La Rive Gauche
Tomorrow I depart for Paris. Visiting my dear old Grandad.
My Grandad, as a candidate in the 1956 French general election made what I beleive to be the best campaign promise of any candidate in any election ever.
"If I am elected, comrades" he told his audience, "I give you my word. I do not promise revolution. I tell you, the revolution will have already happened."
He was last on the Communist Party list for his district. Anything less than 100% of the vote for the Communist Party and his fledgling parliamentary career would be cut off in it's prime. It would take a revolution, and the consequent emancipation of the popular consciousness - or state repression to bring victory to Camarade Charles.
As the revolution didn't happen and the Communist Party recieved somewhat less than 100% of the vote my Grandfather was never a member of the French Parliament.
I did find it hard to stifle a chuckle though when I went to my Oxford admission interview many years later (having, in the intervening period, been born). After a few pleasantries the politics tutor handed me a sheet of paper.
"Analyse that" was his introduction to the interview proper.
On the sheet was a breakdown of the election results for 1956 in France.
"What do you think we can tell from that?" he said.
"The revolution hadn't happened yet" I nearly said.
My Grandad, as a candidate in the 1956 French general election made what I beleive to be the best campaign promise of any candidate in any election ever.
"If I am elected, comrades" he told his audience, "I give you my word. I do not promise revolution. I tell you, the revolution will have already happened."
He was last on the Communist Party list for his district. Anything less than 100% of the vote for the Communist Party and his fledgling parliamentary career would be cut off in it's prime. It would take a revolution, and the consequent emancipation of the popular consciousness - or state repression to bring victory to Camarade Charles.
As the revolution didn't happen and the Communist Party recieved somewhat less than 100% of the vote my Grandfather was never a member of the French Parliament.
I did find it hard to stifle a chuckle though when I went to my Oxford admission interview many years later (having, in the intervening period, been born). After a few pleasantries the politics tutor handed me a sheet of paper.
"Analyse that" was his introduction to the interview proper.
On the sheet was a breakdown of the election results for 1956 in France.
"What do you think we can tell from that?" he said.
"The revolution hadn't happened yet" I nearly said.
posted by Pickles @ 2:14 am
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