French election shock: Ségolène throws out François

Talk about timing. Ségolène Royal spoiled the unexpected electoral celebrations of her Socialist comrades overnight with the announcement that she had kicked the party leader out of their family home for cheating on her. Celebrations ? Yes because the Socialists were not massacred, just cleanly beaten by President Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right in the final round of the parliamentary elections.

In case you missed the news, Royal, the defeated Socialist candidate for the presidency this spring, decided in a spectacular and very un-French way to make public her separation from François Hollande, her partner of 25 years.

 

She did so via the Agence France-Presse news agency at 11 pm in the middle of television coverage of the results from the parliamentary elections. "Please do not refer to François Hollande any more as my companion," she said. Ségo was putting an end to two years of hypocrisy about her relations with Hollande, but the media, affecting distaste, immediately called her announcement "Anglo-Saxon-style". The French public is not supposed to take pay attention to the domestic lives of its ruling class. [feature today, written before Sego's break-up news]

Her news, ahead of a book that is due out on Wednesday, was supposed to clear the air ahead of her attempted take-over of the party which Hollande has led since 1997. But Ségo's colleagues, including supporters who still believe that her mystical gospel is what the party needs, were furious that she stole their enjoyment of their honourable defeat.

Everything was a little surreal. The Socialists were relishing their rescue from the edge of the electoral grave in the parliamentary run-off. They still lost in the first parliamentary return of a sitting government since 1978. But  voters took fright over Sarkozy's supposed plans to sting the poor to subsidise business. They listened to the Socialists' warnings about a Sarko dictatorship and put an end to his honeymoon by giving the new President a far smaller majority than the "blue wave" landslide that was expected by his Union for a Popular Majority.

Adding to the spice for the left was the humiliation of Alain Juppé, the number two in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon. Juppé, a Gaullist baron who once served Jacques Chirac as Prime Minister, lost his seat in Bordeaux, where he is Mayor. He resigned his post as super-minister for the Environment, Transport and Sustainable Development but he may stay on as Mayor. Juppé, a brilliant technocrat who owed his career to Chirac, has never been loved, but he has earned some sympathy as the sacrificial victim of la chiraquie -- the power clan of the last president (Chirac by the way may be summoned by the judges for questioning in criminal inquiries this week. More later).

In the final tally the Socialists raised their seats in the National Assembly from 149 to 190 and the UMP lost 41 to win 318. This is still an absolute majority of the 577-seat house. François Bayrou, the centrist who came third in the presidency and for a moment in the spring looked as if he could win the Elysée Palace, has crawled home with a mere five seats for his new Mouvement Démocratique (MoDem) party. The Communists -- yes they still exist in France -- did better than expected and won 17, only four fewer than the last time.

In reality, Sarkozy may not be too unhappy with the results. French parliaments have little power compared with those of other European states but a landslide would could still have made Sarko a little bit hostage to an over-assertive party. The slimmer majority will ensure more discipline in his camp. He may also not be sorry to see the departure of Juppé, Chirac's man in his inner circle.

Sarko now has a mandate to get on with his promised reforms. But the weekend's electoral warning shows that he can expect good old French resistance every time that he starts applying the remedies that he was elected to implement.

Theatre can now be expected in the Socialist camp. The party may have saved its bacon but the knives are out for a long-delayed purge and relaunch that just might enable the French left get out of the Marxist mental universe that it has inhabited since the 1950s.

Royal is the most popular potential leader with party members, but she is far from guaranteed the job. She is loathed by the rival barons who pin the presidential defeat on her erratic, substance-free campaign and on her war with Hollande. Claude Bartolone, a senior Socialist who is no friend of Royal, lamented the interference that the couple's troubles had inflicted on the spring campaign. "It was the Bermuda triangle of the Socialists," he said this morning. "Everyone steered round it to avoid being sucked into it."

The brutal way that Royal chose to go public has left a bad taste. Why, people are wondering, did she not just announce their separation and leave it at that? Instead, she nailed Hollande for the infidelity with a woman journalist which has been public knowledge for the past year. "I asked François Hollande to leave the family home and live out his love story on his own," she said.

The guardians of French decorum are appalled because that quote knocked the election results off the front page of Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui, the only mid-market national newspaper today [at top].

Some of Ségo's supporters also feel they were taken for a ride because the candidate made a point of claiming in a book the peak of the campaign last March that her relationship with Hollande was just fine and that tales of conjugal trouble were malicious slander. Today Julien Dray, her closest political ally, confirmed that the rumours had been right all along. The couple had in reality split before the campaign opened.

It has been a long electoral season. Four rounds of voting for the presidency and then the parliament. But we won't have peace for the next five years. The campaigning is already under way for the municipal elections in which the Socialists hope to sweep the board next spring. 

Comments

[rocket]

So I don't understand Royal and Hollande what was the point of bringing suit against the authors of La femme fatale. Anyway for me these people are all what I call the "oui mais non mais attends" populace. In other words, they can't make up their minds.

"The Communists -- yes they still exist in France -- did better than expected and won 17, only four fewer than the last time."

So this means that we'll only have to wait for another 20 years until they are obliterated completely

[Sarah Hague]

It's appearances that count for everything. Defend them until death! The Good Life's Margot would understand.

[Helen]

Now I'm really confused as to what happened. Did she really call AFP last night?? Le Figaro.fr says that she gave them an interview on Saturday, which wasn't intended to be made public until today (Monday).

[Frank Schnittger]

Timing in politics, as in life, can be everything. Many Socialists will not forgive Sego for stealing their consolation prize of a good news day for a less than disastrous election performance.

They say that (s)he who wields the dagger rarely gets to wear the crown. If you can't put the Party (and the country) above your personal life, then a personal life may be all you will be left with.

I cannot see Sego now uniting the party under her leadership. She may have thrown M. Hollande out of the family home, but he may well hold on to the Party.

[Peter Newman-Legros]

This was hardly a surprise and that Royal should want to ditch the lumpish and charisma-bypassed Hollande is non-news. The faux shock of the anti-PS/anti -Royal brigade is cringe making and the rights or wrongs of whether the the announcement and the timing were planned in the way that they happened or not, equally preposterous. Methinks that there is some over-indignance going on out there!

[Robert Marchenoir]

"Oui mais non". Spot on, Rocket.

This is an actual phrase which has crept into ordinary language for several years now.

I have heard it used as an argument in a professional context by quite senior people.

Needless to say, the argument stops at "non". Nothing needs to be explained further.

The real meaning of which being: "Yeah, I'm sure your point is quite reasonable and maybe even clever, but I don't quite feel like it so that's just the end of the discussion."

Very typical. It goes a long way towards explaining France's ills.

[John Hornsby]

Hollande is well out of it - he is too nice for Royal - I was quite surprised to see, as the party's disastrous first round results were being announced, that he does after all have a sense of humour and is/was a good loser.Unlike his "ex".

[Don S]

Do not cross this woman!

François Hollande had an affair, so Ségolène Royal tossed him out of the house and took the Socialist Presidential nomination from him. Not content with that she is now after his job. What's next, a vasectomy?

I confess to a sneaking admiration for Ségolène's sense of style however. As revenge goes this reminds me of something out of a Dumas novel. Or perhaps 'Les Miserables' with François as Jean Valjean and Ségo as Javert!

[Terry]

How do you say "me, myself, and I? I got the moi and Je part.

What a meglomaniac. Al Gore grew a beard and made a silly movie about global warming. But he (eventually) took his loss like a man. It seems your Sego will just not go away and is determined to remain in the spotlight lest she become irrelevant.

I think Sego really just couldn't take the toilet seat up any more.

[Dominique]

I am so hopeless i can't find anything to say.

If Ségo take the party, i emigrate!

[D.Strohl]

"She had kicked the party leader out of their family home for cheating on her."

Translation in colloquial French :

"Elle a foutu à la porte de leur domicile familial le patron de son parti parce qu'il l'avait cocufiée".

The French version is a bit rough, but it is deserved, since Ms Royal too has cheated (« cocufié ») the electors with her various "arranged" previous announcements and, as explained by Charles, by the timing of the "coup de fil à l'AFP" at « 11 pm in the middle of television coverage of the results from the
parliamentary elections ».

Since Ms Royal is not stupid enough to underestimate the disastrous impact of this « mis »-timed announcement on some voters, she must have had good reasons to do this nevertheless – one of these could simply be money. Charles reported that her new book (« Les coulisses de la défaite » or should one read : « Les dessous de la défaite » ?) will be published next Wednesday.
If my hypothesis is correct, this means that Ms Royal has landed a tremendous (and cost-free) advertising coup, since it even « knocked the election results off the front page of Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui ». May be Ms Royal hopes to beat the current best seller « La femme fatale » in terms of sales. As far as I am concerned, I will spare my money for more interesting books ...

[Sandrine]

"François Hollande had an affair, so Ségolène Royal tossed him out of the house "

Er, I think the affair is still not over. I'm not sure he is alone right now, so she had every right to toss him out !!! (et plutôt deux fois qu'une !)

Dear D. Strohl, please check your facts, she hasn't written the books, it was written by two journalists of the AFP... And the book will not be only about her separation with FH (from what I've heard, there will only be one page about this subject).

And concerning the poor timing, she has later made a statement saying that it was a "fuite" (how do you say that in english ?) in the press, not at all her decision to announce that at the same moment of the elections' results. But who will believe her ???

Gosh, I just love this woman, she's definitely my hero now ! (I surely know what it feels to be the cocue !)

[rocket]

Dominique

"I am so hopeless i can't find anything to say."

"If Ségo take the party, i emigrate!"

c'est un scoop plus important que la separation de sego et françois!!!!!

je reve ou quoi. Est ce les effets d'une soirée trop bien arrosée.

Puis je suggerer THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

[Joëlle]

pretty sanctimonious of Mme Royal when you consider that she's hardly been a paragon of marital fidelity either!

[Kick]

As the saying goes, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but I think it's mostly about political ambition. SR may have been forced to play her hand early by making that announcement, but in the battle to become the Socialist Party chairwoman, you could see some sort of break-up coming.

Terry, try this: "Moi je, en plein accord avec moi-même".

[Andy]

We come down to the two Cs: do you believe in Conspiracy or Cockups? Do you believe that Ségo PLANNED to have the news of her separation from François break during the news of the PS and therefore deflate François' "Victory'; or do do believe in COCKUPS (and that's got nothing to do with Charles' last article on bicycles) and she has got caught out with trying to be too clever manipulating the press to serve her purposes in heaping shame (vengeance) on François? I go for the second - but then I'm not French, even if happily resident in France, and have seen much more of the second than the first.

[Valentin]

Whaaat a gang of Royal bashers ! :) Isn't there any decent soul out there to stand up for the lady !
This yet another electoral victory for the PS is due to her too, in part !
De grâce, un peu de respect, sinon de gentillesse ! :)

[Valentin]

En superposant le titre du Parisien ci-dessus au thème électoral de Nicolas Sarkozy, on peut dire sans se tromper : chaqu'un sa rupture !

[Terry]

Is it really an affair if you are not married?

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Dominique - if you do have to emigrate, try England. A soap-box awaits you at Hyde Park Corner ("Speakers' Corner") in London where you can say whatever you like in the country of free speech. Some years ago a speaker was yelling: "The British police are fascist pigs, protecting the upper class and brutalizing the working class. They are worse than Nazis..." The crowd started to complain to a young police constable on the edge of the gathering, and he peeled off and walked over to a motorist and said: "Would you mind switching off your engine, sir? The crowd can't hear the speaker."

[Robert Marchenoir]

"This yet another electoral victory for the PS."

Yet another bout of French socialist newspeak.

The Right flattens out the Left by 53% in the presidential election, goes on winning an absolute majority in the House, and this is qualified as "an electoral victory for the socialists".

Only in France, North Korea and a very limited number of assorted places.

Keep on dreaming, Valentin.

[christopher muir]

You'd think that Sego could have waited a couple of days to make her announcement. She really must have been incapable of bottling up the decision any longer; the lady simply blew her fuse at the expense of her Party's much needed positive headlines. Too many of today's politicians are behaving like megalomaniacs.

[Edward Johns]

And there I was thinking that only stuffy old Anglo-Saxons had a problem with cheating partners. Does this mean that French culture is changing ?

[rocket]

This takes me back to my original post about infidelity several months ago in response to Dominique's defense of chivalry +

I say today and I said yesterday that this type of behavior that "certains" put up as admirable can only lead to a dead end. There is nothing admirable in "tromperie" whether it be with a spouse or with a partner and it usually ends in a massive flame out.

In the end the desire for "harmonie du couple" of the French is really not that diffierent than others in this domaine.

PS - Terry - studies have shown that the French have no more mistresses than any other culture. It's all hype.

The reason that the press doesn't speak about the personal lives of politicians is that they are scared shitless, not out of respect for some higher code of respect. Once it becomes acceptable to bring out certain aspects of private life and how it affects political life, the French with their closet "mentalité de curieux" will join the crowd and this type of journalism will dominate the news.

Not surprising in a society dominated by fear. Fear of the policeman, the taxman, the fonctionnaire, fear of the TVA, fear of ending up homless, of globalisation etc.

Yesterday I also thought it was interesting to see how Libé made the breakup et al of the Royal couple their headlines.

[Samantha]

An affair signals a problem in a relationship and not necessarily the end of it. No surprise that M. Hollande had an affair. Ms Royal seems incapable of developing the trust needed to sustain a healthy, mature emotional relationship. Refusal to trust is perhaps why she never agreed to marry M. Hollande. And, of course, this all has roots in her difficult relationship with her father and how she saw him treat her mother. The "issues" she has with men were revealed rather scarily during the debate with M. Sarkozy. Her attack seemed to be based on more than political differences and more like a woman attempting to trample all over a man, she felt (wrongly)threatened by. That her relationship lasted so long with M. Hollande is likely a reflection of M. Hollande's incessant giving in than the compromise every relationship requires. I wish them both luck. It's my guess that he will form a long and lasting relationship with someone else in the future but doubt on Ms. Hollande's ability to achieve the same unless she is able to address the deep seated emotional issues that she seems to have.

[Dominique]

Rocket & Peter,

regarding emigration, i was more thinking of something like trying to relaunch "la commune" right in Paris.

Yep! i feel my "communard" identity is coming back! and don't you dare attack my roots! i am now in favor of fighting for the independance of Ile de France!

That would allow Terry to make some communard bashing, for a change.

If we can't make it, i'll try Andorre.

[Actu75]

Terry's words : "Al Gore grew a beard and made a silly movie about global warming. But he (eventually) took his loss like a man. "
Until further notice it is unreasonable to consider Segolène is and should behave like a man.
(And as much unreasonable also to call stupid Al Gore's film or the issues he raised).

[Valentin]

"Keep on dreaming, Valentin."

Oh come on Robert, this literary procédée is called "irony". Did I ever sound like the lesser supporter of Sarkozy?

[The 3rd column]

Sandrine,

""fuite" (how do you say that in english ?)"

a leak (not the loo type of leak), i.e., to the press...

[Helen]

Of course it's an affair, even if you're not married! Le "couple Royal-Hollande" are/were "pacsé". And bore 4 children together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacte_civil_de_solidarit%C3%A9

[BT]

Why did she tell us during the presidentials she had planned to marry F Hollande… honeymoon on a pirogue...? She played the perfect model of the good mother to get people’s heart and to win the elections. It was all rubbish. I'm wondering what type of comedy she will play next: “Drama queen of the PS party”, “the betrayed woman”, “Alone with 4 kids”. As a catholic mother, she should have sacrificed herself for her family and not for politics. Nobody needs a liar, a cheater and a trouble maker like this despotic and mad woman who pretends to know and understand everything and who wants power by frightening people or calling her “scums” to smash innocent people's car when she doesn’t get what she wants. Thanks god she hasn't been elected President and I hope she will never be. She’s too dangerous.

[azloon]

has SR has started a 'trend' by kicking her unfaithful husband 'to the curb?' if so, there certainly are many french males similarly involved who are wondering if they are next.

what's happening over there, for godsake? american men who are fooling around have always pointed to france in justifying their infidelity. the common belief over here: tout le monde en france has a lover. s'il vous plait, dites moi que c'est vrai, as common as wine and strikes.

i hope the divorce courts are prepared pour le deluge.

[John Hornsby]

Terry,
I laughed at the expression "she couldn't take the toilet seat up any more" but do not know what it means...

[alan morgan]

The internet is flooding with comments on Ségolène Royal and her lover, a captain of industry.
It is revealing that none of the previous comments to your blog site have mentioned this other half of their domestic equation. Nor do you Charles. Why? Where is the balance in this blog?

[Sandrine]

"Is it really an affair if you are not married?"

Are you kidding me ?? Of course it is Terry !! Anyway, I don't understand why everybody seems to think that FH was right to cheat on his "compagne", just because of the way you think she is. So you think that if they decided to stay together that long it was only because HE (the saint) made some concessions ?

Oh boy, this guy cheats on the woman who is almost considered as his wife by everybody and you still can find him some excuses. As I said previously, you people must really HATE this woman.

For having been cheated by the father of my daughter, I truly understand how difficult and humiliating it must have been for her that everybody knew (maybe as usual in these cases she was the last to learn). The moment after, when you're alone, but he is happy with his other woman, is the most horrible. You do suffer a lot. But all people can say here is that she deserved it, and he was right to do so.

And concerning the "leak" (thanks 3rd Column), as I said earlier, she hasn't announced her separation with FH on the night of the election. The AFP and then Elise Lucet (with her big mouth) announced it on TV. So I don't see where it's her fault. But once again, people will prefer say everything's her fault than give her the benefit of the doubt.

For everybody here, she's guilty of everything : her man cheated on her : her fault. She asked him to leave the house (as any normal woman would do) : she has no heart. The press leaked the info during an electoral evening : she is just a stupid ambitious b... who didn't like to be out of the spotlights !

As I said, whatever she says, whatever she does, whatever she thinks, you'll always decide that she's wrong. And Charles knows that, whenever he writes something on her (why don't you write anything about DSK or Fabius ?), people jump on the occasion to say and repeat what they think of her...

And Dominique who wants to emigrate if she takes the party... Haha, je ris. :o(

[Terry]

John:

"leaving the toilet seat up".

This, of course, refers to the male spouse's failure to put the toilet seat down to the wife's annoyance Apparently many wives don't bother to turn on the bathroom light at night resulting in a late night swim. The end result is a lot of bickering over being thoughtful of the other. In my somewhat biased opinion, the trivial event is used as a pretext to express rage over something else that's really bothering her. (There's a lot more philosophy here than I originally thought.

I thought this was one of those universal truths. Perhaps, it's just an American thing.

[Terry]

Sandrine & Helen:

I just found "affair" a rather posh word for a couple that never bothered to marry. As Sandrine said, FH was "almost his wife". Cheating, certainly is a more appropriate word.

I don't quite remember anyone blaming Sego for FH's cheating. However, wasn't it true that Sego was seen scene stepping out with someone else during the election?

BTW: On cheating. The view of it may be skewed by gender. Cheating to a male is a sexual act with a woman other than your spouse/girlfriend/whatever. My wife informs me that cheating is actually THINKING of a having a sexual act with another woman. So, I can have those thoughts in my head. But if she finds out about them, I might as well have cheated on her.

[Joëlle]

Sandrine,
Ségo has been with masses of people during her pacs with Hollande, it's absurd to try to make him a scapegoat for the failure of their pacs. She's been just as unfaithful as he has. I agree with Alan Morgan. About time Sego got some flak too, for what she's been doing, if we've decided to do some muck-raking.
[Joelle, I've edited your comments a little. I've put through the rest, but wonder how you you have your information about Ségolène Royal : CB]

[D.Strohl]

SANDRINE,

I am sorry if I made a mistake about the book I attributed to Mme Royal - I understood that two journalists had asked her questions and that the book contained their questions and her answers. If I am wrong, this would be the second time that I have not "checked my sources" (JOHN). Too bad!

Sandrine, I am not a supporter of Mme Royal, simply because I am persuaded that she does not have the format to become « Présidente de la République », and that she knows it – therefore, she uses all available methods to quell that truism.

However, my opinion on her does not mean than I am « un affreux macho ». My opinion is that women are often more courageous than men, that they have quicker minds, that they are more matter of fact and do not loose their time (and our time, if they are paid by the government i.e. the electors) flexing their muscles and drumming their chests like gorillas in the jungle, as many men i.e. politicians tend to do, virtually of course ...

May be Mr. Sarkozy (and possibly Mr. Fillon) has or have a similar opinion, since three most important cabinet posts - Justice, Intérieur, Finances - were attributed this morning to women, along with other posts as well. Furthermore, a « secrétariat d'état » has been attributed to a 30 years « old » lady – I didn't get her name, but I saw her interviewed this morning : she is very bright, has a good sense of humour and "par dessus le marché", she is very attractive. She happens to be the daughter of a Senegalese diplomat and of a « professeur d'histoire ».

[Terry]

Last post: I meant to say Sego was "almost his wife". Freudian slip.

[azloon]

i found incredible the notion of SR competing with her domestic partner (i mistakenly called him her husband in a previous post) for control of their political party. how in the hell could they have maintained a civil relationship in those circumstances? obviously they couldn't, and didn't. it's surprising the media didn't pick up on this though ROCKET'S comments may explain this reluctance.

re ROCKETS comments: interesting that you believe france has refrained from prying into personal behaviour out of fear (rather than a blase attitude toward extra-marital activity), and that soon the country will be as obsessed with others sexual indiscretions as is the rest of europe and the u.s. this is unfortunate for you, even if it means a more agressive media which is generally a good thing.

SAMANTHA: i had identical thoughts re SR's difficult childhood and figured she was the one who opted to remain unmarried. clinton got therapy (while in office) when his sexual compulsiveness came to light. how about therapy for Sego -- for her "trust issues??" :)

[Ros]

Helen: How do you know that they were "Pacsé" ? I have never seen this written anyhere -- I thought they were just a couple living together.

[Pierre Bernardi]

Terry, I noticed a few years ago that the Americans were talking about toilet seats. It's moved over to France now, which seems as good a reason as any to hate you.

[Pierre Bernardi]

Bet D. Strohl supports PR.

[rocket]

azloon

"what's happening over there, for godsake? american men who are fooling around have always pointed to france in justifying their infidelity. the common belief over here: tout le monde en france has a lover. s'il vous plait, dites moi que c'est vrai, as common as wine and strikes."

It's false. "Du pipo" as the French say. One of those cultural traits that the Americans think is true but in reality is no more prevalent than anywhere else in the world. This is what happens when one watches to many Peter Sellers Pink Panther movies.

[rocket]

Terry

"My wife informs me that cheating is actually THINKING of a having a sexual act with another woman. So, I can have those thoughts in my head. But if she finds out about them, I might as well have cheated on her."

Tell your wife we are all human and that as long as you haven't cheated, you haven't cheated. I totally disagree with her and it would be interesting to delve into the depths of HER mind. (I have nothing against her not knowing her) So many things pass through our heads during the course of a lifetime we cannot be exptected to be perfect in the eyes of another who imposes their rules.

When we wander physically then at that moment we have to take responsiblity for our actions not through our thoughts.

A NICE ! woman in our neighborhood walks around braless and all is obvious to see. Do I have thoughts? Yes! So what. Do I react? NO! because I value what I have at home but I'm only human.

[rocket]

Terry

"The end result is a lot of bickering over being thoughtful of the other. In my somewhat biased opinion, the trivial event is used as a pretext to express rage over something else that's really bothering her. (There's a lot more philosophy here than I originally thought."

Still waters run deep!

[D.Strohl]

PIERRE BERNARDI,

I do not quite understand what you mean with PR (Parti Républicain or Public Relations ?). None of them - I am (happily) retired since 11 years now and am not engaged in politics. Of course, I have got my opinions. BTW, Charles' blog is very interesting because of the various opinions raised up, spiced often with humour instead of hate and abuse one sees sometimes elsewhere.

DOMINIQUE,

I understand you want to emigrate in fear of Ségolène - may be you are influenced "à votre insu et sans le savoir" by the wise Alsatian saying: "One finds the ancient warriors far off the guns".

May I suggest Alsace as a possible
emigration target ? We have got here fairly good cuisine and wines, and the landscape is often beautiful.

[terry]

Pierre:

Hate? All over a toilet seat, too. You are a tough grader, Pierre. Lefties have so much anger in them. GRRRRR!!!

I never agree with you but I certainly don't hate you. In fact, I kind of like ya. Je t'aime.

BTW: Perhaps Sego went public to turn the kids against him. I do some divorce work and, unfortunately, this is not an unusual tactic for revenge.

[terry]

Open question:

For a pacse, do you have to get a "divorce" to leave the union? Or do you cancel the contract like a long term lease?