Here’s an interesting little idea. Essentially, a contronym is a word that could be interpreted as an antonym of itself. I’ve been racking my brain thinking of some political equivalents. I wonder if the word intellectual could work…
J.S.
Following on from Mr Smith’s shrewd analysis of the French presidential candidates’ machinations, this extract from Le Monde, quoting Jean-Marie Le Pen, seems pertinent. Are we to take his reticence as moderate or mischievous? Somehow I think it is unlikely to attract many votes from erstwhile Sarkozites, let alone Boveards:
In a meeting with readers on Sunday, Jean-Marie Le Pen rued Jacques Chirac’s recognition of the French State’s responsibility for the deportation of Jews.
‘I regret this. He’s the only President to have done it. Even Francois Mitterrand didn’t do it.’ he responded. To the same reader, he complained about the way in which the Holocaust is taught, saying: ‘It’s a subject that I’m not going to get into. When I expressed myself in fairly moderate terms [Le Pen described the gas chambers as ‘a detail of history’] it cost me 150 million old francs. Freedom of expression is impermissible in these debates. I will do well to stay out of it. One cannot express an opinion other than that dictated by la pensee unique [a conspiratorial and self-pitying phrase frequently used by Le Pen to describe the supposedly sacrosanct beliefs of 'the establishment']’
As Jonathan points out, Le Pen’s vote tends to be understated in opinion polls, presumably because expressions of support are out of kilter with ‘la pensee unique’. Disturbingly, Le Pen has greater overt support now than at the equivalent stage of the 2002 campaign. A reported 42% of voters are undecided.
A Sarkozy-Le Pen second round would be a volatile and potentially shocking affair. Support for Le Pen over Sarkozy, from unlikely quarters, has already been expressed on these pages. How many socialists would peg their noses to vote for Sarkozy, as they did for Chirac five years ago? Given the masochistic tendencies of many on the hard Left, my guess would be far fewer.
Michael P
