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Nigel Farage has 'only one policy' and far-Right's MEPs will fail to make an impact because they cannot work together, says Rachida Dati.
Rachida Dati, the French MEP, has criticised Nigel Farage and Marine Le Pen – the Right-wing challengers at the European elections – for leading single-issue parties, which will be ineffective in the European parliament.
Miss Dati, 48, is campaigning for re-election with the UMP – the party of Nicolas Sarkozy, under whose presidency she served as justice minister. But with faith in mainstream political parties in France at an all-time low, the National Front, lead by Ms Le Pen, is expected to make a strong showing.
Polls put the UMP and FN neck-and-neck, yet the FN hopes to become the dominant force, winning up to 20 of France's 74 seats in their vote on Sunday. It currently holds just two seats.
But Miss Dati said that the FN's triumphalism was premature.
"Here in Great Britain, you are a country of football and rugby – so I will use a sporting metaphor," she said. "It is not over until the final whistle has been blown.
"She will obviously do better than last time. But I don't think she'll be the number one force in France. Let's wait for the results."
Miss Le Pen herself is so confident of victory that she has already made plans for a rally in Nanterre on Sunday night, as the polls close in France (in Britain, the vote will be on Thursday).
She is also confident of a personal triumph in the constituency of North West France, where she plans on defeating Jérôme Lavrilleux – the UMP candidate, and cabinet chief of Jean-François Copé, UMP president.
But Miss Dati said voters were still open to persuasion. "We still have time to convince them," she said. "There are still a few days. We have a responsibility to get out there and convince voters.
"It's not a problem with Europe – it's a problem with politics in general. We've lived through an enormous crisis – economically, socially, even politically. So you understand why people either don't vote, or they vote for the extremes."
Much of the blame for the rise of the far-Right, she said. was down to the inefficiency of mainstream politicians. They do not explain their policies, she claimed, and are unrecognisable to voters.
"People have no idea who their representative is," she said. "They are faceless. And those that are known are poor – Barroso was terrible, and represented the views of no one. Ashton was a total failure. The leaders disillusion them."
On Wednesday Miss Dati was in London to campaign for votes from French citizens living in London – her constituency, Ile de France, represents Paris and also French citizens living abroad.
"We held a meeting, and a dinner," she said, slinking into a sofa in a St Pancras café, immaculate in a slim-fitting black trouser suit and four-inch heels. "It was great – there were loads of people who turned up. And they were very interested in the European question. Why? Because it's something they are living.
"They realise the frustrations and the difficulties. If they criticise Europe, they do so from a practical perspective. It's not an ideological criticism."
French voters in London were worried about slow economic growth, industrial politics, and taxes, she said. "In France we have zero growth and exploding unemployment, so of course they are concerned."
Her visit was fleeting – less than 24 hours, with her five-year-old daughter Zohra in tow. But raising the profile of MEPs is a cause she adamantly believes in.
What did she make of Nigel Farage – for many British voters, the "face" of the elections?
"Everyone's talking about him. I knew him from Brussels," she said. "He is very charismatic, very smart, a very good orator. He's right about some of the problems with Brussels.
"But he has no suggestions. He just says it's all the fault of Europe. He has only one policy – and that's getting out of Europe. Beyond that there is nothing."
France's FN and Ukip have often been seen as ideal bedfellows. And a far-Right group in the European parliament would give them a better status, more funds and greater influence in policymaking, including seats on committees and more speaking time in parliament.
Twenty-five deputies from a quarter of the EU's 28 member states are needed to set up a new parliamentary group – and observers agree there are enough candidates to make this possible.
Matteo Salvini, head of Italy's Northern League, spoke recently of "advanced" talks to set up a far-Right group, adding it would be "as big as possible" with like-minded parties from Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands and France.
Geert Wilders, head of the Dutch Party for Freedom, also said last week he was optimistic that Eurosceptic parties including the FN and Northern League would join forces after the European elections.
"I am very confident, I invested a lot in the last year by travelling all over Europe. We will be able to work together," he said on Tuesday, as he stood on the steps of the European Parliament in Brussels and chopped up the European flag with scissors.
But Mr Farage has repeatedly rejected Ms Le Pen's overtures, calling the party anti Semitic, and said that he has no intention of aligning Ukip with their French counterparts.
And Ms Dati dismissed any chance of an alliance - on practical grounds, however, rather than ideological ones.
"They can't work together," she said. "The extreme parties are not at all homogenous. They have nothing in common – other than they don't want to be part of Europe."
Yet the fact remains that the FN is now a serious force to be reckoned with. The French newspaper, Le Monde, published a story on Wednesday under the headline: "The FN profit from the European Elections to prepare for the 2017 presidentials".
Senior figures within the UMP even appealed to Mr Sarkozy to intervene with a public statement or article in their support. In what many saw as a swing to the Right to capitalise on the popularity of the FN, and a group of 40 UMP politicians – lead by Henri Guaino, Mr Sarkozy's former chief adviser and a committed "sovereigntist" – signed an open letter published by Le Figaro saying they wanted to "change everything" in Europe.
"The richness of our party is that there are some who are pro, and some who are anti, but we are all on the same line," said Miss Dati. "Guaino's not anti Europe. He just thinks the EU shouldn't control everything. And I agree with that.
"EU should control foreign policy, security, immigration. But not family issues. The EU should not get involved in everything."
Does it worry her that she could be taking a seat in a parliament she shares with extreme Right parties, such as Greece's neo Nazi Golden Dawn, and Hungary's Jobbik?
"I'm not someone who says 'It was a bad vote, they were stupid.' No – citizens understand very well what is going on, and are expressing their frustrations."
She added: "I think these elections will be a wake up call for Europe. Given the levels of disillusionment, they have to be."
post originated from http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Rachida Dati, the French MEP, has criticised Nigel Farage and Marine Le Pen – the Right-wing challengers at the European elections – for leading single-issue parties, which will be ineffective in the European parliament.
Miss Dati, 48, is campaigning for re-election with the UMP – the party of Nicolas Sarkozy, under whose presidency she served as justice minister. But with faith in mainstream political parties in France at an all-time low, the National Front, lead by Ms Le Pen, is expected to make a strong showing.
Polls put the UMP and FN neck-and-neck, yet the FN hopes to become the dominant force, winning up to 20 of France's 74 seats in their vote on Sunday. It currently holds just two seats.
But Miss Dati said that the FN's triumphalism was premature.
"Here in Great Britain, you are a country of football and rugby – so I will use a sporting metaphor," she said. "It is not over until the final whistle has been blown.
"She will obviously do better than last time. But I don't think she'll be the number one force in France. Let's wait for the results."
Miss Le Pen herself is so confident of victory that she has already made plans for a rally in Nanterre on Sunday night, as the polls close in France (in Britain, the vote will be on Thursday).
She is also confident of a personal triumph in the constituency of North West France, where she plans on defeating Jérôme Lavrilleux – the UMP candidate, and cabinet chief of Jean-François Copé, UMP president.
But Miss Dati said voters were still open to persuasion. "We still have time to convince them," she said. "There are still a few days. We have a responsibility to get out there and convince voters.
"It's not a problem with Europe – it's a problem with politics in general. We've lived through an enormous crisis – economically, socially, even politically. So you understand why people either don't vote, or they vote for the extremes."
Much of the blame for the rise of the far-Right, she said. was down to the inefficiency of mainstream politicians. They do not explain their policies, she claimed, and are unrecognisable to voters.
"People have no idea who their representative is," she said. "They are faceless. And those that are known are poor – Barroso was terrible, and represented the views of no one. Ashton was a total failure. The leaders disillusion them."
On Wednesday Miss Dati was in London to campaign for votes from French citizens living in London – her constituency, Ile de France, represents Paris and also French citizens living abroad.
"We held a meeting, and a dinner," she said, slinking into a sofa in a St Pancras café, immaculate in a slim-fitting black trouser suit and four-inch heels. "It was great – there were loads of people who turned up. And they were very interested in the European question. Why? Because it's something they are living.
"They realise the frustrations and the difficulties. If they criticise Europe, they do so from a practical perspective. It's not an ideological criticism."
French voters in London were worried about slow economic growth, industrial politics, and taxes, she said. "In France we have zero growth and exploding unemployment, so of course they are concerned."
Her visit was fleeting – less than 24 hours, with her five-year-old daughter Zohra in tow. But raising the profile of MEPs is a cause she adamantly believes in.
What did she make of Nigel Farage – for many British voters, the "face" of the elections?
"Everyone's talking about him. I knew him from Brussels," she said. "He is very charismatic, very smart, a very good orator. He's right about some of the problems with Brussels.
"But he has no suggestions. He just says it's all the fault of Europe. He has only one policy – and that's getting out of Europe. Beyond that there is nothing."
France's FN and Ukip have often been seen as ideal bedfellows. And a far-Right group in the European parliament would give them a better status, more funds and greater influence in policymaking, including seats on committees and more speaking time in parliament.
Twenty-five deputies from a quarter of the EU's 28 member states are needed to set up a new parliamentary group – and observers agree there are enough candidates to make this possible.
Matteo Salvini, head of Italy's Northern League, spoke recently of "advanced" talks to set up a far-Right group, adding it would be "as big as possible" with like-minded parties from Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands and France.
Geert Wilders, head of the Dutch Party for Freedom, also said last week he was optimistic that Eurosceptic parties including the FN and Northern League would join forces after the European elections.
"I am very confident, I invested a lot in the last year by travelling all over Europe. We will be able to work together," he said on Tuesday, as he stood on the steps of the European Parliament in Brussels and chopped up the European flag with scissors.
But Mr Farage has repeatedly rejected Ms Le Pen's overtures, calling the party anti Semitic, and said that he has no intention of aligning Ukip with their French counterparts.
And Ms Dati dismissed any chance of an alliance - on practical grounds, however, rather than ideological ones.
"They can't work together," she said. "The extreme parties are not at all homogenous. They have nothing in common – other than they don't want to be part of Europe."
Yet the fact remains that the FN is now a serious force to be reckoned with. The French newspaper, Le Monde, published a story on Wednesday under the headline: "The FN profit from the European Elections to prepare for the 2017 presidentials".
Senior figures within the UMP even appealed to Mr Sarkozy to intervene with a public statement or article in their support. In what many saw as a swing to the Right to capitalise on the popularity of the FN, and a group of 40 UMP politicians – lead by Henri Guaino, Mr Sarkozy's former chief adviser and a committed "sovereigntist" – signed an open letter published by Le Figaro saying they wanted to "change everything" in Europe.
"The richness of our party is that there are some who are pro, and some who are anti, but we are all on the same line," said Miss Dati. "Guaino's not anti Europe. He just thinks the EU shouldn't control everything. And I agree with that.
"EU should control foreign policy, security, immigration. But not family issues. The EU should not get involved in everything."
Does it worry her that she could be taking a seat in a parliament she shares with extreme Right parties, such as Greece's neo Nazi Golden Dawn, and Hungary's Jobbik?
"I'm not someone who says 'It was a bad vote, they were stupid.' No – citizens understand very well what is going on, and are expressing their frustrations."
She added: "I think these elections will be a wake up call for Europe. Given the levels of disillusionment, they have to be."
post originated from http://www.telegraph.co.uk
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