A few words about Poujadism, the French ancestor of Trumpism.
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
December 8, 2017 10:54am CST
I received these two interesting comments yesterday from Trump supporters.
About the Paris climate agreement :
«So glad President Trump pulled us out of that deal....Just a wast of tax payer money.....»
When I said that the only move that I could see after the Trump declaration about Jerusalem was the USA leaving the UN, I got this comment :
«That would be wonderful! The American taxpayer U.N. tab far exceeds the combined 25 billion paid by the other four permanent Security Council members, China, Russia, France and Britain.»
As Trump has ruined in a few months years of efforts of the US diplomacy, he should also suppress diplomats. What these guys are doing, except chatting, gobbling and partying on the tax payer money ? It would make a lot of savings.
These comments remembered me what my father was saying each time there was a proposal to do massive tax cuts on essential things : «That’s Poujadism!»
What was Poujadism ?
It was a populist movement founded by Pierre Poujade in 1953, a kind of revolt coming from middle classes against the "elite". They were hostile to the Rome Treaty who put the basis for the EU, were hostile to politicians, calling the National Assembly «the biggest brothel in Paris», were anti-intellectual, xenophobic and anti-semites. And they wanted to suppress taxes, starting by income tax, and to suppress regulations, starting by regulations on prices. Poujade got 52 deputies elected in 1956, and for sure most of them were not intellectuals : bakers, butchers, grocers... «common men with common sense» like they were saying, promoting the French national identity against everything that was threatening it : Europe, immigration, the tax office, the «prevaricating state»...
How did it ended ? An early election came in 1958 and all Poujadist deputies were defeated, except 2, who had taken some distance with their party, among them Jean-Marie Le Pen, the father of Marine Le Pen (this one was not a butcher, but a far right lawyer, who found in Poujadism an opportunity to be elected).
France had already a strong welfare/healthcare system and was not a favorable ground for this kind of movement.
In 2017 France is the 1st country in the world when it comes to taxes (we have beaten Denmark this year), but people find advantages in it : it is also the 1st world country when it comes to social welfare, free healthcare for all, free college studies, etc. Tax cuts ? Why not, but certainly not blind tax cuts...
Trumpism is just an US version of Poujadism with the same kind of supporters, and the same kind of political measures.
9 people like this
8 responses
@LadyDuck (458012)
• Switzerland
8 Dec 17
I know that taxes in France are not cheap, this is one of the reason why, when we retired, we decided not to move from Monte-Carlo to France, but to find another solution, not far from our native country. I did not know about Poujadism, but as you describe this movement, it looks a lot like Trumpism.
3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
8 Dec 17
I am considering to leave France each time I receive my taxes, but I am happy to live in France when I have a health problem like I had this year, and somewhere I am proud of what does this country to offer the same chances in life to anybody.
There is an article about Poujade and another one about Poujadisme on the French Wikipedia, and a short article about Poujade on the English Wikipedia, different but not bad. He started by asking to people to not pay their taxes and to withdraw their money from state banks. He became soon popular and quickly felt...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Pierre Poujade Born 1 December 1920 Saint-Céré, France Died 27 August 2003 La Bastide-l'Évêque, France Occupation Politician Spouse(s) Yvette Seva Children 5 Robert Poujade is an unrelated F
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (458012)
• Switzerland
8 Dec 17
@topffer It's easy to gain popularity telling people not to pay taxes. To lower taxes is a good thing, but not cutting important services. Should we decide to move from Switzerland, France will be our choice. We know the language, we know how the system works and we know that you have excellent hospitals and doctors. I am right back from Italy where I have visited my Mom in the hospital, I am more than depressed.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (458012)
• Switzerland
8 Dec 17
@topffer I found my Mom on a wheelchair in a corridor. She cannot move, she has big difficulties in speaking now. I asked to move her back to her bedroom and I have covered her immediately with a blanket, my poor mom was freezing. I have texted my brother, he goes there later in the day, I hope he can talk to a doctor.
3 people like this
Yes, as long as the cake is not paid by the US tax payer
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@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
8 Dec 17
Although mine is not about Poujadism its about the "new" Politicians spending money on their ideas of new fangled ideas which really don´t have any meaning at all.
They are quite happy to spend the tax payers money without even consulting them anything about anything just the usual way.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
8 Dec 17
@topffer
I am totally out of it at the moment sorry tops but I have had so much going on in my own life I have only heard a few silly things going on.
I think that there was a manifestation to support Puigdemont and to protest for the Independence in Catalunya totally barmy though and I am so glad I don´t listen to it at all.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
8 Dec 17
@lovinangelsinstead21 I am not following closely what happens there. There has been a discussion by a UK member living in Catalonia and exposing the independentist view a few days ago and telling among other things that Rajoy was "a far right extremist"
. I responded to it. I should have PMd you the link.
. I responded to it. I should have PMd you the link.1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
9 Dec 17
This is what I don't understand . . . the supporters are thinking of an immediate fix . . . they are not thinking for the long run. In the long run, these moves hurt us - and these supporters seem to be completely oblivious to this. I get that people felt there was a need for change, but this is not the way to do it. For whatever reason people seem to think there is a light at the end of the tunnel . . . I shudder to think how dim that light will get and by the time they may realize it, that tunnel is going to cave.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
10 Dec 17
@topffer They see him as a"refreshing" - a leader who will speak his mind and do as he says without jumping ropes through politics. They wanted someone who was all for change and will get the job done, but like you said, they do not see the consequences (or at least at this point they don't care as long as they see immediate changes happening for what they think is for the better). It is NOT for the better.
He has managed to get Muslim countries to in a sense unite about going against him and the US. I wonder how many more will be making their exit . . .
I really think this delusional thinking comes from desperation . . . people want to see immediate changes. I kinda don't think his supporters want to transform the perception that the rest of the world has of his world . . . they may actually care less about what's going on with the world. They think the US has picked up the pieces for the world for too long now . . . they think it's about time we only think and take care of our own 
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.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
9 Dec 17
I think they are mesmerized, not understanding the consequences of what he does. His announcement about Jerusalem will make of him the most hated US president among Muslim countries while he was better perceived than Obama despite of his ban, because of the good job of Dina Powell, who has now decided to leave.
The US alone vs the 14 other members yesterday at the UN Security Council had never happened before...
How can anybody with 2 working neurons can believe his lies (there was a must read article by a scientist studying lies and liars since 20 years analyzing Trump lies in the Washington Post a few days ago)?
How do his supporters hope to transform the perception that the rest of the world has of Trumpistan ?
Mesmerized. It cannot be anything else.
.1 person likes this
@lookatdesktop (27129)
• Dallas, Texas
8 Dec 17
Your post is very refreshing. Keeps me paying attention. Good work dude.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
9 Dec 17
What made it obvious for me were these comments on the tax payer money. It looks like an obsession for a Trump supporter to cut on anything costing money to the state, the said state would topple into dust that they would still continue to applause to the cuts.
Looking at it more closely, the political measures are quite the same, but the supporters are probably more large for Trump : Poujadism was also against big companies and started as a fight between small traders vs the first large supermarkets.
I have searched for media articles having perceived the analogy and I found a good one... in a French speaking Lebanese newspaper
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.1 person likes this
@beckish (641)
• United States
13 Dec 17
Interesting post, but as an American I have to disagree. Trump has done a lot of things to improve things in the US and they needed improvement. The stock market is at a record high. New jobs are being created in record numbers. And making the tax system more fair is a common sense solution. Right now the middle class is collapsing under the weight of supporting all of those not working. The tax fix will help the middle class. Trump may be a little rough around the edges, but the majority of his appeal for most people is that he is NOT a politician. He is a real person and speaks his mind. The media has not treated him fairly at all - the US media is out of control in disseminating fake news on both sides. One has to read articles from a variety of sites in order to get the real picture of things.
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20261)
•
26 Dec 17
Read the chat between you and Lady Duck and had a good laugh re: tax (high) and health (very good) in France. Can you just simply move to some country with a low tax, but come back to France when you need the health system there? 
