On Thursday 12 May, the Lower Sixth hosted a fascinating talk on the recent French Election.
We discussed the two-round system of the elections, and how close the election was between the current president, Emmanuel Macron, (who is on the centre-left part of the political spectrum) and the runner up, Marie Le Pen, (whom is on the far right). It was also mentioned that Mélenchon, (a left-wing politician), was close to getting into the second round of elections, as well as his theoretical alliance with the French Green, Socialist and Communist Party to deprive Macron majority in Parliament and block his proposals in government.
Some French teachers from both the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools attended and shed light on the political atmosphere in France, including how the Yellow Vests (‘Gilets Jaunes’) protest had considerable impact on the elections, as well as how the police brutality during this negatively affected the people’s view of Macron.
To conclude, we held a debate on whether prisoners should have the right to vote, as it is legal in France but not in Britain. It was said that the pros could include an easier re-integration into society, after serving their time in prison and that voting may be included in their human rights. However, the cons may be that the prisoners do not deserve to decide the future of the country if they have broken the laws set by government. Another point that was raised was that prisoners’ right to vote depended on the severity of their crime, longevity of their sentence and the importance of the election.
Overall, we found this week’s PolSoc very interesting and look forward to more talks!
Written by Yanxi Jin and Maya Nicholls U4
