After several months of speculation during which it seemed likely that M Sarkozy was going to drop his Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, the new French government has been announced over the weekend. The biggest surprise is how little it has changed. M Fillon remains Prime Minister, and most of the big figures in the previous government are still in place. Notable changes are - OUT: Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and favourite of M Sarkozy; Bernard Kouchner, former Socialist and invited into the government in 2007 in a spirit of openness, but recently confronted with some serious issues of conscience over the Roms affair; Jean-Louis Borloo, who is a centrist and had hoped for the post of PM; Hervé Morin, another centrist; Rama Yade, sports minister who has upset Sarkozy on several occasions;and Eric Woerth, who has all sorts of problems with the Bettencourt affair. IN: Alain Juppé, former PM and heavyweight politician coming in at defence; Michel Mercier, new justice minister; and Michelle Alliot-Marie, moved to foreign affairs.
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Meet the new French government - can you spot the difference?
November 15th, 2010Pensions reform is now officially law
November 10th, 2010The law on pension reform has been passed into law by President Sarkozy after it got through its last hurdle when the French Constitutional Court approved it earlier this week. M Sarkozy wasted no time in making the law official. The question now is whether this means the end of all the industrial unrest that France has been experiencing over the past weeks. Apparently it does not, because the unions have called for a new day of action on November 23rd. The law effectively delays the date at which workers can take their pensions by two years. Those who started working early may claim their pensions from sixty-two years old, but the majority will probably need to either take a reduced pension or wait until sixty-seven. M Sarkozy is hoping that this new law will help reduce massive public debt.
Letter bomb addressed to Sarkozy
November 2nd, 2010Four parcel bomb attacks - allegedly targeting French president Nicolas Sarkozy and three embassies - have been foiled by Greek police after one of the devices exploded at a delivery service. Police later detained two Greek men, aged 22 and 24, several hundred metres from the blast site in central Athens. The men were carrying handguns and bullets in waist pouches, and one of them wore a bulletproof vest, a wig and a baseball cap. Domestic political extremists are suspected, and one of the two men detained had been wanted in connection with a Greek radical anarchist group.
Massive rainfall disrupts Riviera
November 2nd, 2010The Riviera saw very heavy rainfall over the All Saints weekend, with some places recording over 300mm of rain in 24 hours. There are several blocked roads and one house has had a large rock fall upon it. So far there have been no reports of any deaths, and the rivers are not approaching the catastrophic flood levels seen in 1994.
Sarkozy flees the rainy South of France to go to London
November 2nd, 2010President Nicolas Sarkozy has arrived in London on a State visit after spending what must have been one of the wettest ever Presidential vacations in the Var. M Sarkozy and new British Premier David Cameron will be discussing closer collaboration in defence, including projects to share nuclear weapon technology and aircraft carriers.
Chinese president coming to Nice in preference to Versailles
October 22nd, 2010The President of China, Hu Jintao, who will be carying out an official three day visit to France at the beginning of November, has asked the French government to organise a trip to the French Riviera. M Sarkozy proposed to take him to see Versailles, but Mr Hu Jontao said he would prefer to come to the Riviera. He’ll be in Nice on November 5th.
The air travel lottery that is Nice Airport
October 22nd, 2010Air France personnel went on strike for two hours with no warning yesterday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. The airline ended up having to let several flights depart empty, and many passengers had their travel plans severely disrupted, including some who had already made it through to the departure lounge. This specific industrial action was to protest about a planned reorganisation of work at the airport. Travel in France is becoming very complicated these days, in the air there are three different movements currently jeopardising flights: the Air Traffic Controllers are protesting about plans to reorganise work in their sector, the general movement of protests against the pensions reforms is seeing airports blockaded and fuel supplies under pressure, and now the issues with Air France are adding to the problems.
Lady Gaga calls off Paris shows because of pensions protests
October 21st, 2010Two Lady Gaga shows in Paris this weekend have been postponed because of the strikes and protests in France over the plan to raise the retirement age.
The Oct. 22 and Oct. 23 shows at Paris Bercy have been postponed until Dec. 19 and Dec. 20 “as a result of the logistical difficulties due to the strikes in France,” said a statement on Lady Gaga’s website.
“Unfortunately, as there is no certainty that the trucks can make it to the Bercy for this weekend’s shows, the Lady Gaga performances are now postponed,” said the statement. Fans must exchange tickets or seek refunds by Nov. 14.
All you need to know about the Bettencourt affair
October 21st, 2010The richest woman in France, Liliane Bettencourt, is keeping many lawyers, accountants, and journalists busy these days. The recent flurry of activity began when secret recordings of conversations at her home seemed to show that she had given cash to help fund Nicolas Sarkozy’s election campaign. Her accountant then went public with claims that she had been ordered to prepare cash in envelopes to hand to Sarkozy and his entourage. Next was a scandal around France’s minister Eric Woerth, who is the man fronting the pensions reform. At the same time as he was getting ready to tell the French public that they all need to tighten their belts, Woerth was accused of obtaining a job for his wife from the man who manages Bettencourt’s fortune, Philippe de Maistre, as well as helping the fund manager himself obtain France’s top civilian honour. As the revelations continued to flow, Mrs Bettencourt has also been shown to have given enormous gifts to celebrity photographer, Francois-Marie Banier. He is accused of taking advantage of her and getting himself written into her will.
Now Ms Bettencourt has issued a lawsuit against her estranged daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, for harassment. The daughter has twice attempted to have her mothers’ affairs placed under power of attorney, claiming that the 87 year-old lady is no longer able to look after her 17bn euro fortune. The law she is using to attack her daughter is one that protects people who are vulnerable from being bullied by others, which leads to the question, is she vulnerable and therefore not able to manage her fortune…?
Pensions - cat and mouse game
October 21st, 2010France’s industrial action and protests are continuing as the movement becomes increasingly like a cat and mouse game between the government and the protesters. The government is resting firm and pushing through the reform, and is using police to force the opening of blockades, while the unionists and students are beginning to adopt guerrilla tactics. Early morning Thursday the airport of Marseilles was blockaded by militants, although after a couple of hours they left when the police turned up. Other blockades are taking place on roads in Strasbourg, Rouen and Le Havre, at a bus depot in Nancy, and at a rail station in Metz. Marseilles is also the scene of a protracted refuse collectors strike, and after several weeks of uncollected rubbish has begun to pile up on the streets of the city, the government has sent in the military to clear it up. One of the consequences of the current situation is that France is being forced to import massive amounts of electricity to make up for shortfalls in domestic production.
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