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INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Resistance, AI and ego

From French citizenship for foreigners and the debate over AI, via a heroic figure from the past and the ego of certain French politicians, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 17 February 2024 07:39 CET
Inside France: Resistance, AI and ego
The Pantheon will get a new occupant next week. Photo: 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.

Down to earth

Another week in France, another unedifying debate on the subject of foreigners and immigration. A proposal to remove the citizenship right of droit du sol in the French overseas territory of Mayotte has been put forward in the very specific context of an undoubted crisis on the tiny island in the Indian Ocean.

It’s true that this proposal is unlikely ever to be extended to mainland France, and comes with some important small-print that means the proposal is not quite as it sounds.

Ultimately, however, I think that language does matter and proposals that make the far-right cheer are bad for the political fabric of a country, no matter how much small-print constrains the actual proposal itself.

It’s interesting to note that many French media assume that droit du sol is an automatic right for all children born in France to foreign parents to become French. In fact – as anyone who has moved to France and then had a baby will know – the process is long and complicated and involves the child growing up in France, not simply being born here.

Explained: What is France’s ‘droit du sol’?

Talking France

We’re discussing more about droit du sol on the latest episode of Talking France, as well as baguettes, the guillotine and why Monaco is like “East Germany but with sunshine and millionaires” – listen here or on the link below.

Foreign contribution

If you see this hideous poster denouncing ‘foreigners, Communists and Jews’ on billboards around Paris – don’t panic. The piece of Vichy-era Nazi propaganda is being republished because one of the people denounced on the poster will next week be given France’s highest posthumous honour; being inducted into the Panthéon.

Resistance fighter Missak Manouchian, executed by the Nazis in 1944, will be ‘panthéoniser’ on Wednesday, and his inclusion in the famous Paris monument is being seen as recognition, not only of his own heroism, but of the contribution made by foreigners and Communists to the French Resistance during WWII. 

READ ALSO Who was Missak Manouchian and why is he important?

Back in black

Lots of governments around the world are talking about AI right now, but France’s finance minister Bruno Le Maire chose to illustrate his Instagram post on the subject with the below image – a photo of himself, digitally altered to appear like a young George Michael (or maybe Patrick Swayze).

I’m sure he had a serious point to make about AI, but this confirms my theory that – even by the standards of politicians – Monsieur Le Maire has a healthy ego . . .

Film tip of the week

This might be well known, but I’ve only just stumbled upon it – the Franco-German TV channel Arte has an extremely handy service that allows you to either rent or buy films (new and classic) without having to sign up for any kind of subscription or streaming platform.

You can download a film for 48 hours for around €3, or download it to keep for around €8. They have a good range and it’s handy if there is something you want to watch but you feel like you already have too many subscriptions. It’s basically Blockbuster Video for the 21st century. 

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: French political discourse, tax loopholes and sharks in the Seine

From political sharks to sharks in the Seine, via tax loopholes (which really aren't loopholes) and European elections, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 1 June 2024 08:17 CEST
Inside France: French political discourse, tax loopholes and sharks in the Seine

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.

Dumbing down?

I started a new French course this week (my battle with the subjunctive continues) and in the section on honing your debating skills I was amused to note that the textbook described debate as the “veritable sport national en France“.

It’s certainly true that political debates in France are of a higher calibre than in many other countries – in the run-up to elections it’s not uncommon for primetime TV to show a two-hour debate between candidates, and during these debates the politicians are really expected to be across the details of a wide variety of policy areas and to display impressive debating skills.

But do these actually make any difference to voters? Last week’s debate between prime minister Gabriel Attal and far-right party candidate Jordan Bardella was widely agreed by independent observers to have been ‘won’ by Attal who succeeded in exposing some of the gaping holes and contradictions in Bardella’s party policy.

However several viewer polls reported that Bardella made a better impression and came over as more sympathetic to voters despite – or perhaps because – of his stumbles, mistakes and evasions. Attal may have won the debate, but does that matter if voters think he is an unsympathetic clever-dick Parisian (I’m paraphrasing, but only slightly)?

I hope this doesn’t herald the dumbing down of politics in the ways seen in the UK and the US where people with genuine expertise are dismissed in favour of those with ‘good vibes’. One of the things that has always impressed me about French politicians of all stripes is that they are intelligent people usually having real discussions about real issues.

It would be a shame if the French became – in the perhaps slightly inflammatory words of Attal himself – like “the British, who cried after Brexit”.

Talking France

We’re talking more about the European elections in this week’s Talking France podcast, plus the changes to addresses in rural France, new wildfire regulations for property owners and the mysterious ‘Paris Syndrome’ that afflicts some visitors and new arrivals to the city. Listen here or on the link below.

In-Seine ideas

I couldn’t agree more with British actor and writer Simon Pegg’s comment on the tremendous missed opportunity for a film named ‘Shark de Triomphe’.

The Netflix flick (Sous la Seine in French) is due out this summer – and I note from the trailer that it features swimming competitions in the Seine.

So at least the filmmakers are optimistic about the City of Paris’ plans to make the Seine clean enough for swimming (currently on track for the Olympics) – even if they then suggest that swimmers will have bigger creatures to worry about than e-Coli bacteria.

To clarify – there are no sharks in the Seine. Although there is a rumour that a crocodile lives in the Canal Ourcq in northern Paris. 

Tax troubles

We’re fully into the swing of tax season now and as usual The Local is getting lots of queries from readers who are struggling with the rather complicated forms – you can find our Tax Guides here.

READ ALSO The bumper 2024 French tax guide

One thing I have noticed is that among the people who are truly having major problems with the system, almost all of them have set up complicated arrangements (often on the advice of accountants) to try and minimise their tax bill – for example setting up a limited company to own a holiday home or paying themselves as CEO of a nominal company.

While these things are not illegal they almost always create extra complications with your tax affairs – especially if you declare yourself as a business as that takes you out of the system for individuals (designed so that you can do your own tax declaration) and into the considerably more complicated world of business taxation and reporting.

There really are very few genuine loopholes in the French tax system and while some workarounds may save you some cash on your tax bill, setting up a complicated system virtually guarantees that you will need to pay an accountant to do your taxes every year (which might even negate the savings on your tax bill).

Reeling

And if you like your news in a more visual format, check out the reels that my colleague Genevieve has been making for The Local France’s Instagram account – and have your say of her latest poll of overrated French tourist attractions.

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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