Current events in France (2) To better understand a country, it is useful to read its press and watch its TV. You can see what are the main issues for the people, what are the current controversies (the French are very good at that...). In this section, I try to register, month after month, the main topics for the French.
 WARNING ! The comments below do NOT reflect MY own opinion but are a tentative synthesis of what comes out from the French press and TV in a given month ! I do express my own opinions on page Editorial !

This page concerns 2008 and 2007 : for previous years, click here.

  Webmaster Philippe Rochefort and wife Harriet discussing current world affairs in a French bistrot.

What is making the headlines this month (in 2008)....
  • May :
    • The French love anniversaries : this month, they celebrate the pseudo-revolution of May 1968
  • April :
    • Blunders and discrepancies : every day Sarkozy and his government offer something new to the press, which comments them endlessly...
    • Amazing success of a film "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" (17 million viewers in 6 weeks) restoring the pride of the North of France. Read more.
  • March :
    • As expected, the local elections are lost by Sarkozy's majority and most cities, "départements" and regions are now run by the Left-Wing.
  • February :
    • In country where the opinion is always quasi-evenly split 49/51 on every issue, it is remarkable to note that 82% of the French strongly disagree with the way Sarkozy exhibits his private life (OpinionWay/Le Figaro 15/2/2008) ; all newpapers and magazine make their cover-story and headlines about it. The popularity level of the president sinks...
  • January :
    • Société Générale, one of the major French banks is ridiculed by a "lone trader" and looses more than $7bn
    • Sarkozy has appointed Jacques Attali (a Socialist), advisor to former president Mitterand, to identify the main obstacles to economic growth in the French society ; he submitted his report Jan.23 with 316 propositions ; as always lazy, prejudiced and incompetent, the French press mentions only the most anecdotic ones (like suppressing the obligation of a license for hairdressers) or the 3 of them President Sarkozy does not agree with (like suppressing the "departement", one of the SEVEN layers of local authorities). See "the French and change".
    • On January 2, all cafés and restaurants in France became "non smoking" : the whole country wonders what will happen, given the well-established tradition of a lack of discipline, but apparently it works... More to come

What was making the headlines in 2007...
  • December :
    • After the very controversial visit to Paris of Col.Khadafi, Sarkozy is happy to have the whole press covering the day he spent at EuroDisney with glamorous singer Carla Bruni, apparently his new lover girl...
    • The cover story of Time (European edition) ("The Death of the French Culture") angered the whole country with its patronizing tone...
  • November :
    • Sarkozy had promised that when elected he would launch an ambitious process to include environmental concerns into all public policies ; called the "Grenelle de l'Environnement", it took several weeks of meetings and was concluded by the President, with Manuel Baroso (president of the European Commision) and Al Gore ; it is largely considered a big success and once again Sarkozy's opponents are embarassed : he does what they say the government should do (and they did not do when in power)...
  • October :
    • the first big strike of the Sarkozy era (Oct.18) is to protest against the reform of the situation of 500,000 civil servants and bus and trains employees who can retire at age 50 with full pension (read more about their amazing provileges).
    • the question is : where is Cecilia ? The wife of President Sarkozy does not act as a typical First Lady (euphemism...). Will they divorce ? The answer came Oct.19 : yes, they divorce !
    • everyday, newspapers make their healines about financial scandals insider dealing by top management (EADS), bribes to workers' unions by employers' association (MEDEF), blackmail of politicians by government agents (Clearstream), etc... The fact that the Nobel Prize of Physics was awarded to a French physicist is hardly mentionned. Who says that the French are chauvinists ?
  • September :
    • of course : the Rugby World Cup which takes place in France !
    • the communication strategy of President Sarkozy freaks out the medias : every day a different field and by the time (one day) they're ready to react, comment and analyze, he is adressing something completely different. Wen elected, he said "I'll start full speed and then I'll accelerate"...
  • June/July/August :
    • in July and August, people talk about vacation and, this year, about the terrible weather, cold and rainy all over the country
    • the country is fascinated by the way the new president is beginning his mandate : hyperactive, appointing opponents to major positions, etc.. ; the Socialist party does not know what to do or say and is in total panic...
  • May :
    • A new type of presidential family at the Elysée Palace : with Sarkozy (brilliantly) elected president of France, it is the first time that a second-generation Frenchman is elected and it is also the first time that the president's family, like so many families, has two children on her side, two on his and one they have in common.
  • Newsmap is a very interesting site which gives the repartition of the most frequently treated information by category (world, nation, business, techno, sports, entertainment, health) for 11 countries, including France and the US. It is permanently updated and it is fascinating to compare what is considered the most important at the same moment in different countries.
  • Presidential elections : most recent poll (first round)
     

     Sarkozy

     Royal

     Le Pen

     Bayrou
    		  Others
     Jan.15

     33%

     28%

     10%

     12%

     17%
     Feb.15

     33%

     26%

     13%

     14%

     14%
     Mar 8

     26%

     25%

     14%

     24%

     11%
     Mar 23

     26%

     25%

     14,5%

     22%

     12,5%
     Apr 13

     28,5%

     24%

     13%

     18%

     16,5%
     Actual

     31%

     25%

     11%

     19%

     14%
    % of voters : 85% (first round), 86% (second round) : traditionnally high (over 75%), voter participation was particularly high, after a very interesting campaign.
  • More to come...
  • April :
    • All the comments about the Blacksburg shooting at Virginia Tech (33 killed) are "why are the Americans so surprised : it is the only country where anybody can buy a gun over the counter"
    • Everything turns around the presidential campaign and it is, indeed, quite interesting ; the old split Left/Right resists but is challenged, with the excellent campaign of Bayrou....
  • March :
    • March 26 : the presidential campaign is becoming funnier every day : the Socialist candidate declared that every family should have a French flag. For most of the Lelft, this is a typical extreme Right Wing statement. The Right wing cracks up...
    • March 24 : the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which started the building of Europe is celebrated in Berlin with humility and nostalgia, given the current poor situation of the European project
    • Airbus, the European champion, is facing very challenging cost cuts : it is becoming an important issue in the presidential campaign.
  • February :
    • Presidential campaign every day.... The French Christian Democrat François Bayrou is doing surprisingly well in the polls.
  • January :
    • The death of Abbé Pierre, the most popular figure for the French, ranking #1 for 20 years.
    • Now and for the coming 4 months, most headlines refer to the next Presidential elections (April 22) ; as of today, polls give Sarkozy and Royal 50/50 ; read about French political issues ; among many controversial news : the Socialist party declares they would increase the income tax on "high" salaries (above Euros 4,000/month ; it is disclosed that the Socialist candidate is "rich" enough to pay ISF (tax on wealth), etc....

To previous years

To French society

To major French issues

To strengths and weaknesses of France

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Harriet Welty Rochefort writes articles and books about France and the French. Order her books:

  • "French Toast, An American in Paris Celebrates The Maddening Mysteries of the French", St.Martin's Press, New York, 1999
  • "French Fried, The Culinary Capers of An American in Paris", St.Martin's Press, New York, 2001

More on Harriet's books (excerpts, upcoming events, testimonials, etc..)

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