The French Presidential candidates - pt 1

Doubtless most politically aware people have heard of the odious Jean-Marie Le Pen, and his umpteenth run at the French presidency. However, he is far from being the sole extremist candidate for the presidency, and based on current opinion polls, around a quarter of the French public are prepared to vote for what by French standards - let alone those of the English speaking world - are extremist or fringe candidates.

Here is the gallery of grotesques, with poll ratings in brackets:

Arlette Laguiller - Lutte Ouvrière (Workers' Struggle) - 2.5%

Her party is avowedly Trotskyite. Here is an extract from her thoughts on economic and social organisation:

"I think that sooner or later society will change its economic and social bases. An economy based on privately owned factories, big business and banks, like the competition between industrial and financial groups, involves chaos in production and causes wasting formidable of human efforts, with unemployment not the least consideration". And on law: "How can one speak of "justice" in this society where 90 % of the laws are to protect the property and only 10 % to protect the individual?" And the economy: "Not only must privatisations stop, but those that have been partially or wholly privatised, like electricity, gas, the postal service, telecoms and water must again be under state control".

Source (French original). 1,630,244 people, or 5.72% of the French electorate voted for her in 2002.

Olivier Besancenot - Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (Revolutionary Communist League) - 4%

Also a Trotskyite party. His thoughts on business, globalisation and the like:

"Capitalism seeks a second wind on the backs of the oppressed and exploited....the rejection of the tyranny of capital and markets are expressed in the heartfelt cries: "the world is not for sale! "," another world is possible! ". To be a revolutionary today, it is to act so that this necessity becomes possible, through a radical change to the logic of social organisation".

Source (French original). He has also argued for a European Union wide minimum wage, and the games section on his campaign website includes a game of whack-a-mole featuring Sarkozy, Le Pen and another (anti-EU) candidate, and crosswords featuring clues like 'According to Proudhon, it is theft' - property.

1,210,694, or 4.25% of the French electorate voted for him in 2002, and just shy of 14% of the under 25s.

Coming up next, the Communist, another crypto Trotskyite, the Green and the anti-globalisation José Bové.

Meanwhile, it is great to be here and thanks to Reliapundit for the invite.

RELIAPUNDIT: WELCOME ABOARD! GREAT POST!