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INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Water clashes, shorter showers and Mbappé memes

From the future of the country's water supplies to memorials at the 'martyr village' via endless discussions on career plans of footballer Kylian Mbappé, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at the news and talking points in France that you might have missed.

Published: 17 June 2023 08:51 CEST
Inside France: Water clashes, shorter showers and Mbappé memes
Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / 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.

Low on l’eau 

This week the French government wants us to spend less time in the shower – part of the water-saving campaign as temperatures rise and France faces another summer of drought. 

After a record-breaking drought last summer, an unusually dry winter means that 60 percent of the country’s water tables are below seasonal norms and already more than half the country is on some level of drought restriction.

But beyond this summer, the issue of water looks set to become a major battle in France – and not only France – as the planet continues to heat and drought conditions spread.

The violent clashes at Saint-Soline in western France – site of a project for huge underground ‘mega-basins’ for water collection – seems to be a foretaste of a conflict that is only going to get more intense. 

I’ve noticed more and more ‘méga-bassines, non merci‘ graffiti around Paris as the conflict comes to be seen as less of a local planning issue and more of a fundamental question for the future; how to balance the needs of farmers with the protection of the environment, and who should control the vital asset that is water? 

Martyr village

This week has seen France mark the anniversary of the massacre at the village of Oradour-sur-Glane in the south-west. On June 10th, 1944, 643 men, women and children who lived in the village were massacred by Nazi soldiers.

After the men were shot, the women and children were herded into the village church, which was set on fire – along with the rest of the village.

After the war, the government decided to leave the burned-out village as a permanent reminder of the horrors of war. These days it’s still preserved and is open to visitors, with an excellent visitor centre which put what happened into the wider context of World War II. I really cannot recommend it enough – unforgettable barely covers it. 

Decathlon dispute

This week’s episode of Talking France looks at the big news events – from the horrific attack at Annecy to the furious reaction to the destruction of prehistoric standing stones at Carnac in order to build a DIY store – as well as some more perennial questions, like why are the French so keen on philosophy. There’s also a mild dispute about Decathlon, and I must admit I don’t really understand my co-host’s love for the French sportswear chain. Maybe I’m missing something . . . Listen here or on the link below

Football

You might think it’s only a game, but footballer Kylian Mbappé’s decision to (maybe) leave Paris-Saint-Germain at some point in the future has dominated the front pages this week, and not only in the sports press.

Even Emmanuel Macron has given his view on this apparently vital topic and as you would expect, that led to a lot of memes and jokes. 

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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