Super-Sarko piles on the power

 

Can it only be three weeks since Nicolas Sarkozy was installed in the Elysée Palace ? Since his glitzy enthronement, SuperSarko has become so much part of the landscape, rushing to solve every problem, comfort the afflicted and disarm his opponents, that it is hard to remember the sleepy presidency of Jacques Chirac. 

Sarkozy's hyper-active style has done wonders for morale, causing a spurt of optimism in households and business, according to tracking indexes. The man who was demonized by the left as the embodiment of a hateful and dangerous new France is enjoying 67 percent approval rating and 77 percent believe that he is capable of reforming the country, according to a Paris Match Ifop poll this week.

The result seems likely to be a massive majority for Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement in parliamentary elections which start on Sunday and end with a run-off on June 17.

[Sarkozy's first palace interview -- accorded to today's Le Figaro, his most reliable media supporter]

The Socialist opposition is in a punch-drunk daze, disarmed by Sarko's recruitment of Bernard Kouchner, a leftwing star, as Foreign Minister, and his appointment as Justice Minister, of the photogenic Rachida Dati, the offspring of a working class immigrant family.

The collapse of the Socialist party is offering a lurid spectacle as Ségolène Royal, the presidential runner-up,  tries to wrest control of the party from its barons, and its hapless leader, her own partner François Hollande [I'm off with Royal in the north today. More on her tomorrow].

Hollande, Royal and François Bayrou, the centrist candidate who has been cast into the wilderness, are all crying foul and warning of the dire fate that awaits France if voters hand Sarkozy absolute power. With a parliament dominated by the Sarkozistas, France is heading for an imperial presidency, says Bayrou. "The National Assembly will have no other role than to adopt as quickly as possible, without contradiction, without debate, the texts that are submitted to it."

The argument is hollow, at least coming from the Left. The late François Mitterrand, the only Socialist president, made full use of the unchecked and unbalanced power of the Fifth Republic leadership after denouncing it during his years in opposition as a "permanent coup d'état". The Socialists are more justified in claiming that Sarkozy is not playing by the rules because he is running the country himself as a mixture of monarch, party chief and super-prime-minister. Under these rules, made when the Republic was invented in 1958 for the late Charles de Gaulle, the president is supposed to retreat into the Elysée as umpire and let his Prime Minister and government get on with things.

Sarkozy, who is a control freak, a ruthless boss, always made clear that he saw this as a sham because all the levers are in the president's hands, including power to dismiss governments and dissolve parliament. He says that he is shedding the hyprocisy under which the President pretends to be keeping a distance from politics. "I will do what I promised and will be accountable for my performance," he said in the capaign. In doing this, though, he is shedding the protection that comes with distance. His Prime Minister -- François Fillon at the moment -- will no longer to carry the can when things go wrong. Sarko will be directly in the firing line.

Sarko's opponents are sure that he is setting himself up for a huge fall once the bedazzlement fades and if Sarko's brave new France fails to come about.

Signs of wobbling are already in the air. His scheme for rewarding people who work more than the statutory 35-hour week is turning out to be hard to implement without unintended consequences. His promise of tax relief on all primary residence home loans has been watered down, with a cap of only 1,500 euros a year for a couple.  He has dropped a campaign promise to ban outright "golden parachute" pay-offs to departing chief executives.  Outside France, he has abandoned his promise to block immediately Turkey's negotiations to enter the European Union. Despite promises to do so, he did not make an issue over human rights when he met President Putin of Russia today at the G8 summit in Germany. He has backed off promises to change the mandate of the European Central Bank, which contols the euro. 

None of these have dented Sarkozy's winning aura. A big parliamentary victory will prolong his honeymoon into the autumn, giving him time to push through the choc fiscal -- tax shock -- with which he aims to prime the economy.  Then we shall see.

Comments

[Helen]

Super-Sarko! I think François Hollande summed it up perfectly earlier in the week: "Il est partout. On le voit partout. Chaque journal du soir est une information en tant que telle : il est à l’hôpital, il déjeune dans les cantines ; ensuite il court jusqu’au fort de Brégançon ; il revient, fait les communions, les enterrements, les baptêmes, les mariages… Rien ne doit lui échapper."

[rob mchardy]

Then we shall see.

[Edward Johns]

Gosh Charles,
do you mean that before elections candidates make promises which can be reneged on after election ? Whatever next.

[Daniel Strohl]

HELEN,

"Il revient, fait les commissions" - this may apply to poor François Hollande ...

CHARLES,

Well done, as usual. Let us see what will happen to Ségolène in your reporting ...

TERRY,

Charles didn't mention it specifically, but Sarkozy intents to put in place "un bouclier fiscal" (tax shield) so as to avoid that any person pays more than 50 % taxes on his/her income. It remains to be seen if ALL taxes (including taxes levied by local authorities) will be accounted for...

Should this be the case, it would perhaps be (financially) interesting for you to emigrate to France ... You are already a connoisseur of French cheeses and you speak more (good) French than most of the immigrants already here ...

[Terry]

Daniel:

If that is the case, then France may be ahead of the U.S. (see my post and link in France-Amer. honeymoon). I like whipped cream with my humble pie.

Do you have to take a bar exam to be a French lawyer? I had to take one for New Jersey and one for New York. No more please.

[john]

Mr. Bremner, I find your articles increasingly critical of N. Sarkozy after just three weeks in office. Could it be that you have lived too long in France and become as negative and critical as the ordinary Frenchman? Judging Sarkozy on his stance on human rights or Turkey after just THREE WEEKS in office is about as presumptuous as if someone had judged Margartet Thatcher after just three weeks at 10 Downing Street. Obviously, she would not have been rated as particularly bold at reforms after just three weeks in office.

One thing you didn't mention in your criticism is the so-called "bouclier fiscal" (tax shield) whose details were revealed today so I can answer Daniel Strohl on this. What was announced today is very bold: no one will pay more than 50 % taxes on his/her income, and this will include ALL taxes (including local taxes AND social security taxes such as CSG and CRDS says Le Monde). Nobody really expected that the social security taxes would also be included, but they will. Apparently Sarkozy overruled people at the Finance Ministry, and that is quite bold I think. No more than 50% taxes on one's income, and it will apply from as early as January 2008.

On the other hand, I'm a bit disappointed with the announcements concerning the inheritance tax. What was announced today is not as bold as what they had promised. They promised that they would scrap the inheritance tax completely except for the 5% richest people, but that's not what will happen. I made a quick calculation. If you own 1 million euros (house, car, furniture, stocks, etc.), you die and you have only one child, then with the current law your only child would have to pay 218,800 euros in inheritance tax. With the reform of the inheritance tax as announced today, your only child would have to pay 200,370 euros. That's not a big difference, is it? If you have two children (and still 1 million euros), with the current law they would have to pay 83,300 euros each, and with the reform announced today they would have to pay only 68,300 euros each. It's a bit better. If you have three children, with the current law they would have to pay 51,633 euros each, and with the reform announced today they would have to pay only 34,967 euros each. The inheritance tax works in favor of families with many children (one of the many tax incentives in favor of big families to boost the French birth rate). Still, it's not as bold as what they said during the presidential campaign. I assumed if you owned 1 million euros or less your children would pay 0 euros with the inheritance tax reform. That won't be the case unfortunately.

[Daniel Strohl]

TERRY,

Yes, of course ... Segolène and Sarkozy have both a bar exam

[Robert Marchenoir]

Nothing personal, but we do not want any American lawyers here, Terry. Otherwise we would have to spin lawyer jokes as often as the Americans do. We might allow you to come and buy some of our cheese, but only if you promise in writing not to practise law here, ever.

[rocket]

Helen

"Super-Sarko! I think François Hollande summed it up perfectly earlier in the week: "Il est partout. On le voit partout."

I believe he is President of France si je ne m'abuse

And Phony François. On ne le voit nul part et il est nul part et il va nul part.

Robert Marchenoir. About American lawyers, judges

Did you know?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18471265/

If you lose that one your tax rate is effectely higher than in France.

[Valentin]

CB :
"The Socialist opposition is in a punch-drunk daze, disarmed by Sarko's recruitment of Bernard Kouchner, a leftwing star,..."

Less by that, I think, than by the ideological onslaught about values, May'68 and the rest. I recently saw Manuel Valls on a talkshow, such capable politician in his 40s, he looked broken, no flame left at all (despite bravely trying to show some). The metaphor best describing the Left now, is that of a dark corner taken over by spiders and bugs, that ran in all directions when a flash light is suddenly on.

CB :
"...With a parliament dominated by the Sarkozistas, France is heading for an imperial presidency, says Bayrou."

The old "Tout sauf Sarkozy" back at work again, from obvious lack of any better ideas. Hopefully with even less success than the first time.

"I think François Hollande summed it up perfectly earlier in the week: Il est partout. On le voit partout. ..."

Il y en avait de l'amertume chez pauvre François, ce soir là - et on peut le comprendre. Rien de plus normal en vérité, que la nouvelle star occupe la scène.

"Nothing personal, but we do not want any American lawyers here."

Alas they already are here, changing the métier and turning it american (ie, top efficient, and obsessed with money).

[christopher muir]

It would be extraordinary if President Sarkozy were to keep his promises one hundred per cent. After all, he is a politician. Possibly he made too many commitments to win the presidency. Older hands might have been more measured in their campaign speeches.

In a year or two Sarko may regret taking some traditional responsibilities away from his prime minister - if things go wrong he'll only have himself to kick. The venerable US economist Paul Samuelson reportedly once said, "Politicians like to tell people what they want to hear - and what they want to hear is what won't happen."

[Edward Johns]

Hallo Robert,

"Nothing personal, but we do not want any American lawyers here"

Protectionist Frenchies again eh.
Afraid of the competition ?

[stevgillamos]

Sounds like Sarkozy's doing a grand job in getting up the Left's nose as he attempts to restore some sanity. If only we had someone in British politics who was so capable...

[Daniel Strohl]

JOHN,

Thanks for the precise info regarding "le bouclier fiscal". But unfortunately, I am not concerned – no chance whatsoever with our «pharamineuse retraite par répartition »!

[Terry]

While the French lawyers are sipping their perrier w/lemon in some cafe, I will be working 60 hours per week to steal their clientele.

[rezoko]

The right's worst fear. Another Chirac.

[john]

Terry, you have this strange vision of Parisians spending their lives in cafes. FYI, there are almost 12 million people living in Greater Paris, and all the people you saw sitting in cafes in central Paris are just a tiny tiny tiny minority among these 12 million people if you do the math (not to mention that a lot of these cafe sitters are foreign tourists actually). Most Parisians spend their day either at the office or at school (there are 3 million children and students in Greater Paris), and in their cars or in the RER subway in between, not to mention the sprawling hyper/supermarkets after work, but that you wouldn't know if you stayed only in central Paris. Now who has time to go to cafés ?

[Michael Brookes]

Nicolas Sarkosy is not another Chirac. Even after only three weeks in office, things are happening in France (e.g. fewer ENARCs (students attending a special school to groom future high officials)than ever in ministerial positions). I believe that he has a project for France that he sincerely believes in and that he will go as far as possible to achieve. Like with Thatcher, this will mean strikes and demonstrations, but it needs someone like Sarkosy to bring France kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century. A country where, to listen to some, the bosses (who are they in a SME?) systematically exploit the workers(??)and where there are four Trotskyist candidates for the presidential elections need a lesson in economic reality! Some French people are ashamed to be rich, even if they have deserved it!I hope that the new government will give France the impetus it vitally needs by stressing the value of education and hard work in order to change the perception of the state as "Father Christmas".Sarkosy can do it!

[robert furlong]

ROCKET: you obviously think $65 million (USD) for a pair of trousers is excessive. i suggest you view this as just an example of american's 'thinking big," something we do frequently, sometimes for the general welfare, frequently not.

lawyer joke:

a man looking for a lawyer wanders into an office and asks the person there if he is an attorney.

"i am" the person says.

"what are your rates?" the man asks.

"$300 for three questions."

"i'd like to retain you," says the man,

"very well," says the attorney. "what is your third question."

[Joëlle]

I love reading this blog so much, both tha articles and the comments, I can't thank all of you who contribute enough. I wish Charles would organise "un pot" in his favourite bar so we can all can finally get to meet the people behind the comments and thank them personally.

[Dominique]

Terry,

You'll probably need to work 60 hours in order to catch up with french lawyers. That's because they do have what you would probably call a huge protectionist law helping them : the law is written in french!

Those french, they are so protectionnists...can you imagine? they have written their law in french. If that is not discrimination... Bolkenstein, where are you? We need you in order to let american layers work in France under american laws! otherwise, Terry will not be able to fit in...

[Valentin]

"I wish Charles would organise "un pot" in his favourite bar so we can all can finally get to meet the people behind the comments"

Great idea, the problem is we are quite scattered, from Nice to Alsace to Britain, from Paris to Australia via New Jersey. Or what would a meeting be without our friends from the other side of the pond ! :)

[Valentin]

Isn't it a shame how 99% of the lawyers give the whole profession a bad name... Here's a short Question'n'Answer test :

Q: What's wrong with lawyer jokes?
A: Lawyers don't think they're funny and other people don't think they're jokes.

Q: How can you tell when a lawyer is lying?
A: His lips are moving.

Q: How does an attorney sleep?
A: First he lies on one side and then on the other.

Q: How do you get a group of lawyers to smile for a photo?
A: Just say, "Fees!"

And a final note attributed to Mark Twain...
"It is interesting to note that criminals have multiplied of late, and lawyers have also; but I repeat myself."

[Daniel Strohl]

ROBERT FURLONG, VALENTIN

Very good, I have got everything on the fly (as my wife would put it : are you quite sure, Daniel ?)

JOELLE, VALENTIN

Excellent idea, "le pot"! BTW, may be Charles could also introduce us to his cute little dog !

DOMINIQUE,

We should perhaps begin to help Terry telling him that French law is based on "le code Napoléon". Terry certainly knows that Napoleon has sold Louisiana (which was a French possession) to the United States for a few dollars. I do not know if any lawyer (French or American) did manage to get a transaction fee at that time ...

[john]

Daniel Strohl, French law is not based on the "code Napoléon". What a strange way of portraying things. French law is based on the so-called Romano-Germanic law, also called the civil law system, shared by Germany and other European continental countries. The Romano-Germanic law system is the merger of Roman Law (the law of the Roman and Byzantine Empire), canonic law (i.e. Church law), and Germanic customs (customary law) brought by the invading German tribes (Franks, Visigoths, and so forth).

Before the French Revolution northern France used essentially customs (each city and area had its own custom), while southern France used the Roman law. The only influence of Napoleon here was to unify French law. He had famous legal practitioners sit down and codify French law. They drafted the civil code, the penal code, the commercial law (for business law), and so forth. The most famous code, the civil code, was pompously called "code Napoléon" at the time to honor the despot, but Napoleon created no new law. These jurists who drafted the civil code simply copied and pasted the custom of Paris for the most part, also inserting some notions of Roman law in it. In Québec, which did not experience the French Revolution, they still use the Paris custom as their civil law.

Since Napoleon, French laws have changed a lot. The penal code was entirely rewritten at the end of the 20th century. Even the civil code has changed a lot since Napoleon with the thousands of new Parliament acts enacted over the years. Those who drafted the civil code in 1804 would find the civil code today quite changed compared to what they wrote 200 years ago.

Anyway, it must be the fascination of "Anglo-Saxons" to imagine that everything in France is based on what Napoleon decided 200 years ago. Update your sources.

And FYI Daniel, Napoleon did not sell Louisiana for "a few dollars". He sold it for 80 million golden French francs, which was a lot of money back then. And the only reason why he sold it was because he did not have the navy to defend Louisiana against British attacks.

[terry]

Daniel:

Actually, that's the only thing I know about French law, that it is based on the Napoleonic code. State law in the northern states is based on English Common Law, which is taught at most law schools. However, Louisiana law is based on Napoleonic code. If you go to Tulane, they'll teach Napoleonic Code (or so I heard).

Valentin: I thought those were funny. Until you need one...

Maybe hating lawyers is the only undebatable universal truth. In a way lawyers are like undertakers. You only need one when there is bad news.

[robert furlong]

Joelle et autres personnes ici:

re the idea of "un pot" de bloggeurs (i am guessing a "get together -- my high school French once again fails me).

to quote James Taylor, speaking to young, adoring females who are shouting from the audience, 'we love you James:'

Taylor: "it helps not to know me"

this notion may apply to your appealing idea.

[Valentin]

John :

Certainly both your claims are justified, but you do have quite a peculiar way to look at things.

Of course Napoleon did not invent his Code, which is based on pre-existant customs and bits of roman law. But this is irrelevant, the Roman law tables date back in -451 and are based on jus gentium (natural law). If you want, ALL law systems are consequences of ancient customs, cultures, civilizations and their evolutions.
Napoleon has the merit of unifying the bits and drafting a modern, consistent, coherent code that is much more than the mere sum of its parts.
The same way, you can say that French revolution invented nothing, since republics existed since the ancient Greeks. But this is a mere intellectual acrobacy.

As to Louisiana :

"By April 30, 1803, they closed a deal for the purchase of the entire 828,000 square mile Louisiana territory for 60 million Francs (approximately $15 million). Part of this sum was used to forgive debts owed by France to the United States. The payment was made in United States bonds, which Napoleon sold at face value to the Dutch firm of Hope and Company, and the British banking house of Baring, at a discount of 87 1/2 per each $100 unit. As a result, Napoleon received only $8,831,250 in cash for Louisiana."

So you see, you're right, but you actually aren't.

[Valentin]

Terry :
"Maybe hating lawyers is the only undebatable universal truth. In a way lawyers are like undertakers."

Right... Joke aside, I happen to know a bit on how things go with judges, lawyers and their clients in several countries and unfortunately, the jokes are not so far off (I'll give you the credit for being a member of the 1% though)

Except, I have to say, for the alligator jokes:

A man walks into a bar with his alligator. "Do you serve lawyers in here?" the man inquires.

"Sure do!" replied the bartender.

"Great!" the man said. "I'll have a Coors Light, and how 'bout a lawyer for my 'gator."

[Sandrine]

"Great idea, the problem is we are quite scattered, from Nice to Alsace to Britain, from Paris to Australia via New Jersey. Or what would a meeting be without our friends from the other side of the pond ! :)"

He, Valentin don't forget me, I'm in Washington FYI!!! :o)

[Valentin]

He, Valentin don't forget me,
I'm in Washington FYI!!! :o)

Yes but only for a while, as I remember. Hopefully la vague bleue won't stop you from returning to Paris (they didn't start to put socialists under arrest - YET !!! :))

[Sandrine]

Valentin,
I'm not in Washington for ever it's true, but I'll stay here at least for 4 years, so it's gonna be for a while anyway...

Héhé, they haven't started to put socialists under arrest yet, but wait for the results of the "législatives"...

[terry]

Sorry, this is a little late for the election. But I heard this Simon & Garfunkle song on the radio today and I coudnt help but to think of Sarkozy and his wife during the election. The song, of course, is entitled "Cecelia". Here are the lyrics:

Cecilia, You're breaking my heart
You're shaking my confidence baby
Oh Cecilia, I'm down on my knees
I'm begging you please to come home
Awww...

Cecilia, you're breaking my heart
You're shaking my confidence baby
Oh Cecilia, I'm down on my knees
I'm begging you please to come home
Come on home

Making love in the afternoon with Cecilia
Up in my bedroom
(makin' love) I got up to wash my face,
When I come back to bed
Someone's taken my place

Cecilia, you're breaking my heart
You're shaking my confidence baby
Oh Cecilia, I'm down on my knees
I'm begging you please to come home
Come on home

Jubilation
She loves me again
I fall on the floor and I'm laughing
Jubilation
She loves me again
I fall on the floor and I'm laughing

[D.Strohl]

JOHN,

May be you misinterpreted a little bit my post regarding « code Napoléon » and « a few dollars ». I was just trying to tease Terry. He is a professional lawyer, I have no background whatsoever regarding law matters, and I am well aware of that (even if as probably everybody on this blog, I have heard of Hammurabi's code, Roman right, custom right etc.). Of course, I should have written : « Well, Terry, you may have heard of the code Napoléon in your law school. If not, this is really a pity, but you may be pleased to know that Napoléon ...etc. ».

Nevertheless, I have learned a lot of things thanks to your post. I am always happy when I have an opportunity to learn something new for me or to improve « mes connaissances ».

Regarding the formulation « Louisiana sold for a few dollars », I did this purposedly, in reference to Voltaire - who has been mentioned occasionally on this blog – and who wrote the famous sentence qualifiyng Canada as « quelques arpents de neige et de glace » (« a few acres of snow and ice! » Our Canadian friends who have never heard of Voltaire will be pleased ...).
I am interested in history and geography since many years, therefore I did of course know the reason why Napoléon had to sell Lousiana for a rather moderate price (VALENTIN : merci pour les précisions très claires) – at that time, he was not even able to hold Haiti against Toussaint Louverture's revolt.

Let me conclude with another funny, but off topic sentence from Voltaire, about Colmar, where I live and where he spent several months in 1753/54 :
« I live in an ugly house, in an ugly town, half French, half German, but totally Iroquoian! ».

Meanwhile, the natives have made some efforts in terms of urbanism and cuisine ...

[Helen]

Aaahhhh, every time I hear the word Cecilia I hear that song playing in my head! Pity I don't actually like the song! Grr...

[Francine Sidler-Sicard]

I am sick and tired of journalist writing this and writing that, give Sarko the chance to prove himself. He hasn't been a full month at the Elysées and I believe he is moving a lot faster than his predecessors. A man who is not afraid to say in front of the cameras the night he was elected that he loves France because the country gave him so much and he wants to give France a lot in return, as we say CHAPEAU! Bravo Sarko, keep going!

[D.Strohl]

A translation lapsus occured unfortunately in my post : One should read "Roman law, custom law" instead of Roman right, custom right. Sorry