DSK with "the wind in his sails"

This Thursday's issue of the weekly French news magazine, Le Point, should make interesting reading for Dominique Strauss-Kahn, or DSK as he's most commonly known here, the head of the International Monetary Fund.

Because even though his job means he's currently based in Washington away from the cut and thrust of the domestic political scene, and his tenure there doesn't officially end until 2012, DSK has now become this country's most popular politician.

In the latest poll - yes you might remember how keen the French are on them - conducted by Ispsos on behalf of the magazine, DSK ranks first "dethroning" the former favourite the junior sports ministers Rama Yade who drops to third, and ahead of the ever-popular foreign minister Bernard Kouchner who takes second spot.

It was perhaps only a matter of time that Yade, who has held the top spot for the past five months, should slip in the ratings, after all she hasn't really been making the headlines recently for reasons controversial or otherwise.

But DSK's rise which led Le Point to describe him as having the "wind in his sails" surely keeps alive both interest about a potential presidential run in the 2012 elections, and speculation that he will at least throw his hat into the ring to be the Socialist party's candidate in the race for office.

Remember DSK's every appearance in France, be it in his official capacity or on a private visit, is closely followed - by the media at least.

Even though he made every effort to avoid the subject for example in a televised appearance on the evening news magazine "Le Grand Journal" on Canal + back in November, it just wouldn't go away.

And the latest figures will undoubtedly keep his (and probably many other people's) hopes well and truly alive.

What they indicate, apart from the fact that it's the first time DSK tops the rankings, is that he's popular across the political spectrum. Among those from his own Socialist party he has an approval rating of 63 per cent - no surprise there perhaps.

But should he decide to take a look at what supporters of the ruling centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP), think of him, he'll undoubtedly be pleasantly surprised as among them he has a 68 per cent approval rating.

All right so "agreed" opinion polls are of course never to be fully believed and can be interpreted in any way you might wish. And they don't in any way give the full picture.

But this latest one will surely keep the story of "DSK and the 2012 presidential election" well and truly alive - at least among pollsters and the media.

Just for the record, the current incumbent of the job in which DSK refuses to express a personal or professional interest (ahem), Nicolas Sarkozy, fares just as he did last month with a 38 per cent approval rating - an occupational hazard of High Office perhaps.

To be continued...

Sarkozy, the French Socialist party's "head of human resources"

He's at it again. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been bashing the opposition Socialist party.

And while it wasn't supposed to have been recorded on camera, somehow a clip of his sometimes less-than-diplomatic (and in this case probably intentional) way with words has managed to make its way on to the Net.

It occurred earlier this week at a meeting of 800 or so faithful of the governing centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire) Union for a Popular Movement,UMP) party at Lingolsheim in the east of France.

Sarkozy was there rallying support among party members, with an eye on the regional elections next March.

It was supposed to be a "closed" session: no journalists, no cameras and nothing to record what was said - apart from those present.

Except, as often seems to be the case under such circumstances, someone couldn't resist using their mobile 'phone to capture some of the more choice moments, especially when the president chose to tell the audience what he thought was wrong with the opposition Socialist party.

It started off gently enough with some comments on the process of "opening up the government", which has characterised Sarkozy's time in office ever since he came to power in May 2007.

"I didn't need to reach out (to other political parties)," he said.

"I've done it because I think France is a country that needs to be reminded of the need for tolerance and not bigotry or division. It's a country that has to be more tolerant."



And then Sarkozy decided to turn his attention to what he thought was wrong with the opposition Socialist party by joking about its leadership in a way he has done before.

"You know what the Socialist party really lacks is a director of human resources," he said.

"They've got the talent but they simply don't know how to use it, so I've decided to do the job for them and to become their HR director," he continued.

And then just to drive the point home, he added, "(Dominique) Strauss-Kahn? He's in Washington. (Bernard) Kouchner? With us. Jack Lang? With me.

"A party like that with such talent...and then it chooses Martine Aubry or Ségolène Royal."

While there was apparently "polite" laughter among those gathered, one person seemed not be be so enthusiastic, and used a mobile 'phone to record the "highlights" and that in spite of instructions that no filming be allowed.

Even though the clip has made its way on to the Net, what he said was certainly not a faux pas on the part of the French president, but a shared (not-so) private joke with those that would most appreciate it and one with which many others might well agree.

Plus given the fact that Sarkozy has in the past referred to himself as the Socialist party's director of human resources in front of television cameras, it's unlikely that he regrets the story getting out to a wider audience.

And France's best-dressed male politician is...?

Oh come on. You know you're interested. After all isn't it the most compelling part of politics...the fluffy celebrity side of things?

Read on, and you'll find out (eventually) who the French think is their best-dressed male politician, which you have to admit makes a change from those endless polls ranking political figures by their popularity.

Actually that in itself seems to be something of a national pastime in France. At least the media would seem to have us believe it matters, with polls coming thick and fast on a monthly basis.

Mind you, it has been fairly quiet on that front recently - probably something to do with much of the country having been on holiday for the month of August.

For sure those polls have been published as frequently as ever, but they haven't really made the headlines lately apart from the odd mention that the former president, Jacques Chirac, is the nation's favourite political figure with a 76 per cent approval rating ahead of the ever-popular foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner (70 per cent) and his former underling, Rama Yade (67 per cent) who was junior minister for human rights until the position was scrapped in June's reshuffle and now finds herself "elevated" (heavy on the irony) to sport.

For his part the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has dropped a point to 47 per cent, but has nonetheless managed to climb a place in the overall listings from July to 27th place.

Anyway back to that "style" survey conducted for the monthly men's magazine Optimum by l’institut Isama and the results of which are prefaced with proof that clothes maketh the man.

"The image of the politicians depends first of all on their position, what they have to say and what they do," runs the introduction helpfully.

"But it's also based on indirect elements or factors that have little to to with politics such as the individual's appeal, way of expressing himself (yes we're talking just male politicians here) or what he wears. In other words 'style'."

There you go, confirmation if you will, that appearances do matter.

And the winner is - (drum roll please) - none other than Dominique de Villepin.

Does the name ring a bell? It should do. He was a foreign minister and then prime minister under Chirac and his is the name on everybody's lips here in France at the moment as he's one of the key players embroiled in the so-called "Clearstream affair".

In a nutshell, de Villepin is a defendant in a trial that has just got underway, and is charged with "plotting to discredit" Sarkozy when the two were ministers under Chirac.

It's a complicated case that has taken up more than a few column inches in newspapers and is pretty much the story coming out of France at the moment.

There's masses of stuff about it out on the Net and to go into detail about it here would rather spoil the flippant tone of this piece, so without further ado let's take a look at who else figures on the list behind the dashing de Villepin.

In second place is the former (Socialist) culture minister, Jack Lang with the name once again of Kouchner (another Socialist - of sorts) popping up in third. They're followed by the prime minister, François Fillon, the (Socialist) mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë and a former (Socialist) finance minister and wannabe president, Dominique Strauss-Kahn who is currently head honcho at the International Monetary Fund.

With four of the first six coming from the ranks of the Socialist party, you could perhaps be forgiven for thinking that if looks really counted for anything supporters of the party would choose one of them as the next presidential candidate in 2012 - even though two of them (Lang and Kouchner) currently at 70 years of age might be considered a bit long in the tooth by then.

So with de Villepin getting the thumbs up for style, what of the plaintiff in that Clearstream affair (sorry to have to return to that) and the man who would least likely be described as his best friend...Sarkozy?

After all the 54-year-old, all action French president is a keep fit fan (we see pictures of him jogging regularly) and he's married to a former clothes horse.

In fact some commentators have remarked on how sharp his dress sense has become since he and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy tied the knot.

Well Sarkozy scrapes into the top 10 - even though he surely won't be pleased once more to find himself behind his prime minister - with a rating of 5,32 and Isama pointing out in its summary that his style appeals to all age groups apart from the 18-24-year-olds, who rank him just 32nd.

There's a message there somewhere isn't there?

So that's the men done and dusted.

We now await with bated breath a similar poll for France's female politicians.

Bernard Kouchner a French Socialist in UMP clothing?

Ah politics is often the home of the fickle it would appear. And nowhere more so than in France, where the protagonists switch sides and allegiances almost "on a whim" it would seem - or should that read "where they perceive potential for personal glory"?

Such is the case of Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, who has finally come clean and said he'll be throwing his weight behind the centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) list for the European parliamentary elections in June.

So what? You might well be asking.

Well "so something" apparently because Kouchner, although a government minister, is not a member of the UMP. And indeed his political career has been one marked mainly by his support and involvement on the Left of the French political spectrum.

Plus there's no doubting Kouchner's popularity among the general public here in France. He regularly tops the polls of the nation's favourite political figures. So people take note of what he says and does - and they seem to like it.

In a sense Kouchner's political career is typically French.

In other words he has shown himself willing and able to change allegiances whenever it has suited him and refuses to be bound by political dogmatism.

Mind you he's not alone in the world of (French) politics where individuals form alliances for the "moment" almost, find "best friends" and then "turn on them" at a later date.

There are two examples of just such behaviour from ministers in the current government: Hervé Morin, (minister of defence) the former close ally of François Bayrou, the leader of the centre party MoDem, and Eric Besson (minister of immigration).

Besson was a member of the Socialist party and an advisor to its candidate in the last presidential election, Ségolène Royal, but quit to change sides in the middle of the campaign back in 2007.

But that's seemingly par for the course in French politics and the stuff of further tales. For the moment, back to Kouchner.

Just at the weekend in an interview with the national daily Le Parisien, Kouchner said that he didn't yet know how he would vote in the elections and was waiting to see each party's programme.

Less than 24 hours later however, he had managed to speed read his way through the manifestos of all this country's major political parties and, as the satirical French website Bakchich pointed out, had come to a conclusion in double-quick time.

Political commentators mused on the fact that two of Kouchner's cabinet colleagues, Michel Barnier (agriculture) and Rachida Dati (justice) are both standing for election (they'll have to step down if as expected they are successful), and the foreign minister had "perhaps" come under pressure to make his position clear.

For Kouchner though, the decision was obvious.

"It's the conception of Europe I've always supported and one which I always hope will overcome national differences and partisan logic," he said.

"That's the concept of Europe of the government to which I belong."

By any stretch of the imagination, Kouchner's support for the UMP is something of a long path from his political roots. But there again perhaps not so much of a surprise as he's an international humanitarian heavyweight and has often been described as a loose cannon given to plain talking

He began his political career as a member of the French Communist party, from which he was thrown out in 1966, and although he hasn't always been a paid-up member of the Socialist party (indeed he isn't at the moment) he served as health minister three times between 1992 and 2002 under two different Socialist prime ministers; Pierre Bérégovoy (once) and Lionel Jospin (twice).

He was a co-founder of both Médecins Sans Frontières and later Médecins du monde (he left the former after a bust-up to help set up the latter).

In 1999 he was nominated as the first UN Special Representative in Kosovo, a post he held for 18 months.

Kouchner twice narrowly missed out on top international jobs – in 2005 when he was, a candidate for the position of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and a year later when a contender to become Director-General of the World Health Organisation.

Although he is an internationally renowned and respected figure many put his failure to land either post down to reluctance within the international community to throw their support behind an advocate for humanitarian interventions.

One final thing perhaps, lest we forget Kouchner's political track record and just in case it isn't already clear by now that he's not a man who easily fits into the mould of a party player.

Back in the 1994 European parliamentary elections he was third on the list headed by the Socialist Michel Rocard.

But how did he vote? For another party reportedly - that of that of Bernard Tapie.

So who's to know whether his public statements this time around will be followed through in the very private act of voting?

The world "according to" superhero Sarkozy

Ah the wonders of the Internet. Sometimes things take a while to get started but once they're up and running there's no stopping them.

What follows is a rather unkind (depending of course on your politics) look at the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, which has been doing the rounds of French blogs for some weeks now, but came to the attention on Wednesday of a certain Laurent Ruquier on his daily programme on national radio, Europe 1.

A word or two on Ruquier. He is in the mould of many a French entertainer - namely multi-talented - although he takes it somewhat to the extreme.

He's a journalist, satirist-comedian, who until recently hosted a daily television programme and a weekly one too, which is still running.

Add to that the fact that he's a lyricist, columnist, author and playwright with several theatre productions under his belt, and it's a wonder he still finds time to host a daily late afternoon show on national radio.

But he does.

It's a somewhat irreverent look at some of the stories making the headlines here in France.

Ruquier has his faithful band of fellow commentators guess "what the story is" by giving just the briefest of clues in the form of a question which doesn't give away too much of the answer.

In the introduction to yesterday's show, Ruquier took a look at a list which "proves" that the French president is indeed a "superhero".

Of course it relies on the fact that Sarkozy has the reputation of having something of an over-inflated ego. His alleged remarks on other world leaders just last week would perhaps be proof of that.

As Ruquier remarked, substitute the name Sarkozy with that of anyone else with a similar character, and it would still work.

Probably. But for the moment it's Sarkozy's name that features, and here are 10 of the best.

For the full list so far, click here (sorry it's in French).

Nicolas Sarkozy can circle his enemies all by himself.
Nicolas Sarkozy is capable of leaving a message before the beep.
Nicolas Sarkozy knows how to slam an already closed door.
When Google can't find something, it asks Nicolas Sarkozy.
The Swiss aren't neutral. They're just waiting to find out what Nicolas Sarkozy's opinion on a subject is.
Nicolas Sarkozy doesn't wear a watch. He decides what time it is.
Nicolas Sarkozy can divide by zero.
God said, "Let there be light!" And Nicolas Sarkozy replied, "We say 'please'."
Jesus Christ was born in 1955 before Nicolas Sarkozy.
Some people wear Superman pyjamas. Superman wears Nicolas Sarkozy pyjamas.

Just for the record in a post which has probably already given far too many name checks than one person rightly deserves, the most recent batch of opinion polls on Sarkozy's popularity ratings throw up some pretty mixed messages.

He's still not doing too well, at around 36 per cent for the month of March according to one carried out by Ifop that appeared in the centre-right national daily Le Figaro recently.

Just last week though, the same paper was quoting a poll that had appeared in another national daily, Le Parisien, and conducted by CSA showing that 42 per cent of the French had "confidence in the way Sarkozy was handling the (economic) crisis."

Then of course there's that other yardstick or "poll of polls" if you will, in the form of Paris Match, a weekly magazine that mixes national and international news with a healthy dollop of celebrity lifestyle features.

Its latest poll (once again carried out by Ifop) has former president Jacques Chirac back at the top of the list of France's most popular political personalities, with the junior minister for human rights, Rama Yade, and her immediate boss the foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, sharing second spot.

Sarkozy is down in 33rd place a few places ahead of Ségolène Royal, who according to (yet) another poll conducted by Opinionway for Le Parisien is the person seen by the French as having the best stab at challenging him for office in 2012.

Confused?

Well there will probably be plenty more polls open to equally muddled interpretation over the coming weeks here in France as the parties jockey for position ahead of the European parliamentary elections in June.

Oh yes one last superhero Sarkozy characteristic, just to round off this post.

Nicolas Sarkozy has already counted to infinity - twice.

Sarkozy superhero

Sarkozy "reassures" the French in the face of a "worldwide crisis"

"It's the crisis of the century and it's without precedence," said the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, early on in a special interview broadcast live here on national television and radio on Thursday.

"In addition I have to protect as much as possible those who were in some way excluded when the world was benefitting from economic growth."

During the course of 90 minutes Sarkozy defended his government's policies and sought to "reassure" the French that the correct measures had been taken over the past couple of months to address the "understandable concerns" many have in this country for their future livelihoods.

More than 15 million viewers tuned in last night to hear what Sarkozy had to say about his government's handling of the economic crisis.

And although his office had said beforehand that there was no connection between his decision to appear "before the nation" and last week's national strike, it was clear from the outset that the day of action had been the catalyst for what was only Sarkozy's third televised interview since coming to power in May 2007.

But his interpretation of that strike could perhaps be regarded not so much as doublespeak as making the facts fit the argument.

"I have to make sure that France exits the economic crisis as soon as possible, " he said.

"My job is to listen to those who took to the streets, but also to listen to those who didn't - those who were working on that day and are also suffering."

What was perhaps disappointing, although hardly surprising, was that none of the four journalists present challenged him on his "explanation" by pointing out that polls also showed that 70 per cent of the French supported the strike - whether they took part in it or not.

Sarkozy will meet union leaders and representatives of the employer's associations on Feb. 18 to discuss the possibility of increasing unemployment benefits.

So what to make overall of what he had to say? After all 90 minutes is one heck of a long time to condense into just 700 words or so.

Well here is the very broadest of outlines.


(For those of you who understand French, there are links at the bottom of the piece to some of the sites of the major daily and weekly newspapers and magazines. As you can probably imagine it has been the major news story within the French media today.

Read collectively they should give a balanced overview of how the interview was received and interpreted.)


On the issue of his €26 billion stimulus package announced in December, Sarkozy was unrepentant, repeating once again that it had been the right move to resist the global economic slowdown and would protect jobs by shoring up the country's motor and construction industries.

He insisted that emergency loans to banks hadn't cost the French taxpayer one single centime (yes the French still call the smallest unit of the Euro currency by its old name).

In fact he went further to suggest that the state would actually earn over €1 billion from the interest on the loans it had made this year.

Sarkozy also announced that from next year, local taxes on business would be scrapped but companies have to pledge to keep operating in France and not close down plants to relocate to another country.

As far as the general direction and pace of reform was concerned, Sarkozy said there would be no change. When running for office he had campaigned on a promise to reduce taxes and trim down the country's large public sector and that was a promise he would be sticking to.

And one final note perhaps just to round off this post - on the "problems" Sarkozy has been having with a few of his ministers recently.

On Rachida Dati, the justice minister, who'll be stepping down if as expected she's elected to the European parliament in June, he said she "has done a remarkable job. Rachida will go to Europe and she will find her place once again in the government."

On Rama Yade, the junior minister for human rights, who refused to stand for those same elections he said, "When you're 32 years old and you're proposed a seat in the European (parliament), I find it a shame not to take advantage of that.

"I think she has understood that she was wrong, but I believe I can count on her talent."

And on the foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, who has been the target of a recently released book which "questions" his work as a consultant to some of Africa's dictatorial regimes Sarkozy offered his full support.

"Monsieur Kouchner has problems with the police? The justice system?" he questioned.

"Someone writes a book in which he says that M. Kouchner has done nothing illegal," he added.

"I've known M Kouchner for a long time and he abandoned those (consultancy) activities when he entered the government.

"I'm not the sort of person to drop someone just because there's a book based on rumours.

"He's a man in whom one can have complete confidence".

So there you have it. In a nutshell - and with plenty left out of course - 90 minutes worth of television.

Someone's hand aches from all the note-taking that went on while watching - and there were no advertising breaks.




Those promised links

Le Point
Libération
Nouvel Observateur
Le Monde
Le Figaro


And for those you you brave enough to watch the whole interview in French - handily broken down into four manageable parts.

Face à la crise part 1
Face à la crise part 2
Face à la crise part 3
Face à la crise part 4

Sarkozy plays musical chairs with a handful of ministers

Fancy a bit of French politics for a Saturday read? Then here goes.

Don't worry it's not tremendously weighty (heaven forbid) and won't be too long - promise.

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has tinkered a little with his government this week as expected, "splitting" difficult couples, springing one slight surprise in the process and promoting a "buddy".

Oh yes and he has also continued his policy of opening up the government to reflect better the political landscape.

Or another way of putting it, depending on your political perspective, could be seen as him maintaining his strategy of dividing and conquering the opposition.

What's happened isn't exactly a cabinet reshuffle, but more - in his own words - an "adjustment", as Sarkozy has ever so slightly conducted a game of musical chairs in making the changes.

So who are the not-so-new faces who've switched jobs or moved ministries?

Shuffle the cabinet

Well first up, the way was paved for that "adjustment" by Xavier Bertrand stepping down from the government to take over the leadership of the governing centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) party.

Bertrand is one of Sarkozy's "favourites" and, in many political commentators' eyes, a potential future prime minister should the current one, François Fillon drop out of favour.

To fill the seat that has become vacant at the employment or labour ministry Sarkozy has turned to his "buddy", Brice Hortefeux.

No surprises there as his likely move had been anything less than a well kept secret.

Hortefeux, who had never been particularly keen on his previous job as minister of immigration when it was created in June 2007, is a long-time friend and close political ally of the French president.

His new post will also see him take on extra responsibility as the outspoken Socialist politician, Fadela Amara will be working alongside him.

She'll keep the same portfolio she has had until now of junior minister for urban policy but switches bosses from Christine Boutin, the housing minister with whom she has had a less than comfortable relationship, to Hortefeux.

Amara has been a vital member of the French government and a potent symbol of Sarkozy’s desire to break with the politics of the past, but it hasn’t stopped her from speaking her mind whenever it suits her.

So it should be fun to see how she gets on with Hortefeux, whose legislation for voluntary DNA testing of would-be immigrants she famously described as "dégueulasse" (disgusting) when it was being debated in parliament.

Amara and Boutin, who've rarely seen eye to eye, aren't the only couple to have been split.

It's also the case of Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, who had been a junior minister of ecology under the super ministry (transport, energy and environment) headed by the larger than life Jean-Louis Borloo.

Kosciusko-Morizet (or NKM as she's known in the "meeja") and Borloo didn't get on, so she has been given a new job - perhaps the only real surprise among the appointments - as wait for it, junior minister of prospectives and evaluation of public policies (please don't ask) reporting directly to the prime minister, François Fillon.

That (mouthful of a) job became vacant because Eric Besson is moving to become minister of immigration (Hortefeux's old job - remember?).

It's a rapid promotion for a man who "jumped political ships" so to speak during the 2007 presidential campaign when he was still a member of the Socialist party and an advisor to Ségèlone Royal before resigning from both.

And there basically you have it.

The music has finished and the chosen few called to the floor to circle the chairs have all found their seats.

Perhaps the real surprise in all of this comes in the form of two ministers that have remained very much were they are - against all expectations.

Rachida Dati is still hanging in there as justice minister, and there's no word as to whether she'll head the party's list for the European parliamentary elections in June.

Oh and also let's not forget that other tricky customer, Rama Yade, the junior minister for human rights.

She's also staying put for the moment, somewhat confounding the experts who had predicted her dismissal after a) she refused "orders" to head the list for the very same European parliamentary elections (a request she likened to being forced to marry Prince Albert (of Monaco)".

And b) being rather pointedly slapped down in public last December when her immediate boss, the foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, turned around and said that it had been a mistake to appoint a junior minister responsible for human rights as "foreign policy cannot be conducted only in terms of how human rights functions".

There you go, a promise made is a promise kept.

The End

Bon weekend à tous et à toutes.

Delanoe throws his hat into the ring in the race to lead France's Socialists

As of yesterday it's official. The current mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, has declared he's running to become the next leader of this country's Socialist party.

It hasn't perhaps been the best kept secret here in France, as his name hasn't been far out of the headlines for most of this year as a potential successor to the current incumbent François Hollande.

Présentation de la contribution
envoyé par Clarte-courage-creativite

At the end of July a poll in the national daily newspaper, Le Parisien, showed that party members put him ahead in the race to become their next leader.

So why then is Delanoë's declaration so important? And what are its possible implications?

Well to start off with it's the manner in which he made his announcement

There was no razzamatazz, none of the "bling bling" that seems to have pervaded French politics since the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, first came to office 15 months ago, and no apparent desire to resort to verbal fisticuffs (in this instance at least) with his main rival for the job, Ségolène Royal.

She, you might remember, was the party's defeated candidate in last year's presidential elections.

Mind you, that's not to say the Delanoë has been averse to making scathing comments about Royal in the past. We are after all talking politics here. Among other things Delanoë has accused her of running a directionless (presidential) campaign last year and holds her partly responsible for the malaise in which the Socialist party now finds itself.

Delanoë has prepared the groundwork for his long awaited official announcement very carefully.

He let one of his main political backers, the former prime minister and failed presidential candidate back in 2002, Lionel Jospin, do all the legwork earlier in the year on a national level, when he was prevented from doing so because he was running for re-election as mayor of Paris.

Then towards the end of campaigning in those local elections, the ever media-savvy Delanoë (and let's face it, that's a pretty important component of 21st century politicking) appeared head-to-head on national television with his main rival for the capital's top job, Françoise de Panafieu of the centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP).

And then the crowning glory (so far) with the release at the end of May of his book “De l’audace” in which he set out some of his visions for the future of Socialism in France.

While Tuesday's announcement probably didn't exactly come as a shock, choosing to do so in an interview with one of the country's most respected newspapers, Le Monde, perhaps sent a signal that Delanoë wanted to make a break from staged photo ops which have characterised French politics recently.

So why is Delanoë's declaration important? Well the malaise in which the Socialist party finds itself is undeniable - even they admit it, in spite of a relatively strong showing in March's local elections.

The Socialists are riven by political infighting (of which Delanoe hasn't exactly been guiltless) and there's a battle on for the future direction of the party. It's at more perhaps than a crossroads, and if it doesn't unite behind one leader, some political commentators have suggested there could be a split.

Part of that is probably down to Sarkozy of all people, who has done a pretty good job of dividing and conquering. He has invited prominent Socialists into government such as the foreign minister Bernard Kouchner and the junior minister for urban policy, Fadela Amara. Or he has successfully recommended them for high level jobs overseas such as Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the International Monetary Fund.

There's talk in the media that some factions of the party might consider a possible realignment with the Communist party which took a hammering in the national and local elections, and the far Left of Olivier Besancenot's La Ligue communiste révolutionnaire (Revolutionary Communist League, LCR).

And then of course there's Royal, who has spoken about perhaps moving the party closer to the Centre and a more populist “listening and hearing” approach to politics.

Delanoë firmly rejects any sort of alliance - even with MoDem, the centre party, and in recently outlining his vision for the future of the party called on it to embrace economic liberalism and to accept the principle of competition – long a taboo to many on the Left.

For many, especially among the party faithful, Delanoë represents the future of the Socialist party. The 58-year-old is often accused of having a somewhat autocratic style and often portrayed as a control freak, but some think those are the very strengths needed to hold the party together and provide an effective oppostion.

Finally and probably not most importantly, Delanoë is openly gay. Perhaps that's not an issue - it certainly hasn't been during his tenure as mayor of Paris - but it could become a point picked up by the international media should he become the party's leader and its eventual presidential candidate in 2012, for no other reason than it reflects a change in attitudes and acceptance towards sexuality within France and abroad over the past couple of decades.

So now he's thrown his hat in the ring, we only have to wait until November to see how he fares. There's a whole gaggle of pretenders to the crown - declared and yet to declare. But at the moment it seems that it's very much Delanoë who's in the driving seat.

Only party activists get to vote in November's election, and that's a fact of which he's very much aware.

But in four year's time, come the presidential race, it'll be the country that votes. And Delanoë will surely want to have the popular base of support, not only from which to launch a powerful campaign against Sarkozy (should he decide to run for re-election) but also to take him all the way to the Elysée palace.

Carla meets the Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama may for one reason or another not have got to meet the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy during his current trip to France, but on Friday morning he met the unofficial and undeclared stand-in of sorts, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

France's first lady was among the around 2,000 guests invited to attend the opening ceremony of a new Buddhist temple in the town of Roqueredonde in southern France.

Among the other guests were a host of personalities including French actresses Juliette Binoche and Line Renaud and the former model Inès de la Fressangeas. But also present were a couple of current and former members of Sarkozy's government.

Seated next to Bruni Sarkozy were the foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, and the junior minister for human rights, Rama Yade. Both had initially toed the government line and declared they would probably not be attending, but just last week they announced that they would be present at the inauguration of the temple - the largest Buddhist centre in Europe.

Bruni-Sarkozy's presence was interpreted by many here as a diplomatic solution for the French president to avoid upsetting the Chinese government, whom he has been pressing for several months to reopen discussions with representatives of the exiled spiritual leader after the crackdown in Tibet by security forces in March.

After the ceremony, Bruni-Sarkozy had a private audience with the Dalai Lama and was later joined by Kouchner - a declared personal friend of the former Nobel peace prize winner.

The attendance of both Kouchner and Yade was the first official contact the Dalai Lama has had with members of the French government during this trip although he met a delegation of parliamentarians last week.

Part of the problem with the Dalai Lama's 12-day visit, which ends on Saturday, and the reason it has been covered so much in the French media, is of course the fact that although it is strictly a religious one, there have from the outset been political undertones.

Sarkozy's office maintained before the visit that the timing made a personal meeting with the Dalai Lama inappropriate as the trip occurred during the Olympic games in Beijing. And that was reportedly also a choice accepted by both the Dalai Lama and the French president.

The two men will however meet in France later this year on December 10.

French government split over Dalai Lama's visit

There was a double announcement on Thursday, which somehow contradicted much the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has said so far about the 12-day visit of the Dalai Lama to France.

Two of his government ministers have now said they are eager to meet Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader before he leaves.

Rama Yade, the outspoken juior minister for human rights told national radio in the morning that her office was looking into the possibility of a meeting with the Dalai Lama and she wanted to take advantage of his presence in the country for a face-to-face.

And in the afternoon representatives of the Dalai Lama himself said that the foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, had been in touch to try to organise a meeting with the former Nobel peace prize winner in the western French city of Nantes on August 20.

Both moves are quite a turnaround from the position taken by Sarkozy who has said he would not meet the Dalai Lama during his current trip but has announced a meeting later in the year on December 10.

Sarkozy’s office had said that the timing of the visit made a meeting inappropriate because it came during the Olympic games in Beijing, and it had been a choice accepted by both the French president and the Dalai Lama not to meet.

And the government line was also toed on Wednesday when the Dalai Lama met a delegation of French parliamentarians, but not as part of an official reception.

In a sense though the move by both ministers is not so unexpected. Both had previously said that they would welcome a personal meeting with the Dalai Lama during his visit, but remained quiet once Sarkozy had taken his decision.

Kouchner is not only a world famous humanitarian himself, he is also a declared personal friend of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader.

Yade has expressed views in the past year which have at times seemed to contradict the official government line.

France’s renewed bid to free Farc hostages

The French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, arrived in the Colombian capital, Bogota, on Monday in the latest attempt to negotiate the release of more than 30 hostages being held by that country’s rebel movement Farc.

But Kouchner faces an uphill battle especially after rebel leaders rejected a medical mission sent by Paris earlier this month to treat the most high profile of those captives, Ingrid Betancourt.

The French-Colombian, former senator has been held prisoner by the group since February 2002 when she was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency.

She is thought to be in a weak condition, suffering from Hepatitis B and a tropical skin disease.

Any progress on her release or that of any of the other prisoners was dealt a blow last month after Colombian troops killed one of the group’s leaders, Paul Reyes, during an attack in neighbouring Ecuador.

Along with the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, Reyes had been a key player in the group’s agreeing to free six hostages back in January.

Farc has hardened its stance since Reyes was killed and has said there would be no further release of hostages.

Kouchner remained tight lipped after his meeting with the Colombian president, Alvaro Uribe, but he’s known to back a humanitarian proposal that would see an exchange of the hostages for jailed rebels.

The next stop for the French foreign minister will be Ecuador on Tuesday, before flying to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to meet Chavez.

Many see the Venezuelan president is seen as the main hope to any real progress in negotiations with the Marxist rebels.

For its part, France has made repeated requests to Farc for the release of Betancourt since the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, came to power last May.

He has twice sent recorded television and radio messages appealing directly to the left-wing movement’s leader, Manuel Marulanda.

Wife of

She’s well cheesed off with the recent media fascination for always defining her as “wife of” and Christine Ockrent just ain’t going to stand for it any longer. Quite right too.

Ockrent is one of the best-known journalists here in France. She has more than 35 years of experience and she was the first woman to anchor state television France 2’s prime time 8pm news slot.

So it was no surprise when the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, appointed her as the director general of the newly created holding company France Monde. She’ll be the number two to the new company’s president Alain de Pouzilhac

France Monde will group together Radio France Internationale, the generalist television channel TV5-Monde and the rolling news broadcaster France 24.

The 64-year-old, Belgian-born Ockrent has in her time also been a top editor at the weekly news magazine, “L’Express” and since 1990 has presented a number of critically acclaimed political programmes on France 3, the state run regional television channel.

Over the years her face and voice have regularly popped up for commentaries on both CNN and BBC and she also spent 10 years in the United States where she collaborated on the CBS news magazine 60 minutes. So there’s no doubt that she has the track record and proven professional clout to justify her appointment

Oh yes, and she is also the wife of - or perhaps better put, her husband is - the current foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner.

And that’s the issue that has been making waves here since her appointment was made public, and is one that’s unlikely to go away.

Without openly saying so some (mainly men) within the profession claim that Ockrent’s appointment smacks of nepotism. How can a husband-and-wife team at the same time hold two of the most important jobs in representing France abroad?

Ockrent sees no conflict of interests though. Her reasons for taking the job, she says, are purely professional, and she cites her track record as proof that she’s up to it.

She’s also tired of women of her generation having to suffer the labelling of “wife of” even when they’ve a wealth of qualifications and experience in their own right. “Quite honestly,” she says. “I find it unjust and humiliating and I’m waiting for the moment when we start talking about men as ‘husbands of’, and when we ask them to sacrifice their identities, abilities and careers.”

Ockrent retained her job at France 3 even when Kouchner accepted the post of foreign minister. But it proved to be the exception rather than the rule.

Women journalists who have either been married to, or lived with, prominent politicians have never had an easy time her in France. Their relationships have often brought into question their journalistic objectivity and they have either been forced to resign or eased gently to one side.

Former prime time weekend television presenter, Béatrice Schönberg, for example had to step down after she married Jean-Louis Borloo – a prospective future prime minister at the time and now number two in the government. Similarly, Marie Drucker over one France 3 found herself bumped off the main news because of her relationship with the then overseas and later briefly interior minister, François Baroin.

Ockrent’s appointment is proof perhaps that slowly France is waking up to the fact that it just ain’t always on to define a woman by her partner.

JS

Fighting talk

The French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner has raised more than a few eyebrows since his appointment four months ago.

His latest salvo came in radio and television interviews earlier this week when he warned that the world should prepare for the worst if a solution could not be found to Iran’s refusal to end its uranium enrichment programme. And the worst, in his words, is war.

His comments quickly made the international headlines and critics at home leapt on them as evidence once again that the man with the real power, Nicolas Sarkozy, wants to change the approach of French foreign policy by adopting a harder line in attempt to improve relation with the United States.

It certainly reflects a break from life under the previous president, Jacques Chirac, when French foreign policy was characterised by a seemingly instinctive distrust of the US. But similarly it would be wrong to imply that Paris is about to become the unofficial European spokesman for Washington. Far from it.

After all just last month Kouchner caused quite a stir when he was quoted as saying that the Iraqi government was not functioning and that its US-backed prime minister, Nouri Maliki, should resign.

Those comments were hardly out of character. Kouchner is a humanitarian heavyweight rather than a diplomat and has often been described as a loose cannon given to plain talking. Rest assured he is unlikely to fear upsetting the White House when he has criticisms to make of US policy.

His appointment four months ago came as a surprise to many. Sarkozy had been rumoured to be about to offer the job to a former Socialist foreign minister, Hubert Védrine - a man much more in the usual mould of the French diplomatic tradition.

But in a daring move, he gave Kouchner the post.

Kouchner is very popular in France, regularly topping the list of the country’s favourite politicians.

In his youth he was a member of the Communist party – until he was expelled – and was one of the leaders of the 1968 students revolt.

He was a co-founder of both Médecins Sans Frontières and later Médecins du monde (he left the former after a bust-up to help set up the latter) and, although never a fully paid-up party member, he served as health minister in three Socialist governments.

In 1999 he was nominated as the first UN Special Representative in Kosovo, a post he held for 18 months.

Kouchner twice narrowly missed out on top international jobs – in 2005 when he was, a candidate for the position of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and a year later when a contender to become Director-General of the World Health Organisation.

Although he is an internationally renowned and respected figure many put his failure to land either post down to reluctance within the international community to throw their support behind an advocate for humanitarian interventions.

Such qualms however did not deter Sarkozy from offering him the foreign ministry.

Just like his boss, Kouchner holds a world view much more in line with the US model of action than the European one of quiet, behind-the-scenes diplomacy. It’s an indication perhaps that we can expect a shake-up in French foreign policy along the lines of the one Sarkozy has promised on the domestic front.

There again custom has it in France that foreign affairs are very much the domain of the president. Sarkozy has not chosen the option of appointing a quiet hard-working diplomat unlikely to create a stir, but still has the safety net of tradition. Sarkozy is more than likely to step on to the international stage whenever he sees fit and that has already been demonstrated.

Just weeks after taking office, Kouchner found himself rather neatly pushed to the sidelines in the release of six Bulgarian nurses and a doctor who had had been in jail in Libya since 1999. Rather than Kouchner it was a Sarkozy – albeit that Lady of Mystery and wife of the president who shyly accepted all the glory for her intervention.

A sign indeed that French foreign policy is no longer what is once was.

JS