This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2017/mar/20/french-presidential-candidates-debate-key-election-issues-live
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| French presidential candidates debate key election issues - live! | French presidential candidates debate key election issues - live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 9.31pm GMT | |
| 21:31 | |
| Morality in public life | |
| Asked how to restore a sense of morality in public life – with several of the participants embroiled in assorted judicial and other inquiries: | |
| Fillon says he will set up a commission should be set up to improve transparency and guarantee good conduct. | |
| Macron says conflicts of interests must be abolished as far as humanly possible; all relations with lobbyists must be disclosed; MPs’ pay must be made completely transparent; the rules must be clear. | |
| Mélenchon says MPs should not be able to do consultancy work, and hiring family members – common practice in France – should be banned. | |
| Le Pen says the campaign has helped French voters realise that some candidates are defending the interests of major groups rather than of the French people. She has a dig at Macron here, a former banker: “Private interests have invited themselves into this campaign.” | |
| Macron comes close to accusing her of defamation, saying she has accused him of a conflict of interest – if she believes that, she should file a formal complaint, he says, or keep her silence. | |
| 9.21pm GMT | |
| 21:21 | |
| A first few thoughts from the Guardian’s Paris correspondent, Angelique Chrisafis: | |
| Macron began the debate at a certain disadvantage: this is his first ever election and he is more used to being on stage alone, delivering speeches than taking part in debates. When he was economy minister, one of his biggest, televised verbal shoot-outs was with Le Pen’s strategy mastermind and media pit-bull, Florian Philippot, who is tonight sitting, nodding, behind Le Pen in the studio. | |
| Angelique adds: | |
| So far tonight, Macron has aimed his fire at his right-wing rival Fillon, attacking him for using the term “civil war” and “wanting to sow the seeds of fear.” Macron, who has risen in the polls since Fillon’s legal woes of the past five weeks, also rubbished Fillon’s policy plan to lower the criminal age of responsibility to 16. But having let Hamon and Mélenchon lead most charges against Le Pen, Macron suddenly lashed out at the Front National candidate when she accused him of being in favour of the burkini. He accused her of deliberately wanted to “divide French society”. | |
| Updated | |
| at 9.22pm GMT | |
| 9.20pm GMT | |
| 21:20 | |
| Institutions | |
| This promises to be pretty dry ... | |
| Mélenchon says there should be a sixth Republic. | |
| Le Pen says 500,000 voters should be able to call a referendum. The people are sovereign, she says; the number of MPs and senators should be cut; and France’s regions should be scrapped. | |
| Hamon also calls for a sixth Republic, to “allow democracy to breathe”. | |
| Macron says he has started a new political movement, without public subsidy – this is a real exercise in democratic renewal, he says. | |
| He addresses the question of his campaign funding, the subject of some debate: it is funded by individuals giving between one and 7,500 euros, he says. | |
| Asked specifically whether he is funded by wealthy individuals form the pharmaceutical or oil industry, Macron says he pledges not to be influenced by anyone. | |
| 9.09pm GMT | |
| 21:09 | |
| Secularism | |
| Secularism is respect at every moment for the laws of the Republic, says Macron. It is a shield. | |
| Mélenchon says secularism is the separation of church and state and the absolute respect of liberty of conscience and freedom of belief. People are fed up with being hit over the head with secularism, he says. Hamon, essentially, agrees. | |
| Le Pen says secularism in France is threatened by rising Muslim fundamentalism: demands around dress, around food, around all sorts of issues. Nobody is looking the problem in the face, she says. | |
| Macron, Mélenchon and Hamon all react strongly to this. Macron accuses Le Pen, when she asked him what she thought of the burkini, at the centre of a major debate in France last summer, of trying to “divide French society”. | |
| Updated | |
| at 9.23pm GMT | |
| 9.00pm GMT | 9.00pm GMT |
| 21:00 | 21:00 |
| Hamon says the proportion of immigrants living in France is fundamentally unchanged for decades. Of 100 people who leave their home country around the world, he says, only four come to Europe. | Hamon says the proportion of immigrants living in France is fundamentally unchanged for decades. Of 100 people who leave their home country around the world, he says, only four come to Europe. |
| Le Pen says she wants to “stop immigration. And I will not make any excuses for that”. She says national frontiers must be restored, “we can’t count on Greece”. | |
| France has seven million unemployed people and nine million living in poverty, she says: | France has seven million unemployed people and nine million living in poverty, she says: |
| We have to put in place a policy to discourage immigration ... I understand why they want to come, but I am there to look after the interests of the French people. | We have to put in place a policy to discourage immigration ... I understand why they want to come, but I am there to look after the interests of the French people. |
| And she says at least four terrorists have entered France as refugees or migrants. | And she says at least four terrorists have entered France as refugees or migrants. |
| Updated | |
| at 9.01pm GMT | |
| 8.53pm GMT | 8.53pm GMT |
| 20:53 | 20:53 |
| Immigration | Immigration |
| This is a key theme of the campaign. | This is a key theme of the campaign. |
| Macron is first up: the real problem is illegal immigration, he says, and the first priority is an effective policy of sending back to their country of origin those who do not qualify for asylum. | Macron is first up: the real problem is illegal immigration, he says, and the first priority is an effective policy of sending back to their country of origin those who do not qualify for asylum. |
| That requires a genuine pan-European immigration and asylum policy, he says. And never forget: someone asking for asylum is someone who has fled a brutal regime. France’s policy must be firm but fair. | That requires a genuine pan-European immigration and asylum policy, he says. And never forget: someone asking for asylum is someone who has fled a brutal regime. France’s policy must be firm but fair. |
| Fillon these are often not refugees – the immense majority are men and women fleeing poverty, not a brutal regime. He is in favour of quotas, “a very democratic system”, not for genuine asylum seekers but for economic migrants. “It is a fundamental question of control,” he says. | Fillon these are often not refugees – the immense majority are men and women fleeing poverty, not a brutal regime. He is in favour of quotas, “a very democratic system”, not for genuine asylum seekers but for economic migrants. “It is a fundamental question of control,” he says. |
| 8.43pm GMT | 8.43pm GMT |
| 20:43 | 20:43 |
| Hamon says neighbourhood policing needs to be boosted, and police operating in sensitive areas should get a bonus. Hostility to the police must stop, he says. On the other hand, ID controls must stop discriminating against non-whites. | Hamon says neighbourhood policing needs to be boosted, and police operating in sensitive areas should get a bonus. Hostility to the police must stop, he says. On the other hand, ID controls must stop discriminating against non-whites. |
| Mélenchon says that in 10 years, parliament has passed 15 new security laws and none have ever been evaluated. Police are deeply unhappy, he says – but at the same time, “a certain part of the population is afraid of the police”. The “logic of confrontation” must stop. | Mélenchon says that in 10 years, parliament has passed 15 new security laws and none have ever been evaluated. Police are deeply unhappy, he says – but at the same time, “a certain part of the population is afraid of the police”. The “logic of confrontation” must stop. |
| Macron says it’s important not to exaggerate. But security is a priority, he says. He will create a new form of neighbourhood policing for petty crime and delinquency, with officers able to hand out on-the-spot fines and judges able to order expulsions. Pragmatism, not grand principles, he says. | Macron says it’s important not to exaggerate. But security is a priority, he says. He will create a new form of neighbourhood policing for petty crime and delinquency, with officers able to hand out on-the-spot fines and judges able to order expulsions. Pragmatism, not grand principles, he says. |
| On a follow-up question, Fillon says the age of criminal responsibility should be lowered to 16 from 18. Macron says that’s not necessary: France already has a functioning justice system for juveniles. | On a follow-up question, Fillon says the age of criminal responsibility should be lowered to 16 from 18. Macron says that’s not necessary: France already has a functioning justice system for juveniles. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.45pm GMT | at 8.45pm GMT |
| 8.36pm GMT | 8.36pm GMT |
| 20:36 | 20:36 |
| Security and justice | Security and justice |
| Le Pen says 12,500 police and gendarmerie posts were cut under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy. The security forces must be strengthened, she says. | Le Pen says 12,500 police and gendarmerie posts were cut under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy. The security forces must be strengthened, she says. |
| She wants to create an extra 40,000 prison places, and stiffer penalties. Victims don’t understand why sentences are so short, she says. | She wants to create an extra 40,000 prison places, and stiffer penalties. Victims don’t understand why sentences are so short, she says. |
| #LePen's key challenge in the 1st TV debate is to convince on her economic policy. Already she stressing the security issue at every turn | #LePen's key challenge in the 1st TV debate is to convince on her economic policy. Already she stressing the security issue at every turn |
| Fillon says France has the biggest debt of any major country, so Le Pen’s promises are not affordable. But crime and delinquency have increased, he says, so something has to be done. | Fillon says France has the biggest debt of any major country, so Le Pen’s promises are not affordable. But crime and delinquency have increased, he says, so something has to be done. |
| He suggests relieving police of their administrative burden and bringing in new staff to help. He says 16,000 new prison places will be sufficient – but above all, more respect for the police. | He suggests relieving police of their administrative burden and bringing in new staff to help. He says 16,000 new prison places will be sufficient – but above all, more respect for the police. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.56pm GMT | at 8.56pm GMT |
| 8.28pm GMT | 8.28pm GMT |
| 20:28 | 20:28 |
| Le Pen says 50% of primary school time must be devoted to learning French and lessons in children’s mother tongues should be scrapped. | Le Pen says 50% of primary school time must be devoted to learning French and lessons in children’s mother tongues should be scrapped. |
| She too says professional training must be improved, and accuses the education ministry of neglecting this. | She too says professional training must be improved, and accuses the education ministry of neglecting this. |
| Schools are not safe places, she says: teaches are insulted and abused. And secularism must be preserved. | Schools are not safe places, she says: teaches are insulted and abused. And secularism must be preserved. |
| Hamon says French schoolchildren have the most demanding days of all pupils in Europe, and proposes limiting primary classes to 25. He says it is essential to hire 20,000 more teachers, and he promises more mixed intakes in secondary school, with larger catchment areas. | Hamon says French schoolchildren have the most demanding days of all pupils in Europe, and proposes limiting primary classes to 25. He says it is essential to hire 20,000 more teachers, and he promises more mixed intakes in secondary school, with larger catchment areas. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.34pm GMT | at 8.34pm GMT |
| 8.25pm GMT | 8.25pm GMT |
| 20:25 | 20:25 |
| The first question from the two journalists: what social model for France? | The first question from the two journalists: what social model for France? |
| Starting with education. | Starting with education. |
| Fillon says 150,000 French school pupils leave school without knowing the fundamentals. He says discipline is important, and school uniforms – almost unknown in France – would underline equality. Teachers should be better paid and better viewed. | Fillon says 150,000 French school pupils leave school without knowing the fundamentals. He says discipline is important, and school uniforms – almost unknown in France – would underline equality. Teachers should be better paid and better viewed. |
| Emmanuel Macron says many 10- and 11 year-olds cannot properly read or write. In priority education areas, he says, he wants extra teaching hours and radically reduced class sizes, and far better vocational training. | Emmanuel Macron says many 10- and 11 year-olds cannot properly read or write. In priority education areas, he says, he wants extra teaching hours and radically reduced class sizes, and far better vocational training. |
| Mélenchon says he wants to hire far more teachers, and also laments the closure of 170 technical colleges across France in recent years. Vocational training from age 16 is vital, he says. | Mélenchon says he wants to hire far more teachers, and also laments the closure of 170 technical colleges across France in recent years. Vocational training from age 16 is vital, he says. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.33pm GMT | at 8.33pm GMT |
| 8.19pm GMT | 8.19pm GMT |
| 20:19 | 20:19 |
| Benoit Hamon asks whether the French want to be “warlike” or “fraternal” – what message do we want to send the world, he asks. | Benoit Hamon asks whether the French want to be “warlike” or “fraternal” – what message do we want to send the world, he asks. |
| I will be an honest, open and fair president, he says; I will turn the page on the old promises. | I will be an honest, open and fair president, he says; I will turn the page on the old promises. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.21pm GMT | at 8.21pm GMT |