Sarkozy's first press conference

[Clair]

http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2008/01/08/01002-20080108ARTFIG00320-sarkozy-passe-son-premier-grand-oral-a-l-elysee-.php

Now live on FR2

[Logan]

He is fast becoming a comic figure. I really believed he might actually do something in office. More fool me.[:(]

[TWINKLE]

What would you say about a bloke who got divorced a month ago and then announced that he was getting married again next month? 

Honestly - can we trust someone like this to make sensible decisions?  This is the sort of behaviour you'd expect from a rock star or a Hollywood actor not a head of state!

[Clair]

I actually prefer his chosen less formal style of address to the more aloof and presidential one seen from his predecessors.

I think the changes (good? bad?) are going to happen this year: end of the 35 h week most probably, higher redistribution of profit from companies to employees...

I almost smiled when he said something along the lines of  'everybody demands changes and improvements, but nobody wants these changes to  affect them'

[Clair]

His marriage is only important in the sense that it makes the headlines in the press. Personally, I couldn't care less! If i wanted to read about it, I'd buy Paris Match!

I only wish they concentrated more on his actions, his policies and his plans instead [:@]

EDIT: Le Monde at least, has got the right priorities.

EDIT 2: Le Figaro doesn't mention his private life at all! Hooray!

For balance, I'll link to Libé too![:)]

[Logan]

There is a complete dearth of leadership in the western democratic world at the moment. Bush is a lame duck and has lost all moral authority. Brown hasn't a clue, Sarko is consumed by love and seems unable to push through much needed reforms. Italy is bankrupt and Germany thinks only of itself. China is taking over the world economically and Russia is getting increasingly verbose. I am really concerned the world will drift into conflict with Iran by default. Then there is the ever present danger that Pakistan will be sized by militants.
This is an opportunity for Sarkozy to show true statesmanship on the world stage. Unfortunately he has yet to shown he has the ability to do anything much but appear in the gossip columns.

 

[TWINKLE]

He  makes speeches about if you want to earn more money then you have work longer hours like as if the French are to blame for being so lazy!

There so many sectors were you CAN'T work any more than 30 hours a week.  Supermarket workers for example can only work between 28 and 30 hours - even if they wanted to work extra hours they aren't allowed to.

He didn't even mention the problems in the 'banlieu' to-day.  Even though I don't care about his private life - surely this express engagement with Carla Bruni says something about his way of thinking.

I don't have to buy Paris Match to know the ins and outs of his love life as it's mediatised enough on the radio and the television. 

The man is obsessed with his image - he loves the limelight and I'm often reminded of Icare.  He could end up getting his wings burned too if he gets too close to the flashbulbs.

[Logan]

[quote user="TWINKLE"]
The man is obsessed with his image - he loves the limelight and I'm often reminded of Icare.  He could end up getting his wings burned too if he gets too close to the flashbulbs.
[/quote]

I think you mean Icarus Twinkle. Its a great comparison and yes, pretty inevitable. Crash and burn sums him up I regret to say. Still he still has 4 and a bit years to prove himself  yet and then what? As I cast my eye around I don't see inspiring replacements in the wings. Doh[:(]

[BJSLIV]

 No its Icare when you are thinking in French!

[Logan]

Read more here:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarus_(mythology)

[groslard]

I think he is a 'faux dur'

Perhaps not such a bad thing in a way.

If you read a bit of French you can see that even the Left wing press are saying that he has been making lots of concessions behind the scenes, and so compromising his reforms. In the end this may lead to an acceptable middle way

Marianne

[TWINKLE]

Sorry!

I was referring to Icarus or Icare in French.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Personally I think he's a very clever, ruthless and effective politician.

At the moment most of the media are excessively diverted by his relationship with that rather funny looking creature. So diverted, in fact, that they are paying virtually no attention to what else he is up to. This should allow him to quietly get all kinds of things done while everyone is looking the other way.

In fact, I think it entirely possible that the Carla B circus might be allowed to run for a month or so then - oh la la - they go their separate ways. She gets a great career boost, he gets lots of arkward stuff done on the QT. Nobody hurt; everybody happy.

It would be a mistake to write off someone that cunning too quickly.

I did like his bit about eliminating adverts on France 2 and other state channels. The shares of TF1 and M6 took a real hike when it appeared that they might be the only game in town in a few months time. Did I dream it, or is the boss at TF1 his best mate?

[TWINKLE]

Riff!

The French do actually realise that he is wheeling and dealing while we are blinded by his affair with the model.  Like I said earlier, it's on the radio, telly and in the tabloids almost every day-  most of which are run by some very close acquaintences of his. 

No one said he was stupid (although he didn't do very well at school) but his vanity is pathetic - he actually had his love handles 'airbrushed' away before allowing a photo of him canoeing to be printed on the front page of Paris Match.  [blink]

[Tresco]

[quote user="The Riff-Raff Element"]... Did I dream it, or is the boss at TF1 his best mate?[/quote]

If you did dream it then I have to report we are dreaming the same dreams. If I wasn't so moody, I would take enjoyment from that [:D] but even more from watching the spectacle being played out....[;-)]

My neighbs are wondering why nothing has happened to ease their terrible situations. All my closest neighbours are small businesspeople: they are 'Farmers' attempting to diversify.

Yes they get their subsidies for this and that, but they know they can't go on like that for ever. They want to look to the future. They want to be able to employ people, and they can't do that. Many of you will know exactly why.

[Deimos]

Most people I know think he has become a bit of a clown and are now quite embarrassed by him (some voted for him, others not).  However, I cannot claim to know enough people to consider their views representative.

I did read that a survey the other day showed a significant percentage of people were getting rather fed-up of his continual antics with his new girl (close to 50% - cannot remember the exact result).  Apparently they would rather see him doing something constructive to help France out of its problems.

Ian

[woolybanana]

Well today he announced the end of the 35 hour week.

And the first moves towards positive discrimination.

And towards workers getting a share of the profits of companies, not just either shareholders or bosses.

Enough for one day?

[groslard]

[quote user="The Riff-Raff Element"]Personally I think he's a very clever, ruthless and effective politician.

[/quote]

I don't deny that he is a clever media manager, and I am sure that he is ruthless.

When I said a 'faux dur' I mean that he makes a lot of noise about certain issues, but backs down behind the scenes, such as in the question of the SNCF pensions, where almost all the savings made on the surface were negotiated away elsewhere.

What he is doing is giving the impression of being hard, but is in fact just bringing in changes that benefit a group of cronies.

Instead of cutting charges to small business to stimulate employment and growth he reduced Inheritance tax for example.

On the TFI issue

TF1, détenue à 42,9% par Bouygues, est la première chaîne de

télévision française avec une part d'audience de 31,6% en 2006. Le

groupe Lagardère est le premier éditeur de magazines au monde avec

notamment Paris Match et Elle. Il contrôle également la radio Europe 1.

Martin Bouygues, P-DG du groupe de communication et de BTP du même

nom, a été l'un des témoins de mariage de Nicolas et Cécilia Sarkozy.

Il est le parrain de leur fils Louis.

Arnaud Lagardère, président du groupe Lagardère, est un ami proche de Nicolas Sarkozy. Selon Le Monde daté

du 17 novembre 2006, lors d'un séminaire des cadres du groupe Hachette

à Deauville en avril 2005, il avait présenté ainsi l'homme politique :

"Je ne vous présente pas un ami, je vous présente un frère".

In brief, if you are a bit hesitant in French , "Martin Bouygues is chairman of a group that has 42,9% of TF1,  was  a witness at Nicolas et Cécilia Sarkozy's wedding and is Godfather to their son Louis. Arnaud Lagardère, is  président of the  group Lagardère, and was introduced as 'more of a brother than a friend' by Sarkozy.

[Catalpa]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

And the first moves towards positive discrimination.

[/quote]

So French nationals will be given preference when applying for jobs? Worth waiting for.

[;-)]

[woolybanana]

Non pinko-grey ones perhaps[6]

[Tresco]

[quote user="groslard"]...In brief, if you are a bit hesitant in French , "Martin Bouygues is chairman of a group that has 42,9% of TF1,  was  a witness at Nicolas et Cécilia Sarkozy's wedding and is Godfather to their son Louis. Arnaud Lagardère, is  président of the  group Lagardère, and was introduced as 'more of a brother than a friend' by Sarkozy.[/quote]

Dreams can come true, then.

[Logan]

Icarus no longer. More un Français embarrassant.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/ben_macintyre/article3168263.ece

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3328411.ece

[Frenchie]

I know quite a few people who voted for him and are now embarassed by his attitude..

The over 50s usually think he is now " too much".. They expect a right wing president to have more concern about " traditional values"..

They don't like his over exposed love story and soon to happen wedding with a top model, only a few months after he declared Cecilia was and would remain the woman of his life.

They are eager to see the reforms they voted for to happen.. they find him now too mild..

Yes, sarko appears to many people as a rock star , choosin deliberately to be in the press every day. So that it could distract people from more important issues ?

But it seems now many people think " ok, right but " le pouvoir d 'achat ? les réformes? Le service minimum? le termps de travail ? etc"........

Basically I think what is dangerous is that he is gradually losing the image of what a President of the Republic should be  ,  a man who is sensible, has a sense of the state , has a reserve, etc..

To me, it is like the monarchy, with all these personal affairs turmoil..

Many people are beginning to make fun of him  , the other day I heard people at work saying that next stage is " le bébé :!! le bébé!! 

le bébé !!  "

.......................................................  Régine, a real French person  [:D][;-)]

[cooperlola]

I get this impression too, Frenchie.  The difference in France is certainly that it is a Presidency - rather than a prime ministerial role as it is in the UK, and should carry some dignity with it.  In the UK the Queen (and her mother when she was alive) has maintained a dignity which has probably saved the monarchy thus far - by remaining aloof and as private as she can.  The next generation could bring it crashing down, for the same reason that Sarkozy is undermining the Presidency here.  I don't give a st*ff, personally, what politicians or royalty do in their private lives - but in this day and age with the media so close behind them, they run the risk of devaluing their roles unless they behave with a little more discretion.  Politicians don't have anything like the respect they once did and this is not a good thing, imo, for any country.  It encourages the belief that politics is just an irrelevant side issue in life and to my mind there's a huge danger in that - it's a sad day when politicians become figures of fun rather than important people who have a huge influence over our lives (as some people on this forum have recently discovered to their detriment!)

[Iceni]

I don't understand all this fuss - the French didn't want a woman so had to settle for Sarko and now have another 6 years (I think) to rue the day. Possibly the voters are just embarassed at their stupidity, with the genius of hindsight, in giving the job to the wrong person. But then which sane person believes a single word uttered by a politician.

Modern fashions worship "celebrity" and every move "celebrities" make is chewed over on 24 hour television and in the papers ad nauseam and I don't believe the world is a better place because of it. Maybe there was a similar fuss when Brenda became engaged to Phil the Greek 50 yrs ago but I was too young to notice.

Don't blame me I don't vote

not