Thursday, April 14, 2011

The French Debate: Vive La Difference















I watched the French debate and all I can say is what a difference a day makes. Or should that be vive la difference?

It was lively, it was entertaining, it was passionate. Although since I watched it sprawled on the couch with my companion Sébastien, and a bottle of wine, maybe I'm biased eh?

Jack Layton was very strong, Michael Ignatieff was much much better than the night before. Managing to attack Harper, and flog his platform. Gilles Duceppe was also much improved.

And only Stephen Harper was his same old self.

Which both attracted me...






And repelled me...






He was clearly the loser. And his brutish attempts to pit the rural regions against the cities, as he does in all his ads in Quebec, as he does all over Canada, made him appear even creepier.

The unblinking stare of Stephen Harper, sticking to his talking points and nakedly appealing to ‘les régions’, spitting out ‘Toronto and Montreal’ like they were curse words (good luck with that Montreal seat, Larry Smith).

The best question? One about the Republican values of the Cons, and the Americanization of Canada. Because funnily enough nobody asks that one anywhere else. Stephen Harper's answer: "I spoke French at he White House." Gawd. I mean Tabarnac.

The big winner? No other than Madame Muguette Paillé from Sainte Angele de Premont, who asked the leaders what they planned to do to help people over fifty like her get a full time job.



For some reason she hit the chord of the Quebec Nation. Sébastien sat up and clapped. The French Twittersphere went crazy. At one point Paillé was trending at number seven worldwide.

And of course it wasn't long before somebody put up a Facebook page.

Where she was getting more support, encouragement, and marriage proposals from 20-year-olds than I'm sure she could handle.

And then somebody discovered that she submitted recipes to a cooking contest  sponsored by the Metro supermarket chain.

And I discovered this one.

Mmmmm....strawberry poutine. Merci madame.

Oh boy. I don't know what it is about these Frenchies. But I'm so glad they live with us.

Because I sure love them...

Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers.

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