In defence of French grandeur

   After living in France long enough, you end up absorbing the natives' assumptions about the world. One of these is that France is a nation unlike the rest. Jacques Chirac came up with the line on Sunday in his valedictory love letter to France [last posting], saying that France has a special destiny as a beacon for the world.

This doctrine of l'exception française is part of France's mental landscape. Children learn at school that France is regarded by the world as "the home of human rights" and model for civilisation. The belief is part of France's charm, as well as its maddening side. Many other nations cherish a view of their innate superiority, the British among them, but they do their boasting in a less obvious way. Among democracies, only the United States views and talks about itself as a universal model.

David Mayer and other contributors to this blog have asked me why France has this belief. It's a good question and it is being partly answered by la polémique of the week in the presidential campaign, ignited by Nicolas Sarkozy, the right-of-centre favourite. Sarkozy put the cat among the pigeons by promising to create a Ministry for Immigration and National Identity.

Mundane matters such as taxation and government spending have been eclipsed by the quarrel about identity and defending France's specialness in the face of  globalisation. La Mondialisation, is, interestingly, no longer perceived as a mainly American-led threat to the French way of life. China has merged in recent months with les Anglo-Saxons in the French mind as part of this sinister force. 

At a Paris rally on Monday Ségolène Royal, the Socialist, said: “With me, our national identity will not disappear with globalisation and a retreat into ourselves.” She would, she said, shore up Frenchness by modernising the State and of course spending a lot of  public money. Royal, 53, was attacking Sarkozy, leader of the Union for a Popular Majority (UMP), for floating an idea that has been denounced by all but Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the far right Front National, as a flirtation with racism. Royal called the Sarkozy plan ignoble and François Bayrou, the centrist who is running level with her behind the UMP leader, said that the idea “crossed a line that should never be crossed.”

All three main candidates are promising to revive France as the world model of tolerance and civilisation, seeking to cast themselves as guardians of the national soul. At their rallies and appearances, all except Le Pen offer lyrical hymns to the Republican ideals forged in the 1789 revolution and its Declaration of the Rights of Man and redefined in modern form by the late President Charles de Gaulle. Royal has even compared herself to Joan of Arc, the would-be national saviour who fought the English in the Hundred Years War.

In the respectable political world, discussion of immigration is usually taboo and talking about its impact on national identity is beyond the pale. The doctrine of la République holds that the nation is colourblind and all immigrants will assimilate into French civilisation. French law even bans the collection of ethnic data. The mainstream taboo over immigration fed the success of  Le Pen in the 2002 election, when he came second to President Chirac.

Sarkozy says that Le Pen should not have a monopoly on the subject. However, he has upset almost everyone by promoting the supposedly un-French idea of opening immigration to quotas of qualified applicants, along US lines.

Chirac lectured the country on Frenchness on television on Sunday when he announced his forthcoming retirement. “France is not a country like the rest,” he said. “It has special responsibilities inherited from its history and its universal values,” he said. He took a swipe at Sarkozy – and Le Pen – with a warning: “Never compromise with extremism, racism, anti-Semitism or the rejection of others.”

Sarkozy hit back on Monday, saying that the influx of foreigners over recent decades could obviously change the national character. "We have a gigantic problem with integration," he said. "I am saying that the immigrants who come here have to sign up to the national identity. Is that shocking?" 

France is "a community of values" created over the centuries by various ethnic groups but in recent years, no-one had told new arrivals what was expected of them, he said. "France is an idea, an ideal... I want to make a clear link between future immigration and our identity in order to tell those who come that they must adhere to our values," he said.

Taking the other tack, Royal raised cheers from her show-biz audience -- which included Emmanuelle Béart and Jeanne Moreau -- when she countered this argument saying that Frenchness was a neutral concept. "The nation does not distinguish among whites, blacks, yellow people, catholics, atheists, or Jews or Muslims, who all have the same rights and duties," she said. 

Sarkozy likes to say that as the son of a Hungarian immigrant and a foreign-born Jewish grandmother on his mother's side, he is qualified to make points about what makes France French . He even calls himself  "a little Frenchman of mixed blood".

Comments

[Dominique]

Both Sarkozy and Royal are right. You can mix their two sentences that are complementary :

Sarkozy : "all immigrants will assimilate into French civilisation" : but then, he should define what is this "civilisation".

Guess what, this so called "civilisation" is described by Royal : "The nation does not distinguish among whites, blacks, yellow people, catholics, atheists, or Jews or Muslims, who all have the same rights and duties,"

She once upon a time added that language was part of our identity.

I think both just described the french identity since 1789. It is based on a abstract concept : citizenship that is an identity added to all the others. It does not replaces other identities. It is an individual concept allowing everyone to handel what is called "the rule of law". And the law talking to every citizen, not to the so called "leaders" who just represent themselves and their few friends.

This view is often described as "colonialist" in it's essence. Some even say that this concept explains why the entire country is just a "colonie" of Paris. To those I would say that I feel "colonized" and happy to be. My grand-grand parents did not talk french and were living in the country speaking patois. The citizenship concept allowed my familly to emancipate and have access to the global knowledge and the rest of the world.

Some would like the french identity to go back to what is was before the revolution (Blood based or religion based, maybe colorbased). This sounds like a return to middleage to most of the citizens eventhough we know that we need tools to fight discrimination.

But, how can you fight discrimination if you make it legal?

And yes, Charles, France is a nation like no other. Just like Britain is a nation like no other, Germany is a nation like no other, America, Marroco, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Cong etc...They are all nations like no other.

Nations do have identities that are like no other.

[Edward Johns]

I make the following observation well aware that the UK has not suffered an occupying force for almost a thousand years and that it easy to be critical of collaborators in those circumstances.....
"The nation does not distinguish among whites, blacks, yellow people, catholics, atheists, or Jews or Muslims, who all have the same rights and duties,"
Things have changed since the events of 1942 at the Vel d'Hiver presumably ?

[Ros]

Although I agree with most of Mr Bremner's remarks - I have lived in France since 1955 (which makes me pretty old) and I haven't "ended up absorbing the natives' assumptions about the world"."France is not, repeat not, "unlike the rest."

[Edouard Reillet]

France, as indeed the US, has always seen itself as having a Manifest Destiny, because both see themselves as having "revealed" to the rest of the world what Human Rights are. They both think they embody the Huamn Rights Revolution(s) of the Enlightenment Age and as such are special/different from the rest of Europe and, a fortiori, the world. They have a duty to lead the world to the realisation of the promise of the Enlightenment of a better world for all Mankind through education and freedom. They have slighly different takes on what human rights, education and freedom mean but both have this belief that they have to show the rest of the world what's right. The US have the added notion that this is what God intended in giving them a New Promised Land in America, away from the corrupt Europe to do this (Protestant Millenarism) -which is why they feel close to Israel, who has a similar frame of mind.

[Dominique]

Edward,

"Things have changed since the events of 1942 at the Vel d'Hiver presumably ?"

Have you heard of WW2? Did You notice France was ruled by the Vichy regime thanks to the German occupation? Are you blaming France for going at war against Nazi Germany in 1939 and losing? Unlike Britain, France is not an island and risks being invaded when it looses...

Mixing nazi ideology with french identity is pathetic.

By the way, where were all the others in 1939?

[Frank Schnittger]

Speaking as someone coming from another member state of the EU, I doubt that France brings much that is different to the European table. Of course there is an important historic contribution to the development of the modern secular state, human rights, and the development of the EU itself. But that is now all in the past and taken for granted by the rest of the Western world.

Today France is synonymous with an aging polity embedded in a very bureaucratic culture and structure. Its economy is stagnant and France has fallen behind in those areas where it used to lead the world - Wines, haute cuisine, haute couture, car design, and luxury goods generally.

In its foreign policy France is synonymous with a very narrow and self-interested approach to the development of the EU and even its "principled" stance on Iraq can be explained in terms of its economic interests in the region.

French people may like to think that they still lead the world and that others aspire to be like it. They may actually believe what they were taught in school ("Children learn at school that France is regarded by the world as "the home of human rights" and model for civilisation") but no one I know outside France actually thinks of France in that way. It is seen as a very pleasant tourist destination and perhaps a good place to retire to, but no longer a leader in World terms.

As Dominque says, every country is unique and likes to think of itself as very different from the rest. But only two countries still like to think that they lead the world and that everybody else aspires to be like them: France and the USA. The USA can at least back up that aspiration with unrivalled Military, Economic, Political, Technological and cultural power. In the case of France it is pure conceit.

Britain used to think of itself in similar terms, but having lost its Empire, its industry, and its self-confidence, it now aspires to little more than being the USA’s major ally abroad. The Soviet Union died when it could no longer sustain its efforts to achieve global domination. Germany lost two world wars. Only France retains the conceit that it really matters all that much in a world dominated by a single superpower.

The EU is a bureaucratic morass incapable of leadership in world terms. It is a purely internal and reactive enterprise now. China and India will become major powers in due course. France is becoming just one of the slightly bigger fish that populate the rapidly diminishing pond that is Europe.

Europe is in relative decline compared to the rest of the world, and France is leading that decline. Pretty soon the other European countries will stop listening to France and look elsewhere for leadership. The rest of Europe knows that it must compete on a global scale to survive. France may be happy to be the retirement home for the rest of Europe, but it will not be in the lead whenever a more dynamic Europe emerges.

[rocket]

"The nation does not distinguish among whites, blacks, yellow people, catholics, atheists, or Jews or Muslims, who all have the same rights and duties,"

I beg your pardon

http://tinyurl.com/yuyddu

[Dominique]

Frank,

France is the only country in Europe making children. It is responsible for 100% of the natural EU population growth. Within 50 years, the french weight will have increased in a significant way. Decline if very relative and very dependant on what you are looking at.

[rocket]

Dominique: you said

"Have you heard of WW2? Did You notice France was ruled by the Vichy regime thanks to the German occupation? Are you blaming France for going at war against Nazi Germany in 1939 and losing? Unlike Britain, France is not an island and risks being invaded when it looses..."

I think that last sentence should read "risks losing when being invaded"

But their is a certain amount of truth in your original statement. It's just "Bass Ackwards"

PS - The RAF held off the Luftwaffe during the bombing raids during WW2 over England, thus protecting Britain from invasion. Please read a little history and give credit where credit is due.

[rocket]

an interesting read on chirac

http://tinyurl.com/2mfsg5

[John]

Frank Schnittger, spare us the French bashing propaganda. We already have Fox News and The Sun for that.

Charles Bremner, there's an error in what you wrote. It is not Sarkozy's maternal grandmother who was a Jew. His grandmother, Adèle Bouvier, was a French Catholic from Lyon. It is his maternal grandfather, Benedict Mallah, who was a Jew from Salonica in the Ottoman Empire. He moved to France when he was 14, became French citizen, and converted to Catholicism on marrying Adèle Bouvier.

By the way, do you know that the French ancestors of Jackie Kennedy, née Bouvier, came from Grenoble? Sarkozy's Bouvier grandmother from Lyon... Wouldn't it be funny if Sarkozy and Jackie Kennedy were distant cousins? I wonder if some genealogists have already inquired...

[christopher muir]

France's belief that it can lead the world is surely questionable if the quite amazing affair of the Airbus 380 delivery delays is considered. This has been a huge and costly failure to which the quality of significant French management and engineering capabilities can be judged. On the other hand, the USA is presently facing the sub-prime home lending fiasco which may lead to a major financial and social crisis. As well, large numbers of Americans have no health insurance made available to them. And there are no TGV services, either! Both nations must, of course, trumpet the most glorious of futures. However, their citizens should understand that 21st century media-savvy politicians will promise almost anything to win office. It's mostly a non-stop merry go round of mind-numbing verbiage, combining truth, lies and ad hoc promises. Bayrou may be trying a different, more reasoned approach.

[The 3rd Column]

Charles,

You say, "All three main candidates are promising to revive France as the world model of tolerance and civilisation,..."

Very brave of them and I say they are right. About time the French being the Europeans that they are declare something like that loud and clear if only to counter Bush's American brand of world model.

Definitely can't count on the Brits, least of all on Tony Blair who has chosen to sell virtually everything British, honour, dignity to the Americans except for the Queen and Buckingham Palace.

On a less bombastic note, must admit that what Dominique writes reflects reality, "And yes, Charles, France is a nation like no other. Just like Britain is a nation like no other, Germany is a nation like no other, America, Marroco, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Cong etc...They are all nations like no other."

On the whole, I personally wouldn't consider Dominique's statement nor that of the French candidates' as arrogant, it is an affirmation.

If at all, in the current scheme of things, i.e., Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, etc, Americans and the Brits are more arrogant than any other nationals in Europe today.

[Richard Black, Paris]

France is quite different to the rest of Europe. Despite being an alleged champion of personal freedom and enlightenment, it was still necessary until the early seventies or thereabouts for an adult woman to obtain her father's or husband's permission to open a bank account or to work.

Today I can think of no other European country with such an degree of institutionalised racist discrimination; in a recently published analysis of 2500 job applications there was blatant and flagrant racial discrimination. The only political reaction to this was some indifferent handwringing. Ever seen a non white employee in a public administration in France ? It should be a major scandal. Does anyone remember a scandal that a majority of doctors refuse to treat patients who only have the minimal level of state health insurance ? I think not. It made major news when TF1 appointed a non white newsreader (he only reads the news when the white guy is on holiday though). I've lived in Paris for 15 years, and can't remember ever seeing a white person being stopped for a randomn identity control. You don't even have the right to a lawyer when being interviewed by the police after being arrested !

Sorry this is a bit of a whinge, but the daily self satisfied brandishing of the "valeurs de la République" in 2007 is too much at the moment. I think things will have to get a lot worse before any of these issues are addressed.

P.S. France is a great place to live if you are white and have a job. Non white and jobless, it's probably as enlightened and as much fun as Alabama in the 1950s.

[Frank Schnittger]

Dominique: You must be confusing Chirac's sexual prowess with actual statistics! Frances birthrate was 11.99 per 1000 people in 2006 - which ranked it at number 173 in the world! https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2054rank.html

By way of comparison, Ireland's birthrate was 14.45 and the U.S was 14.14 and the world average was 20.05. Ireland's population is growing at over 1% per annum and has grown by 40% in the past 30 years.

John - I don't watch Fox or read the Sun so I can't make a comparison. Perhaps you might like to argue your case rather than seek to denigrate those you don't agree with.

[GAG]

Dominique,
For many years Asian nations have led the world in ‘making children’ but I fail to see how it helped them ‘weigh’ any heavier in the world, to use your terminology. What’s more, you know very well that the majority of these children in France are being born in to immigrant families. And, whatever politicians and some French editorialists would have us believe, these second generation youngsters face discrimination at every stage of their lives. Hence many of the brightest leave France and will only return to retire.

At the risk of being the founder of the Frank Schnittger fan club, I once again agree with his brilliant analysis. He’s not French bashing but just stating the truth. But of course, the truth is and has always been, hard for the French nation to face up to.
GAG

[alan morgan]

In all this nonsense do not forget that it was a puny French Autocrat, Napoleon 111 who invaded Mexico - the epitome of " modern civilisation, progress, refinement "
The problem with Chirac is he does not know his history and has therefore repeated it.
What a waste! What an idiot!

[Edward Johns]

Hallo again Dominique,
yes I had heard of WW2, even we poor ignorant Brits noticed that. (something to do with our military losses of 382,000 as against French ones of 212,000 I suppose)
I was very careful to preface my observation with the comment about our not having been invaded lately in the UK, it is an emotive subject whichever way you look at it. It does stick in the craw sometimes to hear pious claims to an egalitarian "high ground" from France, it appears to be all talk to the outsider.

[Sheona Hutcheson]

It has always surprised me that France should be considered a model of tolerance and civilisation, considering its history since 1789. No Glorious Revolution that, but a bloodbath that ended up substituting an emperor for a king. And the behaviour of that emperor in dealing with opponents at home or in looting the treasures of the countries he invaded foreshadowed some of the excesses of the Nazis. The treatment of the "communards" by their fellow citizens was no hymn to "liberté, égalité, fraternité" either. And the behaviour of French colonists in Africa and Indo-China certainly was no model of tolerance and civilisation. Reports of French policy and actions in Ruanda in more recent times are a disgrace to any "civilised" country. I wonder if Chirac now regrets this attempt to supplant perceived Anglo-Saxon influence with that of France, regardless of the results, especially since Ruanda is apparently considering applying for membership of the British Commonwealth.

Perhaps it is because French was at one point in the 19th century the language of diplomacy that this idealised image of France, encouraged by a succession of presidents for whom "la gloire" was all important, has persisted.

.

[John]

Franck Schnittger's "brilliant analysis"? Let me laugh. Just to mention the birth rate, Mr. Schnittger uses as his reference the CIA World Factbook which is famous for its many flaws and errors. Perhaps Mr. Schnittger, busy as he is denigrating France, is not aware that France is currently undergoing a new baby boom, with the highest fertility rate in Europe (2.0 children per woman), which is quite something in an aging Europe. The French are now ahead even of the Irish in that respect. I believe there was even an article about this new baby boom in the Times a while ago, but probably Mr. Schnittger doesn't read the Times.

[Mark Arneson]

In a nation that doesn't distinguish among whites, blacks, yellow people, catholics, atheists, or Jews or Muslims, what is the state of political power amongst these various groups?

France forbids the collection of ethnic data. It is estimated that around 10% of the French population is Muslim. Do they have any seats in the Senate or National Assembly? Are any of them mayors of any cities? Do Muslims tend to vote as a group or do they even tend to vote at all? Do they tend to view themselves as Muslim or people of color or as being French first?

With a large number of candidates in the first round of presidential elections, is it possible that a minority candidate would be able to slip through with a small percentage of the vote, say 10% to 15%, such as Le Pen did in the last election? Would the majority of the French poplulation rally around a more mainstream candidate in such a case?

[Edward Johns]

and the benefits of a high birth rate in this already overpopulated world are.........?

[Terry]

France is a model of civization?That beacon of light for the world was lit by 40,000 French cars in 2005.

I particularly like how proud Jack was that he stuck his French thumb in our eyes prior to the second Gulf War. Instead of putting diplomatice pressure on Saddam, he used all his diplomatic resources to send that Napoleon loving minister of his around the world to thwart the U.S. I am sure this was done on humanitarian principles and had nothing to do with all those fat contracts France had with its dictator.

It is certainly fair for the U.S. and Britain to look mockingly at France since more of our relatives have fought there than theirs!

[Dominique]

Fiouuuuu! French bashing and prejudice around these days!

To all : i was just talking of the weight of a country within Europe. The most populated it is, the more democratic, and economic weight it has. Pure facts and logic.

http://www.ined.fr/fr/pop_chiffres/france/naissances_fecondite/evolution_fecondite/

Projections ar clear :
http://www.ined.fr/fr/pop_chiffres/france/projections/projection_centrale/

I didn't mean anything else. I completly agree on the fact that there are already to many of us on this planet!

[Dominique]

To Richard Black : discrimination is a shame, but please...

- Many civil servants in post office, hospitals and police station are black people. So many from the DOMTOM. Black civil servants every where. Civil service is a bad exemple as people pass a blind "concours" to get in.

- Free health care for all, even illegal immigrants, Free education for all, even illegal immigrant's children (believe me, i work in a school!).

- The most diverse population in Europe, one of the most in the world (more muslims, chineese, black people, arabs than in the UK)for a so called "xenophobic" nation with one of the most open citizenship.

I know there is a lot to blame, but as compared to other countries, a lot is granted by law and is therefore available for all.

The issue of discrimination is a very serious one. The bad news is that i believe that we are not going toward progress. For instance, we had a black president at the senat in the 60's (Gaston Monnerville, n°2 in the state, he would have been president if the attentat against Degaulle had been a success at the petit clamard) when the US blacks were fighting for their rights with Martin Luther king. In the 80's, we were all looking in the same direction.

But, the debate comes about decolonization. Decolonization sent the contradictory message in the 60's : Black and Arabs no longer wanted to be french. So I am afraid that many people subscribe now to this point of view "they did not want to be french, why do they now?" More, some children of the immigrants from former colonnies also subcribe to this point of view and still want to emencipate from their frenchness. They can be proud of their grand parents who fought for not being french, how could they want to be french? That makes it a complex issue. Islam does not help. Global conflicts like Irak doesn't either.

[Frank Schnittger]

"and the benefits of a high birth rate in this already overpopulated world are.........?" -- Edward Johns...

The benefits are that a hugely disproportionate number of these children are born to immigrant and ethnic minorities (mostly Islamic) who don't officially exist and who are systematically excluded from employment and positions of influence.

The fact that it is illegal to collect statistics on this means it is very easy to hide the fact that a large proportion of the population haven't assimilated at all and are systematically discriminated against in all areas of public and private life.

In due course the unrest in the Banlieus will come to be seen as an afternoon tea party compared to the terrorism and mass violence that will follow - only this time it will not be possible to deal with the "problem" under cover of a foreign occupation.

The "Frenchness" which is being celebrated by all the main Presidential candidates doesn't exist for many in these immigrant communities - even generations after their original immigration. They have been systematically wiped from the official image of how France likes to see itself.

Sarkozy of course recognises this, and is trying to put a lid on it before it is too late. Royale believes that state money can solve every problem, and Bayrou prefers to pretend the problem doesn't exist - and appeals to an atavistic rural Frenchness far removed from the reality of the Banlieus.

France felt that Bush, Blair and Aznar had brought 9/11 and 7/7 and the Madrid bombings upon themselves by their pro-Israeli/anti-Arab policies - and to an extent they did. But when Paris explodes who will the French blame?

[Perplexed Frenchman]

In xenophobic France, one in four has a grandparent of foreign origin.
Racist France welcomes and gives citizenship to people of every race on earth.
Islamophobic France has the largest muslim community in Europe.
Anti-semitic France has the second largest jewish community in the world and has been governed by several jewish PM during the last century.
And so on...
But as usual War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength.

[Sandrine]

Mon Dieu !! What happened to Frank SCHNITTGER ? You used to be so interesting to read : your comments were balanced, sometimes funny, and always informative, but now all I can read is a kind of great anger against France. You seem to really despise France AND the French. I find that so sad...

Now even a guy like GAG loves your comments... my my, what happened to you ? Has a french waiter been rude to you?? Or a civil servant maybe ?

Hello Charles, it's been a long time. I normally just come and read your posts and some of the comments, but today I was very sad to see how someone can change in only a few months.

Greetings from Washington !!

[Frank Schnittger]

My apologies to Sandrine and others I may have offended with my last two polemical contributions. No, I haven't been offended by a French waiter, and yes, I do hope to travel to France soon!

I felt this blog was getting a bit tame and needed a bit of livening up, so I tried to articulate the "anti" line as best I could.

There is a danger, in any election campaign, that people mistake election rhetoric for reality. L'exception française makes for a good applause line in a speach, but it has little to do with how France is actually seen by most people abroad.

Election campaigns are no different in other countries with politicians spouting populist inanities that appeal to local chauvinism and add a "feel-good" factor to their campaigns. That most of these speeches are complete rubbish is another matter entirely, and that is why we need political analysts to puncture a few balloons every now and then.

My contributions shouldn't be read as anti-French, but as anti the smug, self satisfied conceits you will find in any election campaign in any democracy. Now where would we be without an Irishman to start an argument...!?!

PS -I WAS annoyed we let France beat us in the last minute of the Rugby international. Just wait for the World Cup - then we will do to you what we did to the English...!! (Sorry Charles!)

[Suzanne]

The last post reminds me of the Lubitsch movie "To be or not to be" when the nazi general said to the shakespearian polish actor "We did to Poland what you did to Shakespeare !".
We are deeply frightened.
As for France "grandeur", it should belong to others, and not to us, to tell what it is -if it is.

[Sandrine]

Ok ok Frank, I forgive you. I'm happy you haven't changed finally...

Don't worry, I think a lot of people in France are aware of what's going on today. I have the impression that this is the worst presidential campaign ever. Demagogy is everywhere nowadays.

Anyhow, we'll see how we'll vote and let's pray that Le Pen won't be here again !

ps : I'm glad we beat you in the 6 Nations Tournament and I'm glad we finally won it too !! I'm sure we will be very good during the World Cup ! ;o)

ps2 : I nevertheless wish you a happy Saint Patrick's Day ! (sorry for being late)

[Mark Arneson]

I poked around myself and found some interesting stats. 1 minority member in the French parliament out of 557.

I also found that Germany has only one 1 minority member out of 669, and the Brits 12 minority members out of 659.

Three major European nations with a total population of around 200 million people can only manage to elect 14 minority members in their parliaments. Hard to believe.

Tiny racist Israel with a population of only 7 million has 17 Arab members of their Knesset, out 120 total members.

[John Gregory Flinn]

It seems to me that all the main candidates are simply against 'Multi-culturism'.

This concept has been a 'clever' device to excuse and explain the lack of integration and assimilation (even rarer), and became very fashionable in those nations with large (3rd world) immigrant populations EXCEPT l'Hexigone.

To cut a long argument short; the 'multi-culti immigrants' took this to mean they could transplant their own identity, laws, culture, politics, language, emnities etc., into the host nation and yet still enjoy its benefits.

I think France saw through this artifice early on, and the Presidential hopefuls are just reaffirming the republican tradition.
Which, incidentally, may seem to be at odds with most of the rest.