Droit de la France

There appears to be one huge difference between Marine le Pen and Nick Griffin, ignoring things like gender, intelligence, personality and credibility, and that is that about a thousand times as many people seem to be prepared to vote for her Front National (FN) in this year's French national elections than would contemplate casting a ballot for the BNP here. So why is she as popular as Griffin isn't, bearing in mind that the BNP grew from the National Front in Britain? Is it about Le Pen and Griffin or is it about us and the French? After all, the policy documents of the FN and the BNP are remarkably similar...

Marine Le Pen

Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie, who is the now the honorary chairman of FN but was once its leader, was long regarded as an odious little arse and, in the long run, turned out to be as unelectable as Ed Miliband will be. But his daughter Marine is an altogether different proposition. Smart, savvy and, let's face it, a bit of a looker, she is a lot of things that Sarkozy isn't and the FN is rapidly becoming what their advertising says; "The Voice of the People, The Spirit of France". The more that Sarkozy fawns over Merkel, the less pleased are the French with the whole European thing, especially as Merkel was unable (or unwilling) to stop France's credit rating being downgraded. (Just as an aside, is there anyone or any organisation that rates the rating agencies? I mean, how come Standard & Poor call the shots on everything credit-related? Who says it has to be them? Why can't it be the IMF, or Gordon Brown now that's got time on his hands. Or maybe Tony Blair could set up a rating agency as part of Firerush to get more money for Cherie.)

Le Pen wants France to withdraw from the Euro (and the Eurozone) by going back to the Franc on a par value basis to begin with - 1 Fr = 1 Eu - and then let economics take its course. She cites the UK as the example in Europe of successful independence from the single currency. She also wishes to withdraw from NATO, the World Trade Organisation and the World Bank. Indeed, she appears to wish that France simply withdraws from the world. Well, it would make a difference from capitulation. Internally, her policy documents also advocate a secularist approach based on a very sensible law passed in France over one hundred years ago on the separation of church and state.

Alex Salmond - Favoured
Anniversaries - like Le Pen?

However, the one thing, above all else, that makes the bigger headlines is her party's stance on immigration, both legal and illegal. If you believe here in Britain that we have a major issue with immigration then I suggest that you travel around France. It's not that the French are sociologically racist so much as they have become very insular. Ever since De Gaulle embraced the idea of European co-operation (a defensive approach bearing in mind most French voters in the sixties had vivid memories of the second world war), there has been a growing tide in French public opinion that all this 'being nice to our neighbours' malarky isn't really how they'd like to be. And it would appear now that Le Pen and FN are riding a wave on that tide. Like Alex Salmond of the SNP, Le Pen has a keen sense of history. Salmond would have a referendum on Scottish independence on the seven hundredth anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn and Le Pen has harnessed the six hundredth anniversary of the birth of Jeanne d'Arc. For many French citizens, Le Pen is nothing short of a latter day Maid d'Orleans.

Putting to one side Le Pen's desire to withdraw from NATO, her detestation of organisations that interfere with France's sovreignty is not a million miles away from Cameron's approach to Europe and the wider world (except the USA, of course). Her approach on the economy could be decribed as 'Osbornist' (but let's hope that this never becomes a word) and she wants to dump the Euro in favour the Franc. Although viewed as a little extreme, I imagine that her immigration policy might just resonate even with the centre-right here in the UK. All in all, Le Pencould be seen as a potential ally for the Tories once they see off the coalition at the next general election and stamp all over Labour; an inevitable outcome should the morons at 39, Victoria Street continue to think it's a good idea to have Ed Miliband as leader.

Griffin - UK Le Pen? Non!

It is almost unconscionable for the vast majority of us in the UK to consider Nick Griffin and the BNP as a viable alternative in government and yet, in France, Marine Le Pen and the FN look like they could be. The BNP might be scouring the citizenry of Britain right now for the go-to far-right babe to replace 'Nasty Nick'. Le Pen is the bete noir of the intellectuals in France. Her heartlands are the industrial regions where her messages of patriotism and a state paternalism worthy of Kim-Jongs, are being received with enthusiasm against the backcloth of rising unemployment and a loathing of external interference from Europe and, in particluar, the still AAA-rated Germany. We need to watch our step. The small surge in support of the BNP a few years ago dissipated quickly but could easily rise again. If Le pen succeeds, even just into the run-off ballot in France, some green-eyed Brits may look over the channel and wonder...