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INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Fantasy Paris, landmark laws and ‘irritating’ politicians

From the problems of a 'too popular' politician to the landmark decision for France, via a fantasy representation of Paris and Versailles weddings, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 9 March 2024 07:04 CET
Inside France: Fantasy Paris, landmark laws and 'irritating' politicians
France's President Emmanuel Macron (right) with his newly-appointed Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. Photo by Ludovic MARIN / 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.

Irritatingly popular?

He’s been in post for just two months, but already political insiders appear to be briefing the French press that prime minister Gabriel Attal is “irritating” Emmanuel Macron.

The reported complaints are rather vague in nature and appear to be about Attal being ‘too active’ in the recent farming crisis. 

A bizarre complaint you might think, but it speaks to the strange relationship between the roles of prime minister and president in the French fifth republic. Technically the prime minister is supposed to run the government while the president takes the ‘head of state’ role, making the big decisions but not getting involved in the day-to-day politics. It’s a structure that is increasingly difficult to maintain in the age of rolling news, especially with an incurable micro-manager such as Macron in post.

READ ALSO What does a French prime minister actually do?

All this is of course completely unconnected to polling that shows Attal as consistently more popular than Macron with the public – be careful Gabi, don’t you remember what happened to Edouard Philippe? (the ex prime minister was sacked by Macron in 2020, widely assumed to be for the crime of being more popular than the boss). 

World of pure imagination

The Paris Olympics poster may not be to everyone’s taste (I think it’s quite fun and has echoes of Where’s Wally/Waldo but I’ve also seen it compared to the disastrous Willy Wonka Experience) but surely one thing we can all agree on is that it’s not supposed to be an accurate representation of Paris?

Paris 2024 official poster. Image: Paris IOC

There’s that coastline for a start, plus the giant hand, the circular Seine, the bouncy castle around the Eiffel Tower and lots, lots more.

5 things to spot in the Paris Olympics poster

However its obviously fantastical nature has not stopped certain rightwing French politicians complaining on social media that the poster is ‘woke’ because the Les Invalides building does not have a cross on the top. I think this might be the most ridiculous made-up ‘scandal’ about the Games so far – but there’s another five months to go . . . 

Landmark legislation

I must admit it, I had a little tear in my eye as I saw people gather in Paris on Friday to mark a landmark declaration on women’s rights, the enshrining of the right to abortion in the French constitution.

So much of the news from around the globe on women’s issues has been unremittingly bad, so it’s heartwarming to see that an overwhelming majority of people in France (86 percent of the wider population and 91 percent of MPs and Senators) support a woman’s right to choose. 

We talk about this landmark moment in the latest episode of Talking France, as well as getting married at Versailles, French price controls, finding a good restaurant and blending in with the French. Listen here or on the link below.

No bull

And here’s a picture of my favourite bovine at the Paris Salon de l’Agriculture which was, as ever, a great day out. If this fella says it’s Tuesday, then it’s Tuesday.

Prize-winning livestock on show at the Paris Salon de l’Agriculture. Photo: The Local

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: Internet regulation, French language battles and 90-year-old barbers

From screen time to another French language controversy, via France's attitude to the internet and a few bad puns, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 4 May 2024 08:13 CEST
Inside France: Internet regulation, French language battles and 90-year-old barbers

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.

Wild west web

This week a commission of experts produced a detailed report on the effect of screens on children, along with some far-reaching recommendations including a complete screen ban (including TV) for toddlers, no smartphones for under 13s and avoiding social media like Instagram or TikTok for all under 18s.

This is at this stage just a series of recommendations, but the intention is to draw up legislation on this topic – which is being discussed around the world as more people worry about the effects of too much screen time on youngsters.

As a relatively new technology, it’s not uncommon for legislation to lag behind the rapidly changing and developing online world. But while some countries seem to view the internet as a kind of natural phenomenon which cannot be legislated for – like the weather – France has a history of being more interventionist.

From the ‘GAFA’ legislation that eventually forced tech giants like Apple and Facebook to pay tax in the countries that they operate in to legislation to limit the pictures of children that parents can publish on social media – France has shown itself at least willing to try.

As Emmanuel Macron said this week, legislation is more effective if done on an EU-wide basis, and it’s notable that the EU Commissioner leading the charge to try and make social media companies clean up their act is a Frenchman – the charismatic (or should that be attention-seeking?) Thierry Breton.

Talking France

We discuss the screens report – and the reaction of French parents – on this week’s Talking France podcast, as well as French May traditions, changes to EU travel and France’s oldest barber.

That barber is 90 years old and still working, by the way, one of a growing number of French people who are not only living to a ripe old age, but choosing to carry on working – for all that the country still has the lowest official retirement age in Europe.

Listen here or on the link below.

Say non or not?

A parliamentary resolution to ‘say non to speaking English during the Paris Olympics’ gained worldwide media coverage this week – but there is more to this story.

One the one hand a small group of mostly right-wing MPs passed a completely non-binding resolution – on the other hand the people actually organising the Games have shown themselves more than happy to speak English if required and to provide all information in both English and French. Likewise signage on the public transport is being put out in multiple languages to make life easy for international visitors.

Without wanting to over-state things too much, you might almost see this as the face of the old France versus the new – and it’s certainly noticeable that younger French people tend to be happy and even excited by an opportunity to speak English, and don’t see speaking other languages as any kind of loss to French culture – which happily remains as strong as ever.

Wordplay

And as a dedicated fan of terrible puns, I couldn’t help but laugh/groan at this one (say the name out loud)*

The French are fond of puns and wordplay, which is one reason that French humour can be hard for foreigners to understand. Another reason is that it’s highly referential, so if you don’t get the political/sporting/cultural reference then you won’t get the joke.

READ ALSO Are the French really ‘not funny’?

But then, all humour is based on culture as much as it is on language – as witnessed by the number of British comedies that get remade for an American audience. 

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.

* The name when said out loud sounds like ‘J’ai pas de riz’ or ‘I have no rice’ – hence the reply ‘no worries, just eat pasta’. 

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