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INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Saucepans, immigration and a Paris horror story

From the French government's distinctly underwhelming 'relaunch' to Macron's problem with saucepans, via some public artwork and a scary book about Paris, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 29 April 2023 14:13 CEST
Inside France: Saucepans, immigration and a Paris horror story
The zinc roofs of Paris - historic, distinctive and terrible in hot weather. Photo by JACQUES DEMARTHON / AFP

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

100 days

The French government announced its ‘100 day relaunch programme’ this week – which turned out to be a distinctly underwhelming list of things already announced and some extremely vague policy goals.

One thing of interest to foreigners in France and those hoping to move here one day was the delay to the Immigration bill which, among other things, would introduce French language tests for certain types of residency cards.

Strongly championed by the hardline interior minister Gérald Darmanin, the first debates on the bill have been delayed until at least the autumn, with the Prime Minister judging it too divisive. 

Pans and football

Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, has embarked on a tour of the country with the stated aim of meeting the people and moving on from the pension crisis.

The headlines, however, have been dominated by casserolades – the name coined for groups of protesters banging saucepans (casseroles). In truth the number of these protesters seems to be pretty small, but bans on gatherings in areas that the president is visiting have been widely condemned as undemocratic and draconian.

Macron is due at Stade de France on Saturday evening for the final of the Coupe de France football tournament, traditionally attended by the president, and it seems likely that fans won’t welcome him warmly. At least he won’t have to watch his beloved Olympique Marseille lose – they were knocked out in the quarter final.

Horror story

I’m reading a very scary book at the moment. No, not a Stephen King novel – it’s called Paris face au changement climatique by engineer Franck Lirzin and is about the problems the French capital faces as temperatures rise. The climate crisis of course affects the whole world, but Paris has some very particular problems and the distinctive architecture of the city such as those wide Haussmannian boulevards and the zinc-roofed apartments are pretty much the worst designs possible when temperatures hit the 40s and even 50C, as is predicted by 2050.

The book forms the basis of a cross-party report that will be debated by local authorities in Paris.

There are in fact lots of measures that can be put in place to mitigate the effects of heatwaves, the problem is that they will involve radically changing some of Paris’ historic architecture, which means they are likely to face stiff opposition from traditionalists. But is there any point having a beautiful city if it’s completely unlivable?

Birthday of the week

It’s been an anniversary week for Francois Schuiten, the artist behind my favourite station on the Paris Metro, the beautifully decorated Arts et Métiers. 

Special mention also to Louvre-Rivoli which has replicas the famous artworks displayed upstairs, Assemblée nationale which has TVs showing live footage of the debates in the parliament on the surface and Concorde – where you can play word-searches on the tiled walls as you wait for your train. 

Podcast

The Talking France podcast is taking a break this week, we’ll be back on May 11th, but in the meantime you can catch up on our back catalogue here.

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

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INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Violence, QR codes and stuffed animals

From violent unrest in a French territory to the QR codes required at the Paris Olympics, via D-Day and weird taxidermy, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 18 May 2024 07:38 CEST
Inside France: Violence, QR codes and stuffed animals

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

High tension

After a relaxed week with a double holiday and most of the country taking a break, it seems that the news has come roaring back this week – first a highly dramatic jailbreak that left two prison officers dead and a fugitive at large, then the worst rioting in 30 years on the French island of Nouvelle Calédonie which left five people dead, and finally a man shot dead by police while apparently trying to set fire to a synagogue in northern France. It seems that there’s barely been time to breathe. 

These three things are, of course, not connected and in the case of Nouvelle Calédonie have followed years of political and ethnic tensions on the Pacific islands.

But it’s not surprising that people feel a bit punch-drunk at this series of events. Already right-wing parties are attempting to make capital out of this ahead of the European elections – a favourite tactic of the far-right in recent years has been trying to portray France as in the grip of an uncontrolled wave of crime and violence.

While no-one would deny that France has crime and that there are problems with violence, the statistics do not bear out this image of a ‘lawless’ country’. 

QR codes

Talking of security, the big topic in Paris this week has been whether we need QR codes to get around the city during the Olympics, after the security plan for the Games was unveiled in detail.

For many people this will bring back bad memories of Covid restrictions, attestations and health passes – although once you dig into the detail of the Games QR codes you realise that they won’t actually affect all that many people.

The areas that they cover are limited and the most onerous restrictions are only in place for the week leading up to the Opening Ceremony. You can find a complete guide to whether you need a code, and how to get one if you do, HERE.

Talking France

We look at the QR code situation on this week’s Talking France podcast, as well as France’s economic reality, the quirks of the French health system and the new ‘drive like a woman’ campaign.

Plus John Lichfield talks about his involvement in projects to commemorate D-Day in his Normandy home, and why the 1944 landings still hold such a special place in French hearts. Listen here or on the link below. 

Get stuffed

But my biggest question about France remains unanswered – why is weird taxidermy furniture so popular? If you’ve spent time at a French brocante you will likely have come across stuffed animal parts made into a variety of items from coathooks and ashtrays to – as below – chairs or stools.

Answers on a postcard, please.  

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

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