French web users mock Socialist Party’s new viral campaign

French web users mock Socialist Party’s new viral campaign

This is François Hollande’s latest campaign ad; it features leaders of France’s socialist party, celebrities and ordinary citizens making a somewhat bizarre gesture or movement as they quote the slogan adopted by the socialist candidate in the presidential elections “the time for change is now”. The action is meant to symbolize equality, and intended as a rallying cry, but has quickly become the butt of jokes among the online community.

Was the video inspired by the dance moves of Spanish group "Las Ketchup" in their video clip for "Asereje" ? or by the New Zealand Haka? Or the Power Rangers? This blog “Le ridicule, c’est maintenant” has compiled all the parodies currently doing the rounds on sharing sites, like this one by radio presenter Guy Birenbaum…

The French Minister for Industry, Eric Besson, has said on Twitter that the Socialist Party has managed to do worse than the UMP party. His tweet is a reference to the famous lipdub broadcast by the presidential party at the end of 2009, which also became the subject of much ridicule.

Philippe David writes for Atlantico.fr, and feels these disastrous videos illustrate the influence communication specialists have over politicians, who, the writer feels, can no longer distinguish between what’s ridiculous and what’s not.

USA: Ron Paul is still in the race

He’s lagging behind in opinion polls, but it doesn’t look like Republican nomination candidate Ron Paul is ready to throw in the towel just yet. He and his supporters have turned to the web to try and show voters what makes him different from the other contenders in the Presidential race.

And the Libertarian candidate is not beating around the bush when it comes to winning over voters. He recently posted this campaign video online in which he directly attacks his three competitors for the Republican nomination. Newt Gingrich is described as a hypocrite, Rick Santorum as a fake Republican and Mitt Romney as a weathercock: Ron Paul meanwhile is shown as the only real candidate for change.

Ron Paul’s campaign is indeed primarily focused on his desire to do politics differently. The vast majority of the campaign ads produced by his communications team, like these ones, slam the attitudes of American politicians, both Republican and Democrat; he believes that over time they have weakened the country. In these videos Paul is depicted as the savior of the country, capable of winning back people’s trust and more importantly, reviving the economy.

Ron Paul’s supporters back this and are also relaying the message on the web. This video was recently posted online; it’s made entirely from computer generated images, we see the candidate deliver a speech promoting peace and anti-imperialism, against an apocalyptic backdrop. The ad claims that the Ron Paul revolution is underway and he is the only one capable of getting the United States back on its feet.

Tasmanian prisoner announces escape on Facebook

"Is getting out sooner than you think." This was how 19 year old Australian Kyle Leslie Lynch currently serving time in a Tasmanian prison updated his Facebook status on January 5th. And last Saturday, he escaped the prison along with a fellow inmate. Prisoners are not allowed to use social networks, so it could be that someone on the outside updated the escapees Facebook page, or he could have done it himself from his prison cell using a smart phone. A statewide police search is underway to track down the two fugitives.

Now trending on social networks

Since the announcement of his death on Tuesday night, Theo Angelopoulos has been trending heavily on social networks. The Greek film maker was killed in a road accident; he was hit by a motor cycle while working on his latest movie. His many fans have been left shocked and saddened by the news saying what a huge loss this is to Greece. Many film lovers have taken to the web to pay tribute to him, hailing the talent and genius of Angelopoulos who won numerous awards for his films including “the Palme d’Or” at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for “Eternity and a Day”.

Video of the day

A solar flare that erupted from the sun last Thursday has been hurling charged solar particles towards earth over the past few days, making for some amazing Aurora Borealis displays in the northern hemisphere, and more specifically in Alaska, where this stunning film was shot in Fairbanks on the 22nd January. The dazzling show is available to view on sharing sites.