

[Jingthing]

Have you got an undercover conduit for this opinion stated as fact or is it from an unknown source?

You don't follow the news huh?

[Jingthing]

Hazard a guess you thought Trump wouldn't win too!

They are not the same contest. trump was a classic black swan. Le Pen is simply a sanitized rebranding of classic French fascism.

[Linzz]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

They are not the same contest. trump was a classic black swan. Le Pen is simply a sanitized rebranding of classic French fascism.

We will see. Regardless of whether Le Pen is reformed or not there is a general populist discontent similar to Trump's supporters whee she gets her support.. Brexit was also an expression of the same. Too much coincidence to be one black swan.

[Linzz]

9 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

You don't follow the news huh?

Which news?

[Linzz]

10 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

That is incorrect. Fascists are from the far right.

Extreme left as in Communism is still fascist. 

[Luckysilk]

16 minutes ago, Linzz said:

Extreme left as in Communism is still fascist. 

Thankfully the left are losing globally.

 

It's not just grumpy old men that are conservative anymore - the youth are fed up with this PC left crapolo.

 

My kids have friends in the USA and Europe where we lived for 14 years, I'm pleasantly surprised how conservative the younger generation seems to be.

 

 

[dunroaming]

21 minutes ago, Linzz said:

We will see. Regardless of whether Le Pen is reformed or not there is a general populist discontent similar to Trump's supporters whee she gets her support.. Brexit was also an expression of the same. Too much coincidence to be one black swan.

Yes I agree with that.  Much of the discontent stems from fear, the sort of fear that is leapt upon by the likes of Le Pen, Trump and Farage.  They play on the peoples insecurities and vulnerability and to some extent ignorance. They are easy targets  for the propaganda and false claims and this has led in the rise of these fascist groups.

[dunroaming]

9 minutes ago, Luckysilk said:

Thankfully the left are losing globally.

 

It's not just grumpy old men that are conservative anymore - the youth are fed up with this PC left crapolo.

 

My kids have friends in the USA and Europe where we lived for 14 years, I'm pleasantly surprised how conservative the younger generation seems to be.

 

 

I think there is a swing away from the loony left and hopefully we can find some balance with the middle ground.  The far left and the far right are both destructive and rather than swinging from one to the other common sense should prevail and both extremes should be kicked into touch.

[mrdome]

Just once I'd like to see those speaking out against the EU and "Globalism" to reject all the good stuff and $$$ it has brought them.

 

These fools think they can dismantle the EU, reject all the agreements they don't want to be in anymore, change their currency, kick out all the foreigners (while they travel to and retire wherever they want - after all they are white & wealthy enough) and everything will not only continue as before, no, they claim it will even be better! And a significant % of the population is so willfully ignorant that they believe them.

 

[dazzz]

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yes, sort of, but it's no secret that Putin is trying to get Le Pen elected just as he tried (and succeeded) in helping trump get elected. 

if its not a secret how come i only here you say it ? Why would putin have any interest in pen ? Why does everybody think that russia inflences all the worlds elections  ? He must be on the grassy knoll a long time .

[Opl]

4 minutes ago, dazzz said:

if its not a secret how come i only here you say it ? Why would putin have any interest in pen ? Why does everybody think that russia inflences all the worlds elections  ? He must be on the grassy knoll a long time .

Because, as ( almost) everybody  knows ... " Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia is working to empower Europe's far-right and Eurosceptic parties with offers of cooperation, loans, political cover and propaganda. Such love has not gone unrequited: European populists are answering back with fulsome praise for Russia, its foreign policy and its strongman leader. "

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/europe-s-far-right-enjoys-backing-russia-s-putin-n718926

Edited May 3, 2017 by Opl

[dunroaming]

2 minutes ago, dazzz said:

if its not a secret how come i only here you say it ? Why would putin have any interest in pen ? Why does everybody think that russia inflences all the worlds elections  ? He must be on the grassy knoll a long time .

Possibly but it is widely accepted that Putin wishes to see the EU fall apart.  To that end he would obviously try to swing things towards Le Pen.  Doesn't take a lot of working out really.

[Opl]

8 minutes ago, dazzz said:

If you are going to quote something do not use american media which as everybody knows is mostly fake and not to be trusted anymore .
  Putin trying to influence france is the same as every country in the world does and has been doing a long time . Saying putin is le pens boss is insulting to her and the french supporters .USA has been the worst offender in the world for influencing politics of foreign countris and so has uk . It called politics

"In further shows of sympathy, Le Pen has called for “completely stupid” EU sanctions against Russia to be lifted, said there was “no invasion” of Crimea because it had “always been Russian”, and argued Ukraine had undergone “a coup d’état”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/29/marine-le-pen-putin-trump-axis

Edited May 3, 2017 by Opl

[Guest]

Hu0h,