Let's play Happy Families, National Front Edition

(Originally posted by Blasting News France by Anthony Poix)

Red carpet treatment is over for Marine Le Pen, who was recently invited to attend a celebrity gala in New York. The National Front candidate came back from the US to find her Party in crisis. Indeed, her father and founder of the party has been suspended by the executive office on Monday evening. Her niece, Marion-Maréchal Le Pen reacted by suggesting she might be abandoning her candidacy in upcoming regional elections for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur constituency.

Exacerbating even further the party’s crisis, the close friend and mayor of the city of Béziers, Robert Ménard has placed himself, yet again, at the centre of a new polemic.

The time seems ideal to play the famous game, Happy Families, The National Front Edition.

In the NF family I want...The Father

Jean-Marie, the patriarch of the family, has shaped the party in what it is nowadays. Using provocations and polemics as his favoured weapons, he has, in many ways, been a long term mentor for all members of the family. Consequently, his daughter’s latest move to try to distance him from the party did hurt him to the point that he recently declared being ashamed that the president of the party, Marine Le Pen, has his surname.

“In fact I wish she would marry her partner soon so that she would not be called Le Pen anymore”  he declared recently during an interview, then adding “ I know she is surrounded by a certain numbers of socialist-Gaullists, people from diverse origins and far from the original National Front ideology.”

….The Daughter

Marine has literally and politically “killed her father”. Daddy has never really stopped getting in her way while the presidential elections are coming closer. “ I don’t like conflict, but Mr Le Pen’s latest actions are unacceptable, we must preserve the party from being associated with such bad behaviours” declared the presidential candidate. Marine is having a hard time trying to reverse the demonization of her party.

National Front militants recently attacked journalists and FEMEN demonstrators revealing publicly that for many, the party still stand for the same old principles.

...The Niece

Marion Maréchal-Le Pen now finds herself in an embarrassing position. Cherished granddaughter of Jean-Marie and the niece of Marine, she was meant to replace her granddad in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur constituency. However, it has become complicated. “I am not afraid of political conflict, and it isn’t about motivations” she affirmed recently. “But I find myself in a delicate situation, at a personal level and professionally. I don’t want all of this to affect the Party’s candidacy in the constituency”. In the end, the prodigal child might have to step down.

...The Son

Marine Le Pen’s partner and vice-president of the National front, Louis Aliot is one of the first targets of Jean Marie. “He is a nice guy but sometimes a bit slow” declared Mr Le Pen to French magazine ‘Paris Match’ last June. On the recent headlines of the ‘Express’ newspaper, one can read: “Uncle Louis, as many call him in the family, has always struggled to be accepted by the one who never really considered him like a son”.  Marine’s right-hand man, Florian Philoppot is not doing bad either in his role. Rumours are that he orchestrated Jean-Marie Le Pen’s exit from the political arena.

…. Uncle Gunslinger

He was among the celebrities of the national 1st May Parade. Bruno Gollnisch, a veteran of the party, has made noise again attacking journalists of French Group Canal Plus with his umbrella.”Gollnisch and others from the party have inflicted injuries to our media and journalist team” explained presenter Yann Barthès.

Regardless, this latest altercation has legitimised his claim that the party is under an identity crisis. “Since Jean-Marie has been sanctioned for his words, I have been wondering if the ideological line of the party has changed, and I can’t get any answer. Maybe the party should call for a general meeting to discuss the issue.“

….The Bad Friend

He is not from the National Front per se, but close enough. Robert Ménard, recently had the strange idea to make open controversial revelations on TV. Indeed, he openly revealed on the French Channel France 2 that his Town Hall had been establishing and profiling records of young Muslim children, an action not only controversial but also illegal.

“We keep a record of all children, names upon names, I know we are not supposed to but we still do. Names reveal religious confession, if you don’t accept it, you are denying a reality”.