‘Brexit, Trump give French reason to vote’

LYON / AP

Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and the election of U.S. President Donald Trump have given the French a “reason to vote” because it can result in real change, the top lieutenant of far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen declared on Sunday ahead of her long-awaited speech.
Le Pen supporters were pouring into the congress center in Lyon on Sunday, the second day of a conference by her anti-immigrant National Front party. She was expected to speaking about her 144 presidential promises unveiled a day earlier, a nationalist agenda aimed at throwing off the European Union, NATO and the status quo.
National Front official Florian Philippot said people who thought voting “served nothing” because it brought no change now have proof that an alternative is possible. He says he likes Trump’s tweets because they “break the politically correct” mold.
He claimed that National Front membership rose after Brexit and again after the Trump victory but gave no figures.
In her platform Saturday, Le Pen envisioned a thriving nation “made in France,” with its citizens first in line for state services and the state unshackled by the rules-laden European Union. Among her promises: No more membership in NATO’s integrated command. No more euro currency, European Union or open borders. Immigration, especially by Muslims, would be contained. And no more second chances for foreigners under surveillance as suspected potential terrorists — those thousands would be expelled.
The French would guard their own borders, spend francs instead of euros, defend themselves and give priority to French citizens for public housing and other services over EU citizens and
immigrants.
Philippot conceded Sunday that Le Pen’s program would mean a “slight increase” in the nation’s debt in the first year if she is elected in the two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7. Le Pen’s plan calls for adding 15,000 police, 6,000 customs officers to guard borders and more hospital workers. But she hopes those expenses would be countered by outing fiscal fraud, decreasing immigrants and their ability to automatically access social services as well as doing away with regional councils and reducing the number of French lawmakers.