Your week in French politics - from a wannabe gun-toting UMP senator to Roma-bashing Manuel Valls

This week's look back at what has been happening in the marvellous world of French politics begins with a little light relief...um...of sorts.

It was supposedly a "slip of the tongue" (or was it?) provided by the  youngest member of the French parliament, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen.

The 23-year-old far-right Front National députée who in true "Dynasty"  - click on the link if you're already in need of a musical interlude - fashion (she's the granddaughter of Jean-Marie and niece of Marine) looks set for a long political career, was one of the guests invited to debate on France 2's "Mots croisés".

In wanting to respond to the claims by a fellow guest, a Socialist party (PS) member of the Senate André Vallini that (don't laugh) the idea of a "naïve Left reliant on a culture of excuses was over", Maréchal-Le Pen showed her youth - and perhaps her past television viewing habits.

Rather than suggesting Vallini was using the much-employed and beloved "Méthode Coué" (autosuggestion), Maréchal-Le Pen gaffed and referred to a former television "comedy/entertainment" programme "La Méthode Cauet".

Ah well. Youth.



Maybe Maréchal-Le Pen needs to take a lesson or two in the art of communication from Eric Doligé, a senator for the centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP).

Never heard of him? Never mind. Outside of the département of Loiret, for which he is senator, not many have probably.

Doligé clearly belongs to the traditional school of French politics which believes holding several elected offices at the same time is...well, perfectly acceptable.

He's a Conseiller général to the Canton de Meung-sur-Loire (where he just happened to be mayor from 1983 until 2011). It's a position he has held since 1985. He's also president of the Conseil général du Loiret (since 1994) and a senator of course. Somewhere along the way, he also manages to be a Chef d'entreprise. Talented man.

Anyway, the 70-year-old professional collector of political positions has had enough of the current lot in government. And he said as much in the most eloquent fashion as UMP parliamentarians from both houses got together for a pow-wow on Tuesday.

"I have to say that I have a killer instinct right now. I'm like most people, I cannot stand Hollande and his band," he said as he outlined how he thought government ministers were destroying the areas for which they had responsibility.

"Rather than shooting at each other, we should be taking aim at those running the country and I have a list of 40 I would like to shoot...they're all in the government."

Just to add to the "fun" a fellow UMP senator and another collector of political positions, Jean-Claude Gaudin (the current mayor of Marseille and seeking a fourth term in next year's municipal elections) chipped in with, "I can provide the Kalashnikovs!"

Such a sense of humour these gentlemen from the UMP.

Moving swiftly along and there was no getting away from (when is there ever?) the interior minister Manuel Valls this week.

First up he was laying in to Maréchal-Le Pen's aunt and leader of the FN, Marine Le Pen, saying that her "level of geopolitical analysis was zero".

That was his direct (and probably not unfounded) response to her comments that Bashar al-Assad was the "least worst option" for Syria and that France had become nothing more than "a harlot" with a government "supporting Islamic fundamentalism".

More tough talk from Valls a couple of days later when he appeared to go into FN mode as he followed in the footsteps of his two immediate predecessors at the interior ministry, Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, by displaying less-than brotherly love for (certain) foreigners in France.

Yes, he was on his favourite Roma-bashing bandwagon, saying that "very few of them would ever be able to integrate into French society" and that he would continue with the policy of dismantling their camps and expelling them.

With the European Commission (Romania and Bulgaria - the countries to which Valls wants to "send back" the Roma are both due to enter the European Union's Schengen area of borderless travel next year, although the decision could be delayed yet again) human rights groups and some within the PS and the Greens looking on in horror, it was left to the government's spokesperson, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, to come up with an official reaction to Valls' comments.

And she did herself proud, saying Valls had the government's backing because its policy on the matter was to act with "firmness and humanity."

OK. That's all right then. Looks as though the Socialist party is determined to redefine "humanity".

As for the country's president, François Hollande. Well he began the week in New York.

François Hollande with Hassan Rohani (screenshot M6 news) and on CNN (screenshot from CNN video)

While he didn't really say anything he hadn't already said before, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Hollande did find time to meet and greet his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.

Hey there was even that significant "smile for the camera" moment as the two men posed and shook hands.

While in New York, Hollande couldn't pass up the opportunity of an interview with CNN's redoubtable Christiane Amanpour.

Yes it was pre-arranged and yes, it gave Hollande the rare opportunity to say nothing new once again.  But it also allowed to show his command of English by answering questions in French.

And here's the thing. Hollande's replies were dubbed into English by...a woman.

What a strange editorial decision.



And finally "music" - although strictly speaking you could question that - from France's former first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

She was among a host of French singers invited to perform during a concert on Wednesday to raise funds for research into Alzheimer's.

But just moments after Bruni struck the first chords of her 2003 hit "Quelqu'un m'a dit" she had a momentary power failure as she forgot the words.

Maybe it was down to the bum notes in the opening sequence or, as she said, "that she was moved".

Still, she gave it a second bash and was soon strumming away, her husky voice no doubt delighting those present.

Enjoy the clip of the moment and your weekend.

French politician claims his Hitler comments on Travellers were "distorted" - do you believe him?

There's always more than one way to interpret events even if sometimes the so-called "proof" of what happened indicates otherwise.

The comments by Gilles Bourdouleix, the mayor (or deputy mayor as far as the Daily Mail is concerned) of Cholet (the town in western France rather than the Womble) and member of the National Assembly for the centre-right Union des démocrates et indépendants (Union of Democrats and Independents, UDI), over the weekend when he seemed to suggest that "Hitler had not killed enough of them" in a reference to gypsies, while visiting an illegal camp for Travellers, have been picked up by both the domestic and international media.

Gilles Bourdouleix (screenshot i>Télé interview)

There have been calls for him to be sacked and the interior minister, Manuel Valls, has asked prosecutors to take legal action against Bourdouleix for implicitly endorsing crimes against humanity, saying that, "Nothing can justify, nor excuse an elected representative...making such a reference to the worst barbarism of the 20th century,"

Not only did the journalist Fabien Leduc, write a piece including the politician's comments in the regional daily Le Courrier de l'Ouest, he also provided a recording.

Here it is, in all its glory so-to-speak.



Not easy to defend yourself in the face of such evidence.

But that hasn't stopped Bourdouleix from trying.

While he's not denying he made the comments, Bourdouleix is questioning the journalist's integrity (well they're not always angels are they?) and that of the newspaper which apparently has an "axe to grind" and insists the recording isn't quite what it seems.

He says the context in which he had to face 30 or 40 people giving him the "Nazi salute" needs to be taken into account and what was an off-the-cuff remark murmured to himself had been "misinterpreted and skewed" to fit the story.

That's paraphrasing what he said during an interview with the all-news channel i>Télé.

Bourdouleix's ducking and diving is all well and good except perhaps for his track record of how he has dealt with illegal camps and Travellers over the years.

In 2011 the Human Rights League of France  lodged a complaint against him (later dropped) for comments on Travellers when he said, "We're scared of these people. They have all the rights! I'm willing to take a truck full of shit to dump in the middle of their caravans!"

And last year the same organisation filed another complaint against him against him for "inciting hatred or violence and racial discrimination against travellers."

Anyway, here's Bourdouleix defending himself in that interview with i>Télé.

Take a listen and make up your own mind.

Gilles Bourdouleix évoque une "manipulation" - 23/07/13 à 7h00

Incomplete political faction - Everything's OK between Martine Aubry and Manuel Valls even after Roma camp closures

So Auntie Barrmy, the perhaps soon-to-be former leader of the Socialist party was on her hols bumbling around the house minding her own business and thinking about how useful spanners could be - politically speaking - when the 'phone rang.

Martine Aubry (screenshot Europe 1 radio)

"Oui. Here is the perhaps soon-to-be former leader of the Socialist party and still mightily peeved prime minister-in-waiting. Who's calling please?" she purred down the 'phone, as was her usual fashion

"Hi Auntie. It's me," squeaked a voice from the other end. "Nasal Vellum, France's minister of the interior (yes you can tell Socialist party members are quickly getting used to their own self importance since adding a majority in the National Assembly elections to that in the Senate, a presidency and a government). I thought I would give you a tinkle just to let you know what I've been up to."

"Thank you Nasal," replied Auntie frostily.

"Where are you today?" she asked through gritted teeth, well aware that since assuming office, Nasal had looked towards one of his infamous Kärcher-cleaning predecessors as a media mentor and was pretty much omnipresent.

Auntie might have been on holiday, but she still read the newspapers and watched TV.

"Well Auntie," he hesitated.

"I've been hither and thither, no time for a break you know. What with my being France's Number One copper, I haven't had a moment to myself. Places to go. People to see. Things to do," he continued.

"Avignon, Marseille, Vars, Villiers-le-Bel, Amiens. Pick a place - any place in France - and I've been there.

"Lille?" hissed Auntie.

"Ah yes Lille...er...I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

At this point it might be worth mentioning that not only is Auntie the perhaps soon-to-be former leader of the Socialist party and prime minister-in-waiting, she has also been the mayor of Lille since 2001.

"Well I was there in July after the shootings outside a discotheque, as you know," began a clearly flustered Nasal.


"Yes I'm aware of that," came the sharp response.

"You met me too."

"Um...yes. Quite."

There was a pause.

Silence, broken only by the sound of Auntie grinding her teeth.

"THE CAMPS," she blasted down the 'phone.

"What the (expression deleted to avoid offending those of a sensitive disposition) do you think you've been up to tearing down Roma camps without telling me first what you were planning?"

"You're as big a fool as that idiot Kärcher-cleaning halfwit," she thundered.

"You know how angry I was after he gave that Grenoble speech in 2010 when he clearly stirred up hatred against the Roma. And you know how I've done everything in my power to ensure they are welcomed as humanely as possible here IN LILLE. I've set up three villages d’insertion and there are another three being built," continued Auntie.

"What have you done? And how come I had to learn what had happened from the media?"

Nasal had expected such an outburst, and he was used to it. After all he knew he was far from being Auntie's favourite aspiring president.

The two of them had come to blows in the past especially as Nasal had served as a faithful lieutenant to one of Auntie's arch enemies - Seggers, in her failed 2007 presidential bid.

And he had thrown his weight behind François Hollande after being knocked out of the Socialist primaries to choose the party's presidential candidate this year.

Hollande, you might remember, went head to head with none other than Auntie in the second round.

So Nasal did what any sensible politician with would do ... he waffled.

"Respect for human dignity is a constant imperative of all public action, but the difficulties and local health risks posed by the unsanitary camps needed to be addressed," said Nasal, quoting his own ministry's official statement.

"In no case did the removals take the form of collective expulsion, which is forbidden by law."

"NASAL. YOU FOOL. YOU SOUND JUST LIKE THE KÄRCHER DOLT," shouted Auntie.

"How do you think the whole thing makes me look and what am I going to say to the media?

Nasal thought a few moments before replying...but that dear reader is where we'll have to leave the two of them for now.

Because, as the French media is reporting, the perhaps soon-to-be former leader of the Socialist party and prime minister-in-waiting is expected to give her official response to Nasal's decision to dismantle two makeshift Roma camps near Lille some time this week.

How exactly she'll manage to make it look as though she's not in complete disagreement with the manner in which the camps were closed will be a monumental feat.

But as a seasoned and more than competent politician, she should be well up to the task.

In the meantime, Nasal isn't at all concerned apparently, insisting that everything is more or less hunky dory between the two of them.



Friends?

Well maybe not quite.

Which of course provides the excuse for a song - as if one were needed - with, among others, the sublime Gladys.