Modesty, mistakes... the new Sarkozy

Humble is not a word that we usually apply to Nicolas Sarkozy. Yet the adjective is doing the rounds today after the President delivered a long and fairly successful defence of his bumpy first year.

The occasion was one of those modern French rituals founded by the late Charles de Gaulle in the late 1950s. The monarch summons cameras to the palace and hogs the main television and radio networks at a time when his subjects are usually enjoying lighter fare. 

France wanted to know, via five TV interviewers in the Elysée ballroom, whether Super Sarko had got the message about the severe discontent over his rule and what he planned to do about it. In almost contrite tones, Sarkozy said yes, he understood the disappointment and he took the blame up to a point. He had failed to explain some policies well enough but the world slump was also responsible, he said. He had "doubtless made mistakes" but he remained determined to push through reforms on all fronts.

France stagnated for 25 years, failing to adapt to globalisation "which has turned the world into a village", he said. "There is only one possible strategy: to enact change....In France, there is always a good reason to do nothing, always someone who is unhappy."

Sarkozy announced nothing in particular. The main news was that a new modest Subdued Sarko has replaced the aggressive, cocky Super Sarko, at least for the time being. Even Laurent Joffrin, Editor of  Libération, his chief media scourge, game him a little credit.

"New clothes. The tone has changed. He has partly abandoned the style of the loud-mouthed and peremptory lawyer ... which caused him so much damage over the past 10 months," wrote Joffrin. "The suddenly more humble pleading of the President has changed the scenery a little. But the play remains rigorously the same."

Naturally, Sarko's foes in the opposition found nothing good to say about his 100-minute audience, watched by 12 million people. Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate against him last year, said he had spouted approximation, improvisation, aberration and falsehood. "He is paying the price for the mass of lies which he uttered during the election campaign," said the woman whom he defeated. Royal confirmed today that she wants to run against Sarko again the next time, in 2012.

Sarkozy's appearance, the first since his last, disastrous, one on January 8, will not have satisfied the millions who blame him for failing to deliver on his rash election promise to put more money in French pockets. Olivier Duhamel, a politics professor and heavyweight commentator said: "The crux of the problem was purchasing power. That is what the polls showed was by far the French people's main expectation. And on that point, I'm sorry but I think that globally he failed."

But the TV Sarkothon will have helped soften the belief that the country is being run in a haphazard way by an insensitive show-off. Le Figaro, the President's cheer leader among daily newspapers, put the pro-Sarko case: "It will probably take Nicolas Sarkozy time to win back the heart of the French people. Sometimes you have to accept unpopularity to get reforms to be accepted."

Comments

[Ros]

Sarkozy was well advised and certainly made an effort in his speech last night, although I don't think the Figaro quote "Sometimes you have to accept unpopularity to get reforms to be accepted" will work well in France.

[Daisy]

In the words of American baseball legend Yogi Berra, it's deja vu all over again. He did this mea culpa/humble pie routine a while ago. It didn't last then either.

[rocket]

"In France, there is always a good reason to do nothing, always someone who is unhappy."

He certainly hit the nail on the head there.

But I never doubted Sarkozy's just appreciation of his countrymen/women of which he is included.

Also I thought some goods comments on Afghanistan. Very realistic and he stopped just short of calling former French Foreign policy cowardly.

We'll have to wait and see how it all plays out.

A more modest style? Maybe but I saw a lot of gesticulating anyway. Often seemed as if he had to restrain himself.

He needs to read Buddha

[John Gregory Flinn]

"But the TV Sarkothon will have helped soften the belief that the country is being run in a haphazard way by an insensitive show-off."

Yes, I got that impression too.
I watched the France-24 translation, and, despite the lack of any advert breaks he did'nt seem to tire.

He was on the mark about the areas where reforms were needed including within government, and claimed some 50-odd particular actions were in progress to that end.
He even told Joffrin(?) pretty definitely that the abolition of certain teaching posts would stand, adding that he thought the Teaching profession was in crisis!

He explained his failure with 'le pouvoir d'achat' was down to a doubling of the price of oil and 'speculators' (did I hear that correct?) driving up prices of foodstuffs. So what happened to all those EC butter and beef mountains and wine lakes DOT KING queried on a previous thread? Such surpluses would be useful now....Alas, all dissipated I understand.

PS. The flags were in better proportion this time!

[Roger Goodacre]

The idea of watching any politician speak for 90 minutes is not very appealing - that's what Charles is there for..

I wonder if Sarkozy touched at any time on the question of small businesses (PME) and the self-employed, because that's where the potential for quickest growth lies in most economies. Small businesses may not contribute the largest proportion of tax revenues, but they do keep people off state support and the unemployment index.

However, in France the barriers to setting up business independently are a huge disincentive, certainly in comparison to the UK, and I imagine to the US.

I've borrowed some words of advice, below, from a Danish financial adviser resident in France, addressed to an English teacher who was thinking of coming to find work in Lyon. If the advice is correct, it gives us Anglo-Saxons a good illustration of why unemployment in France remains so stubbornly high.

"Becoming self-employed in France is not a very attractive option. Should it go wrong and you lose your clients, you'd have no entitlement to unemployment benefit. If you get ill, you'd get no daily sick pay. You have more than 10 different social security charges and professional tax to pay, and it's a big mess to budget for them, as they are each calculated differently and mostly based on what you earned 2 years before. That means that in bad years, the taxes and charges can be more than 100% of your present income. Should it go so bad that you temporarily need other social assistance (which you are entitled to) you may be confronted with civil servants who are generally hostile to anything to do with private enterprise and who may sabotage your demands. France is still a country built around civil servants, stable full-time workers and people who don't work. Even if president Sarkozy should start improving the business climate (which we're still waiting for), he couldn't change the massive business-hostile attitude from one day to the next. You may or may not have the option of being employed. It can be done by making a temporary employment contract for each language session. It sounds weird but that's how the French do these things, and it provides you with the various benefits associated with employment. There is an intermediary solution of going through an umbrella company, or société de portage as they are called here. They have finally been officialised through a collective agreement signed by the SNEPS and the CICF for activities concerned by the Syntec agreement that covers IT, engineering and advice. You have status of employee but you deal directly with your clients who are invoiced by the umbrella company. As for health care, you will be covered from the day you start working. If self-employed, you have a minimum of 900 euros to pay per year for this. If employed, you may have to pay in addition until you have worked a certain number of days in the year. As long as you are not inactive, you will not be concerned by the CMU trouble." (by Finn Skovgaard, on Expat Telegraph)

[rocket]

Roger,

It is not that bad. I am self employed (have been for years) and granted the charges are high you can still make some money in France. I also don't know about 10 different social security charges. I pay 3. but I work alone. No employees

Total "cotisations" are about 20% - 25% of my net or BNC - Benefice non commerciaux. Lot's of write offs available also.

As for 900€ health care in France. That's a bargain. Compared to the US where coverage starts at over $5000/ year.

I will try to comment longer later on each particular point you have brought up.

[colin grayson]

I haven't watched a presidential broadcast in france for nearly 20 years , I just end up ROFLMAO [ any computer geek will explain ]

doesn't sound like I should change my ways just yet

[Daniel Strohl]

John Gregory,

"He even told Joffrin(?) pretty definitely that the abolition of certain teaching posts would stand"

It was not Joffrin, but Yves Calvi, who is a very able journalist making interesting talk shows in which he manages to keep a strict discipline - most of the time, his guests do not interrupt each other as it is usually the case. However, he has a weak point in my opinion; he is rather left leaning. Otherwise, he would be perfect :)).

Rocket,

"but I work alone. No employees".

This is by far the best solution.

Roger,

"If the advice is correct, it gives us Anglo-Saxons a good illustration of why unemployment in France remains so stubbornly high".

The advice is correct in the main points, but things tend to improve. There have been many "simplifications administratives".
But as soon as something has been simplified, "l'Administration" tries to find new ways to complicate matters - they have to justify their existence in inventing new papers - it works on the principle of the "hydre de Lerne" :)). Sarkozy is not Hercules, but he tries hard to improve things.

[susan in the dordogne]

I don't agree with Charles Bremner on one point : if the French weren't interested in watching the Sarko-show, 10.2 million households wouldn't have tuned in last night !That being said, it's a pity Sarkozy ruined his credibility in his first year of office by his glitzy behaviour and appearing to be more preoccupied with his love life than implementing the campaign programme. However, love him or hate him, there is simply no viable political alternative if France is to be reformed. Mitterrand and 14 years of socialism brought France to its knees, and Chirac didn't have the political courage to face down the unions and armies of public sector employees. The Sarkozy government has already introduced a good number of liberal reforms (perhaps not as radical as France needs) but it will take several years before the pay-off kicks in. The Brits love to caricature the French political and economic system - and there's definitely much to criticise - but France is still the 5th largest economy in the world, so it clearly isn't all bad !

[Absolutely, Susan. On his ratings, the audience last night was considerably less than those for his last two live shows, in November and late summer. They reached about 14 million. CB]

[Fernandez]

I agree that the best thing Sarko could do is free up the regulations and let people open their own small businesses. In several speeches before, he's talked about a Small Business Act for France much like the one in the U.S. and Canada. People will find their own way if you just let them.

Rocket - When I was a self-employed lawyer, my monthly health insurance bill was $300 ($1800/yr) and most of my relatives complained that my coverage was better than theirs. (Of course, now I am a member of the American Communist Party [known locally as the California State teachers' union, Berserkly Chapter]. The fringe benefits are so great they are sometimes referred to as 'French benefits'. Everyone has their price....)

[rocket]

Fernandez

There is something I don't understand

$300 x 12 = $1800????

Please explain.

[colin grayson]

charles , I'm flattered !! my pearls of wisdom entered twice to ensure that nobody missed them

[Fernandez]

Rocket -

I can't multiply and the Union doesn't require me to. I'll have to contact the Mathematics Department.

[Terry]

Roger:

Very interesting comment on being self-employed in France.

One other point on the unemployment rate and I have mentioned it before. If you want to improve the employment sector, you have to think like an employer and understand why he hires people. I know this sounds elementary. But when nearly HALF of France almost elects a presidential candidate who says "business should be scared if I am elected", a little refresher might be in order. An employer highers people when he has enough business and profit to pay that employee. The more costs imposed on the employer, the less his ability to higher employees. Second, an employer highers an employee on his skill and potential. If laws make it difficult to terminate bad employs, he will be less likely to employ those with a meager work history. Otherwise, he is stuck with paying an employee who does nothing. Two things Sarko can do are to remove these burdens on employers. Especially, small ones. In the US, small business accounts for 75-85% of the workforce. (I think someone said Sarko had started to ease firing laws-has this been done?)

Another thing Sarko could do to improve purchasing power is lower that sales tax. But he just wont do that, will he? If he did, I might just come back for the chicken at Closerie.

BTW: There are too many lawyers here.

[colin grayson]

I think it is generally acknowledged that employment growth mostly comes from small business ....world wide

and small business usually starts as someone self employed ; I deal with 3 self employed artisans , or at least I try to !!! when I ask for a quote for a job , the date offered to do the job is never a week or a month , it is always 6 months or a year , and the reality is ....that doesn't happen anyway

so I suggest taking on somebody to take the business available ...response in each case? would increase their work load and decrease their profit ;and if they don't get on with the person they employ ? then they would really would be in trouble

I think that when you get to 6 employees or so it becomes more economic , but that is quite a jump for most

someone , I have forgotten who , said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step ; in france that step is like climbing a cliff

[qwerty]

I will never be able to forget that Sarkozy forgot that he was President long enough to tell someone "casse-toi pauv' con" like any other street yob. I think he periodically has this bout of amnesia.

However, if you listen to the quiet voices, read the articles that go unnoticed, it does seem that French society is changing "par petites touches". Cf. the weekend chronicler of LCI on CGT, on reform of the retirement system and reform of the employment contract.

About the self-employed, professions libérales etc.(Mary Fernandez & others): you're always told in France to put aside 50% of your income as that will go to Urssaf, social security, retirement, and taxes. Whatever the level of your income.

[Maggie]

Sorry to do this, but it's really quite original.

Terry, you wrote, "An employer highers people when he has enough business and profit to pay the employees."

You did it twice, in fact.

Quite creative spelling!

[Daniel Strohl]

Terry,

"Hires" or "highers" ? :))

[dot king]

A good mnemonic : hiring and firing

not to be confused with highering and fighering! : )

[Segben]

If a "street yob", said "Casse-toi, pauvre con!" I wouldn't be too worried. A potential danger would say, "Va te faire foutre, connard!" Or he might call me "Enculé". Why do people who don't know French slang all that well persist in commenting on the notorious little phrase of Sarkozy?

[Terry]

it is hires. it was 12 in the morning. you get the idea anyway.

There was no such thing as spelling rules 100 years ago anyway, picky bstrds.

[azloon]

Bottom Line: NS is a fraud... like most of his fellow western heads of state. it's all entertainment, show biz, if you will.

Yasmina Reza summed it up quite nicely in her book about NS which was published in English this week:

[“I never thought of politicians as preachers whom you can have faith in,” she said, “but now even less. I have lost all faith in the morality of words. The politician’s word lacks all credibility.”]

i guess this is what hanging out with sarko for a year will do to you. the rest of us get it in dribs and drabs so it may take longer to come to the same conclusion.

cheers

[Berthie Matona]

Sarkozy is human after all, reforming the country needs a state of mind where things should be done step by step by being humble ,not only to impress people with your speech

[Dot king]

"Why do people who don't know French slang all that well persist in commenting on the notorious little phrase of Sarkozy?"

I know all the phrases you use and some others as well, but it doesn't mean that I'd use them - even less in a professional situation - as was President Sarkozy when he said them.
Simple as that, you adjust your register of language to the situation.

BTW I didn't thnk Sarkozy was relaxed and convincing the other evening. Fausse modestie IMO.

[Butting in here to note that CSA poll today for le Parisien found 52 percent were not convinced by Sarko, but when they asked those who had actually watched his show, 62 percent were convinced. And on the "pauvre con", it's nothing to do with a supposed ignorance of French slang. Most people commenting here are perfectly aware of the nuances. It's simply that a head of state looks bad if he lets go like that, insulting one of his citizens however mildly. CB]

[Joan Arles]

I get the feeling that Sarkozy managed to convince quite a few doubters that he has his feet on the ground after all. We all know he's a great avocat, especially for himself, but he managed to convey the old Margaret Thatcher line that was known as TNA -- there's no alternative. He did mess up in his answer about the sans papiers and showed his nasty side. He was asked about undocumented restaurant workers who want work permits and launched into a tirade about people claiming French nationality. That has nothing to do with it.

[MYOS]

In my opinion, being responsible and humble means taking responsability.
Here, Sarko admitted nothing. Problems come from
1) the stupid French who can't get it through their head that the "paquet fiscal" is good for them (a UMP-backed commission concluded that the 'heures sup' scheme costs more than it brings, and for the 30% or so who benefit from it, it only means about 9 extra euros per month. Not to mention that evidence shows those overtime hours simply are hours that existed before but were not 'declared' for whatever reason.)
For this problem, he offered "pegagogy" (educating the crowds to the purported benefits of his policies) and "communication".
2) young junior ministers - for this problem he promised blood and tears to anyone who'd speak out of turn now on
3) the euro being too high (although it doesn't affect Germany)
4) oil being too expensive (even though the FRench can use the currency difference between euros and dollars to their advantage - unless they're totally inept.)

He also tried to justify the education budget cuts by citing primary school reform. What gives?
I caught two mistakes and I'm not even a specialist or anything: he confused "fioul" and "gaz" for domestic energy; he confused illegal laborers asking for work permits with immigrants who want to become French.

Sarkozy's a big disapointment to me and Thursday's show did not make things better. I think he sold himself as a courageous reformer and he's neither.
(The scandalous special retirement entitlements have been "reformed" in such a way that they will now cost MORE than before thanks to his or Bertrand's inept management! Which is why he never speaks of it anymore!)

[dot king]

"He did mess up in his answer about the sans papiers and showed his nasty side. He was asked about undocumented restaurant workers who want work permits and launched into a tirade about people claiming French nationality."
(Joan Arles)

Indeed, this was a major blunder confusing regularisation with naturalisation. I was very surprised that Yves Calvi didn't react (I think he was the interviewer at that moment) - he even quoted Rocard's famous "toutes les misères du monde" referring to people who are in fact not "misères" as they have jobs and pay taxes.
I thought the interviewers were somewhat wishy washy - I expected better from Yves Calvi, but I think he's perhaps more at home chairing a discussion. PPDA looked unconvinced most of the time, but David Pujadas came across more "dangerous" than the others with some quick-fire interjections.

(CB re your intervention on the "pauvre con" - quite - a president worth anything just doesn't revert to insult of a citizen, even if the citizen deserves it (pour ainsi dire) or even just by reflex.
All those who defend him as being "normal", "virile" should ask whether they would accept the same level of language of a teacher in a classroom, directed at their kids.)

[Blendi Progri]

Sarkozy,MODEST, pensive, contrite and more focused, well, will it last?

France hasn’t seen his kind before and it will take some time before it sees one like him again. Past French leaders (for all their quirks and faults, and god, didn’t they have a lot of them) have been or appeared too reserved, managing to preserve a sense of decorum; at least in public. By keeping some distance, that served them well,they could deflect part of teh blame and in a way that’s how the system is constructed.
Then comes Niki, and all hell break lose.

I for one think that N.S is sincere this time. If he can continue to work seriously, appear more demure (it worked for Carla) and keep a lower profile, he will learn that ain't bad for a start.

AND DO THINGS one-at-a-time!

To most people Sarko is just like them, or what they want to achieve with all they have in their present form (faults and good points) as they humanly stand. He is too human. As such he invites strong criticism, raises stronger emotions and in the end…well who knows were/ how it will end.

If he is like us, like me, we deduct that he isn’t able, or cant do it what he is there to do. After all, I (we reason) as I am right now (and with little chance of changing) will not be able to to. So how could he? He is too common, too average,too ordinary, is all too human. True.

He is a classic case of someone jumping to the top and being perpetually dazzled, from seeing him in his speech to the British parliament, one could almost hear hiw brain whirling, Sarko`s eyes sparkling as if to say in disbelief ;
What am I doing in here?!

Peace guys, be cool and lets dance.
Hi 5^ anyone?

I also think that women that left him must be exonerated a little more. Both parts have problems, but I am willing to say that Sarko is the ‘guiltier’ party.This being his main Inbuilt Fault (I guess). The guy needs to be liked, to be approved and to be loved’, while at first is endearing to a woman, being very clingy gets tiring, irritating and then—the marriage breaks.

The guy seem to look for guidance, as if he needs a leader, and someone to direct him in everything he does. One thing I`m 100% sure with Sarko is that he would have made e perfect Deputy to any Head of state, anywhere. He gets things done, as long as he can keep in the right track.

It remained to be proved if ambition alone and working/achieving ‘just to show them’ will be enough for him to succeed.

On the other hand to be fair to the guy, being the Reformer anywhere isn’t that easy.
Especially in France, maybe people expected a Thatcher like confrontation with the ‘dark forces from the past’ a hand to hand combat with the Unions, maybe by trying to fit everything we predict in templates from the past, and judging him on that-when it didnt happen, SARKO has lost most of the trust from people.

French Centralised Capitalism (if ever a phrase like that can fit it) isn’t like any other capitalism, as we know it. And not just Nick Sarko, but others too, can do little about it, in ONE YEAR. It isn’t easy to change a whole culture with a single swoop. Kinda of a magic wand that makes reform happen no matter what. What Sarko can do though is to start the reforms gradually and push them up to a point where they are soft, long-tems and unstoppable. To choose his battles and not do many things in too many fronts.

Like a good plate spinner, spin one plate, make sure that is spinning well, only then go to the plate, spin that too, go back to the first and so one, gradually maintaining speed and rhythm, and as long as there are not too many plates to handle, reforms will move in the right direction.

I wish the guy luck, and sincerely believe that he, if he wants to and can focus himself totally on a clear vision, he can do it.

Go Sarko is all I say for now! He wanted the Top Job he got it. He wanted a wife, needed one, He got that too, so now is time to go to work and to be a family guy; listen, focus and analyse, and if he fails then will be only one person to blame.

[Marguerite.]

Le discours d'un chef d'Etat devrait etre rassurant et mobilisateur. Celui de Sarkozy n'etait ni l'un ni l'autre. Tout le monde se felicite de ce que "l'individu etait moins agite que d'habitude". C'est le seul point positif de ces 100 minutes de cette prestation televisee. Inquietant !

[Frank]

What is the French for "PRIG"?

[V]

"the stupid French who can't get it through their head that the "paquet fiscal" is good for them"

Someone from OpinionWay was saying exactly the same thing: the fiscal laws were not well promoted.

When half of it are for the overtime hours (eg, poor workers) and 1/4 for the transmission of property and mortgages (eg, middle class),
to focus on the last 1/4 (limiting tax to 50% of income earned) is intellectually dishonest; to believe it after being explained, is plain stupid.

German tax burden is lower,, and Germany has the same limitation of income tax to 50% - which are two of the reasons why Germany resist better to upsurging Euro.

As to illegal workers, if one wanted to understand the issue better, one might ask him or herself why hire illegals (and pleading ignorance) when legal immigrants unemployment rate is over 20%.
The question is not rhetorical: upon checking, it was showed there were hundreds lawful immigrants searching for positions in restaurants and bars in the areas those illegals were hired.
Conclusion: it's a matter of being able to fire the illegal whenever you like (he'll never have the guts to go to Prud'hommes); and it's a matter of leftist propaganda: some of the illegals were hired on purpose in order to be used to create the media scandal: un coup monté, as we say.

[JJ]

Charles,
I wonder if those who feel France is badly led are also uneasy because there is no convincing opposition? Ségolène Royal's campaign was largely fuelled by her hatred of her opponent, which blinded her in part to reality and still does.
Most journalists have focussed on the personality - the persona, the surface layer - of Sarkozy (as to his own real character, he doesn't even know that himself). Too much anti-Sarkozyism has been based on trivialities and this has encouraged some below-the-belt insults (not too good for your blog!).
The man has taken risks - wasn't that what he was elected for?- and came a bit of a cropper. There are hopeful signs that he can get back on course.

[Romain]

Prig = bégueule, sort of hybrid of posh,bigot,conceited, low life and high pretention, undermined by envy.

[Mary Fernandez]

"There was no such thing as spelling rules 100 years ago anyway, picky bstrds." (Terry 26 Apr 2008 13:07:45)

(Wish I'd thought of that!)

Rocket:

Yeah, there was no such thing as math rules 100 years ago anyway, get of my back man!

______________

Azloon:

I just finished the Yasmina Reza book in English (I'm not comfortable enough with my college French to quote it with authority.) The thing that struck me was the quotation in the middle of the book (from which she took the title):

"In Tragedy there is only dawn, dusk or night."

My question was: What was the tradegy? Sarkozy? His presidency? The campaign? That title was chosen a year ago after she left early from her chosen assignment. She was to stay on until July after the inauguration, but remarked that those who saw the prince cry are always sent to the salt mines when he becomes king. She seemed disallusioned then.

Now, she's given this very disturbing (I think and, franchement, I'm one of those hoping he does succeed) interview in the NYT where she says:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/books/26reza.html?ref=world

'Today, though Ms. Reza is able to measure the candidate against the president, she has become more alarmed, specifically because Sarkozy as president is too much like Sarkozy as candidate.

“One of the things that I liked about him — there are many things, but this really seduced me — was his insolence,” she recalled. “But he has not understood that power is itself insolent and that he could not continue with his habitual insolences. During the campaign his insolence seemed like an expression of freedom, frankness. But in office he has not curbed it, he has misjudged its effect.”

'Ms. Reza was not surprised when Mr. Sarkozy was next seen dating the former model Carla Bruni, whom he married in February. “He’s the kind of man who is incapable of being alone,” she said. “I don’t think he can spend a night alone, an evening alone. There may be passing affairs, but he needs someone real. So quickly someone serious entered his life.”

“I think he is a tragic personality, a man bent on self-destruction,” she said. “It wasn’t clear during the campaign, but I am convinced that he has a powerful faculty for self-destruction.”

[MYOS]

Most of the comments around me weren't positive.
Not a single person believed him (except when he said he'd keep doing what he was doing, sending soldiers to Afghanistan. Then he ruined it by linking Afghanistan and China...)

Among ordinary people, his credibility is shot. I was actually waiting for him to re-establish his cred, you know. And I'm more disappointed for it. Sure he looked serious but for all his "humble" words, it seemed a posture because he did not take responsibility and didn't show how he could correct the problem.
The "fiscal package" isn't a communication mistake: when the country's got no money, you don't spend about $20 billion on something that has zero net value. You spend the money in other ways - especially on small businesses, on R&D incentives.
The consensus around me is "he can't do anything". Depending on political leanings, it then goes on to "the left would get things done more fairly" and "nothing can be done, we're stuck forever".
So, one year into his presidency, nobody I know is hopeful. The feelings run from discouraged to depressed to revolted.

To be concrete: in my circle, two issues loomed large:
schools
food prices

Next year our community's 1st and 2nd graders will be at least 28-29 per class. How can a kid learn how to read with classes that large? Where I used to live, 20 kids per class was considered large. Yet, then as now, I've been living in very similar environments in the US and in France.
From a personal standpoint, I also worry about the primary curriculum changes - they're based on the 1923 and 1945 curricula and I seriously doubt it's where we should be headed...
(Even private schools will have to implement the changes.)

Food prices have risen tremendously, especially stapples. Who can afford to pay $3.50 for 4 oranges, $18 for a chicken? Gas is a minimum of $7 a gallon.
I'm not among those who should complain but in France the median salary stands below $24,000: you can imagine how food's become the #1 worry here.

[Ros]

FRANK: "What is the French for "PRIG?" - I should say "petit saint" or similar but probably something better exists ..

[dot king]

"prig" according to my dictionary is a verb, a noun, a series of adjectives and an adverb; (large champs lexical) French equivalents given: (v) chiper (n) faquin, fat, pédant, collet monté (adj) suffisant, pédant, (adv) avec suffisance, bégueulerie (this last coincides with Romain's equivalence and I like it best, though "faquin" is a nice word too, quite Molièresque)

[MYOS]

Backing up what I posted above:
Straight from Fig-Mag - conservative weekly whose readership and journalists have been staunch Sarko-suporters:
1) regarding the current price hike, do you think the government's policies are efficient?
inefficient/do not work: 89%

2) regarding the fight against unemployment, do you think the government's actions and policies work? 68% think they do not work
[this, in spite of overwhelming evidence that unemployment is down! Then again, many new jobs are only part-time, low-wage jobs so perhaps they think it doesn't 'count'. No matter what this goes to show people have a dark view of things.]

3) When you look at the way France and French people are evolving, do you get the impression things are going in the right direction?
Things going in the wrong direction: 74%

4) do you expect conflicts in the upcoming months? definitely some conflicts/ definitively a lot of conflicts: 62%
['conflict' is an understatement for strikes and protests everywhere, general chaos, etc. The answer shows that eve conservative people are worried and feel the domestic situation is volatile.]

5) do you think that right now France's standing in the world has been reinforced or weakened? Weakened: 55%

[MYOS]

oh, if anyone was interested in what non-conservatives thought, in relation to conservatives...
There's Backchich - the owner is not left-leaning at all (Probst's a kind of French Hugh Hefner if I understand correctly)
http://www.bakchich.info/article3547.html
On the left, there's Marianne - in their reader panel, apparently only one is pro-sarko, so don't expect compliments - but knowing what the opposition says is always worth knowing (especially when it's beginning to sound eerily close to what some at UMP are saying in private)
http://marianne2.fr/Sarkotele-le-retour-des-bouc-emissaires_a86492.html?voir_commentaire=oui#comments

[qwerty]

Ros and Valentin both partly right IMO.

"paquet fiscal": there was a communication mistake, they should have said "mesures économiques" since "paquet fiscal" seems to imply (the socialists vociferously made sure that was the way it was understood) "cadeau fiscal pour les riches". Nothing the government can say now will rectify things. I note again and again that for a vast majority of people, once a piece of wrong information has entered their brain, it sticks. Can't get it out; can't modify it.

That being said - the "mesures économiques" or "paquet fiscal" are unlikely to provide any returns, I agree with Myos.

JJ: this man (Sarkozy) has not taken enough risks so far, he's backed down several times on his reforms or put forward minor, controversial reforms (such as the carte famille nombreuse) which do not have any significant benefit anyway. We're still a long way from "la rupture".

This country needs a "changement de mentalité". It needs deep personal motivation, not fiscal encouragement (heures supplémentaires défiscalisées) or social measures, primes or whatever, such as the RSA. It is hard to believe that a person on RMI needs the RSA as an incentive to take a job that is offered to him/her: surely when you're in a job, you are anticipating progress, training, salary increase, change for the better....that's the attitude in the US of A, isn't it?

I'll cut this short it's getting too long.

Myos,

"the euro being too high (although it doesn't affect Germany)"

This is your opinion; apparently, it is not the opinion of the German industry and of the German ministry of finance. Future economic growth is now expected to be around 1.2%, whereas a few months ago, it was estimated to be around 2%, if I am not wrong. Ok, the worldwide business slow down has an impact on this figure, but the overvalued Euro or undervalued dollar have also an influence. Les mêmes causes produisent les mêmes effets.

Qwerty,

"It is hard to believe that a person on RMI needs the RSA as an incentive to take a job that is offered to him/her"

For me, it is not hard at all to believe this. The persons on RMI are mostly poorly qualified; if they get job offers, these are for poorly paid jobs. If they accept them, they will have to substract from their meager salaries costs of transportation, food costs at restaurants or canteens and so on. If they compare their RMI plus various complementary allowances to their future job's net earnings, with no allowances, they will most of the time or at least very often have to conclude that the positive difference in favour of the salary is really too small. This fact is of course totally silly, but it is real.

If they can add the RSA to the salary, things change. And the most courageous and motivated of them will then be "anticipating progress, training, salary increase, change for the better".

PS : I have installed without any problem (thanks to a very didactic documentation) my new Orange Internet high speed connection. Everything works fine - Internet, "téléphone illimité", and Internet TV with plenty of channels in perfect quality; obviously, I am speaking of the transmission quality. Program quality is of course another matter :))

[Daniel Strohl]

I forgot to sign the post dated 27 APR 19:28

[dada]

http://www.pour-obama.fr/Homepage.html

[Myos]

@Daniel Strohl:
Germany's been doing better than France as far as I can see, especially re: exports. Once again, France (with or without 'rupture') could not care less for small business owners. I expected Sarkozy to be pro-business but he's mainly been pro-CAC40, which is NOT the same thing.
In addition, France is trying to have it both ways: they claim retail prices are too high because crude oil is too expensive (when really it's because they've tacked on so many taxes) and because the euro is too high (then it should help alleviate costs for products bought in dollars.)

[Al Encon]

MYOS has hit upon the mot juste: responsibility. The words "desole, c'est ma faute, nous regrettons,.
may still appear in the dictionary but I have never heard them uttered by a fonctioneur, medecin, in fact by ANYONE in France. Liberty so long as I can do as I please, Equality providing I get more, Fraternity if it serves my interest. Piaf spoke for them all: Non, je ne regrette rien. Adieu, La France!

[rocket]

Qwerty

"This country needs a "changement de mentalité". It needs deep personal motivation, not fiscal encouragement (heures supplémentaires défiscalisées) or social measures, primes or whatever, such as the RSA"

Do you really believe that is possible? I don't... never did and never will.

It all starts with civic sense. It's a rare commodity here.

"It needs deep personal motivation,"

A rare commodity also unless it's banging ones own drum to suck more out of the state.

As my life motto:

"Live outside the envelope"

[qwerty]

No Rocket.
Life is a throw of the dice.
When I was 10, it was heads or tails whether my father was transferred to the US or to France, and it turned out to be France.
Good thing? Bad thing?
What I got: a free French education, notions of taste and savoir-vivre, fluency in a second language, a sense of being European... What I lost out on was probably a society with more opportunities and less blockages, preconceived ideas, etc.

[azloon]

[When I was 10, it was heads or tails whether my father was transferred to the US or to France, and it turned out to be France.] QWERTY

"you can take the girl out of the farm, but not the farm out of the girl."

QWERTY, you obviously have not totally assimilated anywhere, and would fit in quite nicely any number of places. we would be happy to have you...oh, wait a minute, i have to call Immigration and Naturalization Service and see if we're no longer accepting 'huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

[qwerty]

Azloon:
On the other hand, there is also an exodus from the US to France, affecting inter alia artists, intellectuals and liberals. See the scriptwriter of "Soprano" - he's moved to Provence, where John Malkovitch happens to live as well.

This is a digression but it's soooo cute: Cubans are now allowed to watch American TV series, and the other day there was an interview of an oldtimer, very seriously comparing the merits of "Gray's Anatomy" and "Dr House" as if he'd been watching these programs all his life! (He preferred Gray's Anatomy). Not such a digression: shows the never-ending reach of American culture, even to 80-year old Cuban rurals!

BTW, I wouldn't even need a green card to move to NY if I was self-employed, would I?

[rocket]

QWERTY

Please make sure you have your information straight. John Malkovitch no longer lives in Provence full time. It's well known that Malkovitch left France in 2004 because of a tax dispute.

http://tinyurl.com/5sk5rr

"2004: Moved back to the United States from France where he'd been living with his French partner, Nicoletta Peyran, and two children, after an argument with the French government over income tax."

also see

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000518/news

Malkovich Leaves France After Tax Fight
2 May 2003 (WENN)
Hollywood star John Malkovich is ending his love affair with France and moving to Asia - after a row with the French Government over income tax. The In The Line Of Fire actor has lived in Provence with his wife Nicole Peyran and their two children for several years. But Malkovich is now ready to turn his back on the Gallic lifestyle, because he's paying income tax in America and France. He tells the New York Daily News French officials, "expect me to pay the full 65 per cent in France." He explains, "They want me to ask the IRS (which makes allowances for taxes paid to foreign governments) for all the money I've paid here. You can imagine how quickly that refund will come. They interpret things one way, I interpret them another." Malkovich recently hit out at his adopted home's stance on the war in Iraq. But he insists France's anti-war position has nothing to do with his decision to move on. He adds, "I've always loved France. I don't think the political climate is a big deal." He confesses Asia is a likely choice for the next Malkovich family home, but insists on keeping his options open, "I really have no idea where we're going. We have to be out of there by the autumn, when the kids start school. We're going to wander around, look around."

Most people who move to France are already wealthy and do so for quality of life not for possibility of earning money. There are also many expatriates living in Italy and Morocco is becoming hip.

On the other hand French people looking to make a decent living and are not afraid of risk usually leave France.

[azloon]

QWERTY --

i really can't say about your being self-employed in NYC without 'papers.' i am certain it is done all the time. you would be inconveniently having to renew a tourist or some other type of temporary visa (by leaving for a short period). but since you wouldn't have to have a social security number, nor would an employer have to vouch for your legal immigrant status, i suppose you would get along ok.

i on the other hand live in the 'sticks.' you could hide out here for millennia, perhaps even become sheriff of yavapai county, without attracting even a smidgeon of suspicion. but no Tiffany's here. :(

[dot king]

"Most people who move to France are already wealthy" rocket

This might well be (necessarily) true of Paris, but not so of the provinces. I saw lots of people come with limited budgets, from early retirees, later retirees, young families with children, mostly looking for a sunnier, cheaper, slower-paced place to live than the UK or Holland.
Not so long ago it was possible to sell off a modest two-up-two-down in the UK and have enough for a large house with land and outbuildings in the South-west; you could do everything up and still have change in your pocket.
Many Parisians, and later on, South coasters, came with exactly the same idea, though they often added the "security" criterion to the list.
Up until maybe 4 or 5 years ago, it was possible to move to the French Provinces and change your life. Some made it, some didn't.
I've seen people make great successes out of "cottage" industries, usual thing: chambre d'hôtes, you think "not another one" then you see that it's a success because they have some know-how and they've done their homework, budgeted properly. I've seen people knowing nothing about wine other than to drink it, come and take over vineyards and learn - the know-how is in situ. Ditto farms, whether cereal/oleaginous or cattle; riding-schools and stabling, dog kennels (for which the original idea was to keep "British" dogs while the owners went back to UK with its then quarantine reguations, but which turned out to be more in demand from local French).
I've also seen people come who don't speak a word of French and think somehow they'll manage - they're the ones who often fail and "go home" (I believe they're the ones who also never "really moved here" if you see what I mean, back door always on the latch). They are often young families with children of school age - they should act more responsibly IMEAO :).
But even so, there are non-French-speaking people who manage to run businesses.
The season is upon us of pupils in 3ème doing their work experience "stage". One boy, half French half English, did his stage in the "English Grocer's". Like all of them, he had a supervising teacher who had to interview the "employer" to see how the week had gone - she, the teacher, was very surprised to be confronted with someone who spoke hardly a word of French - and she even less English!

Hearing some of the prices that are being asked currently for properties in this region, the "good life" seeker's era is clearly over - unless they seek their good life in a modest village house as part of a community.
However, I think in the provinces, it's still possible to enhance the quality of your life and not go broke doing it. All a question of what you want, horses for courses, all that.

[dot king]

Back on topic (sorry about this), but I note that Modesty's been switched off again in favour of an 11-page spread of photos in Match. Mr & Mme Sarkozy à l'Elysée. And the first published photos of The Wedding ( Of'T'Wedding :))
Carla, we're told, wrote the photo captions, and for those able to read, there's text too.
Riveting stuff, if ever there was.

[Daniel Strohl]

Dot,

"and for those able to read, there's text too"

LOL!

I am able to read, but didn't buy the magazine ...

[Mary Fernandez]

"Back on topic (sorry about this), but I note that Modesty's been switched off again in favour of an 11-page spread of photos in Match. Mr & Mme Sarkozy à l'Elysée. And the first published photos of The Wedding ( Of'T'Wedding :))
Carla, we're told, wrote the photo captions, and for those able to read, there's text too.
Riveting stuff, if ever there was."

Thanks Dot. My local bookstore has stopped selling the magazine. I order it online through Delivery.

Paris Match has become the in-house propaganda machine for the Elysee.

On the other hand, I think their marriage just MIGHT work. It's almost the perfect symbiotic relationship. He wears her like a Rolex and she wants to be appreciated as if she were a Rolex.

Being married to him gets her into Paris Match (almost every week) and being married to her makes up for his dismal poll numbers. (Of course, his courtship/marriage to her destroyed his poll numbers).

Being married to him means she continue her modeling career as the 'Gaullic Princess Di'. Being married to her means he can put behind him his cuckolded ego.

Sad.

[dot king]

"Sad." Mary Fernandez

Very sad indeed - I shall sift through my Dory Previn lyrics and see if she didn't pen something appropriate.
Watch this space :)

I don't know about her being shown off - the man isn't born who could persuade me to wear what she wore for meeting Her Madge - and I don't care what the label is - I don't do drab and prim with a silly hat to please anybody.

The marriage might work, I agree with that, but guess which one will do the "sell-out".

BTW "ouisti-ti-ti-sex" keep smiling!

PS Joni Mitchell: "Shades of Scarlett" - A woman must have everything . . ."