Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Reshuffle, political potboilers and France’s biggest scandal magnets

From the latest ins and outs of government to the biggest scandal magnets in French politics, via the weather and tributes to Jane Birkin, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 22 July 2023 08:02 CEST
Inside France: Reshuffle, political potboilers and France's biggest scandal magnets
British singer Jane Birkin and French composer and musician Serge Gainsbourg, pictured in 1985. Photo by Pascal PAVANI / 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.

Shuffle bored

This week in France the news has been dominated by fevered speculation about a government reshuffle – which in the end turned out to be a very minor affair with almost all the big-name ministers remaining in place.

There was a definite shift towards more Macronist loyalists and fewer outside experts in ministries, but other than that the reshuffle was mainly notable for its timidity.

READ ALSO Who’s who in the new French government

One of the new appointments has an interesting backstory however – Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, the new minister for urban affairs, was a TV producer before entering politics and worked on Marseille, Netflix’s fabulously trashy political drama set around a fictional mayor of the Mediterranean port city.

The series is packed with sex, corruption, political scheming and back-stabbing – I wonder if she will be bringing this vibe to Emmanuel Macron’s frankly rather dull government?

Raise the roof

The heatwave that has been frying much of southern Europe has thankfully not extended to most of France, although the Riviera has seen some scorching days.

But I notice that international attention has picked up on the capital’s ‘Paris at 50C’ plan, based on the fascinating work of engineer Frank Lirzin, who has written a book on how city architecture can be adapted for ever-rising temperatures.

In Paris this is going to require big changes to some of the most iconic things about the city – particularly the grey zinc roofs and those wide, exposed Haussmann boulevards.

This is doubtless going to upset a lot of traditionalists – but what’s the point of having a beautiful city if its unlivable for half the year?

Making history fun

If you fancy a French political history lesson with a fun twist, the satirical magazine Le Canard Enchaîné is running a summer series on its ‘best customers’ – ie the people it has done the most exposés on – over the years.

The reels are released on Instagram and Twitter each Monday. So far we have had far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, and ex president Jacques Chirac, who always seems to me to get an easy ride from history despite being really very corrupt indeed.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Le Canard enchaîné (@lecanardenchaine)

(The ‘roi des casseroles‘ title doesn’t mean that Chirac was a great cook, it’s a reference to the phrase avoir des casseroles, which is roughly equivalent to someone having ‘skeletons in the closet’ or being tainted by scandal). 

Foreign accents

The British-born singer and actress Jane Birkin received a great send off after her death was announced last weekend, with blanket coverage in the French media and an outpouring of affection.

If you’re ever seen her films or interviews, you will know that although her French was fluent, her British accent remained very strong even after more than 50 years here – and in fact it was affectionately mentioned by many French commentators after her death.

A reminder that we are probably more embarrassed than we need to be about our own accents and pronunciation fails.

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.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

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.

SHOW COMMENTS