La France

[Sand Castle]

My uncle says France is socialist, and my research tells me the French Socialist Party has a large influence over there. My other uncle tells me all of Europe and Canada are socialist. I know Canada isn't socialist. I think my uncle's are mislead and ass backwards in their beliefs. Maybe one of the European users can answer these. What is France? Are they social democrats? What type of "socialism" (with emphasis on the quotation marks) does the French "Socialist" Party support? What about the rest of Europe? Do you know the exact ideology? I've been guessing most of the countries in Europe are capitalist with a few socialized things.

I've tried looking this up, but I couldn't find any straight forward answers. I’m confused (obviously).

[Sand Castle]

I think France is capitalist, yet run by some form of "Socialist" party since I hear France has big business (like McDonald's). I could be wrong though, that is why I'm asking all of the above.

[Bilan]

France had an election recently where they elected an ultra-right wing mother fucker.
There were riots (yay!)

France is not socialist. Europe is not socialist. Neither is canada.
All are capitalist.

[Wanted Man]

The conservative right has been in power in France for years. Same in the Netherlands. Everyone knows this. Your uncles are idiots.

See:

French ruling conservative party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_for_a_Popular_Movement)
Conservative former president (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Chirac)
Current conservative president (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Sarkozy)

First Dutch Balkenende cabinet, including conservatives, right-liberals, and fascistoid LPF party of Pim Fortuyn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Balkenende_cabinet)
Second centre-right Balkenende government (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Balkenende_cabinet) of conservatives, right-liberals and social liberals. After the social liberals left, there was the Third Balkenende (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Balkenende_cabinet) minority caretaker cabinet.
Balkenende IV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Balkenende_cabinet), the current centrist government of the Netherlands.

Socialist my ass.

[Sand Castle]

So it is exactly as I thought, they are capitalist with a few socialized things (maybe a little more than the US).

[Wanted Man]

More or less. And what is still socialized, is currently rapidly being privatized. It's just complete ignorance that "Europe is socialist", where does it come from? Taught at school? Said in the media? Or just word of mouth?

[Kropotkin Has a Posse]

Nationalising a few industries is not "socialism!"

It's actually one of the truest examples of capitalism because it's capitalism that has been given some measure of government planning to ensure that it stays capitalist and doesn't fall prey to destabilising worker unrest or economic collapse.

Sure, it's called the "Socialist Party," in France, but they are merely capitalists who prefer the carrot to the stick. And for the record, Canada is ruled by the Conservative Party.

Your uncles are ass-backwards all right.

[Janus]

I think France is capitalist, yet run by some form of "Socialist" party since I hear France has big business (like McDonald's).
Actually, France's newest president is a conservative.
French presidential elections (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=65868&hl=+France++president*)

As for France and the other European states being socialist, that is a horrible misrepresentation of what socialism really is. Many West European states do have socialist-leaning policies/programs (some more so than others) but their main economic paradigm remains capitalist.

[Sand Castle]

It's just complete ignorance that "Europe is socialist", where does it come from? Taught at school? Said in the media? Or just word of mouth? I think it comes from backwards right-wing media and word of mouth from idiots, mainly those who believe everything they hear on a comedy TV show.