Everyone is talking about Ségolène Royal, the "candidate à la candidature." She has just come out in favor of the military helping with young delinquents, who basically face no consequences for their actions under current French law. (Her father was an army colonel.) Her very popular proposition is now being attacked by her fellow Socialist Laurent Fabius, the always-described-as-"brilliant" Prime Minister implicated (and let off, in my opinion wrongly) in the AIDS-contaminated blood scandal that killed almost 2000 hemophiliacs. He is trying to exclude Ségolène Royal's proposal from the official Socialist dogma in a party meeting today. 
And she just caused another furor by saying on her blog that the 35-hour work week was hurting the most "fragile" jobseekers, a piece of right-wing heresy that brought down upon her the wrath of all the less popular Socialists who prefer the Soviet system.
These proposals are the first time she has really taken the plunge of setting out what she believes in. Up till now she has just been the anti-Sarkozy. She would probably win the presidential election if it were held today, but she suffers under the considerable handicap of not being wanted by her own party, the Socialists. Too right-wing (i.e. centrist!) and above all too female, in a fusty political atmosphere where jokes about women drivers are still normal.
The socialists in France are sort of like the Southern Baptists in the U.S. Southern Baptists may not be a majority of the population, but most Americans are Protestant and they're the biggest Protestant church. In the same way, most French people are far to the left of Americans politically, and the Socialist Party is the biggest party on the left. So the nomination of the PS candidate for President of France next year is a fierce battle going on right now. Oddly, it currently includes Ségolène Royal's compagne and father of her four children, the politician François Hollande. That must gall him and lead to some interesting scènes de ménage [domestic arguments].
*Image thanks to Tropicalboy.
98% of what's important about SR is the plain fact that she's just another 'ENArque'. Plus ca change...
Posted by: ZF | 06 June 2006 at 14:44
Yeah, let's just vote for a firefighter. Or a postman. No, wait...
Posted by: Mat | 07 June 2006 at 04:16
I'm not fond of Seggy myself.
Posted by: Jennifer | 07 June 2006 at 12:22
SR is just a "girouette" (weather vane), she moves with the wind. She just regurgitates the "français moyen"'s feelings (which she collects aptly through her site/blog), but there's no conviction, just a brilliant feel for the market and a great sense of communication.
I think that a lot of her popularity comes from the fact that she "incarne le changement" (embodies change), ie. a pretty woman vs. dynosaurs. It's spooky to think that she could be elected simply based on that, because I truly believe there's no product inside the package. But what's the alternative?
Posted by: Frog in L.A. | 07 June 2006 at 20:50
Segolene Royale was kidnapped three months ago, and you all know it...
CH, conspiracy theorist
http://www.segoleneroyale.com
Posted by: CH | 25 June 2006 at 20:28
Thank's for this advertising !
;-)
Posted by: tropicalboy | 23 July 2006 at 00:40
It's not "advertising", it's "publicity". Advertising is for when one wants to sell for profit (and there is nothing for sale on my website... just in case you thought Mme Royale was for sale :)
CH
Posted by: CH | 05 August 2006 at 10:13