French Green party's "absurd and immature" decision not to take part in Manuel Valls' government

All right, raise your hand if you understand what the French Greens are playing at.

Speculation is...um...rife (yes it's a cliché but what the heck) as to the composition of the government to be announced by France's brand spanking new prime minister Manuel Valls.

But one thing seems certain. It won't contain any members of the Greens - or the Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) to give the party its proper name.

When the French president, François Hollande, formally announced on Monday evening (wisely missing the April 1 dateline by a few hours) that he had asked Valls to form a new government, former Green ministers Cécile Duflot and Pascal Canfin (who?) quickly responded by saying they wouldn't accept any position offered.

Canfin even went as far as to say that Duflot had turned down the post of number two in the new government and an important portfolio for reasons of "political coherence" (never the Greens' strong point, as will soon become evident).

But there was still hope that others within the party might see sense. After all the Greens were the (very) junior party in former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault's government and could still have had their say in forming policy.

On Tuesday four of the party's big wigs, Emmanuelle Cosse, Jean-Vincent Placé, Barbara Pompili and François de Rugy toddled off to meet Valls and have a good ol' chinwag about the party's possible participation in his new government.

Or not, as it turned out, because it all came to nowt.

After a natter among themselves in the evening, the party's executive office took a vote, deciding, as they announced on the official website, that despite the propositions made by Manuel Valls, the conditions for their participation in his government hadn't been met.

A decision which was both "absurd and immature," as far as Green parliamentarian François-Michel Lambert was concerned.

While for de Rugy, one of the party's co-presidents in the national assembly, it was "incomprehensible decision and a blow for the ecologists."

Jean-Vincent Placé (screenshot BFM TV

It's easy to understand their frustration especially as on Wednesday morning Placé appeared on Jean-Jacques Bourdin's show on BFM TV to confirm that "no member of the party would be included in the new government, not even in an independent capacity" even though during Tuesday's talks Valls had offered the post of...wait for it...minister of the ecology, environment and energy.

Oh well. That makes perfect sense...to a member of the French Green party.

Let's play odds and evens - the French government's answer to dealing with high pollution levels in Paris

There's nothing like dealing with a problem when it occurs.

Just ask the French environment minister Philippe Martin.

Philippe Martin (screenshot TF1 news)

Parts of France have been hit by high pollution levels over the past four or five days because of (to put it very simply) the mix of "cold nights and warm days, which have prevented pollution from dispersing".

And what has the environment minister done to deal with the situation?

Well he has waited and watched, announcing that he was "working on sustainable measures to fight against pollution," (yadda, yadda, yadda) and that there would be "an announcement by the summer of a plan to protect the atmosphere of the areas most affected.'

Par for the course really from the man who took over the ministry after his predecessor Delphine Batho was sacked in July 2013, and has faced bad weather conditions with remarkably enterprising resolve coupled with the usual political platitudes

When heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail battered towns in Brittany for weeks on end, Martin was quick to give his expert opinion that "the flooding could be related to climactic disturbances."

Really? Now there's a novel concept.

And during the flooding in Var at the beginning of February, he took to a helicopter to "understand the reasons behind what had happened". How very reassuring.

In fact helicopters and having a look seemed to feature largely in Martin's method of helping out flood victims.

Anyway, back to the high pollution levels. Finally the government has taken a decision.

It announced on Saturday that Paris and its suburbs would be subjected to "alternate driving days" as of Monday because of the continued "high pollution levels" that were expected.

Jean-Marc Ayrault's office even issued a statement saying, "The prime minister is aware of the difficulties that this may cause to the everyday lives of Parisians, but this extra step is necessary."

And get this, Ayrault "trusted in the spirit of responsibility and citizenship of each and every person."

Hello! We're talking Parisians here, deservedly or not, hardly world-renowned for their civility.

The statement wasn't enough though. Martin had a sales job to do and up he popped on TF1 prime time news to give the reasons for decision and brandishing, in  "show and tell" fashion, two licence plates - both old and new - to explain the difference between an odd number and an even one.

Philippe Martin in "show and tell" mode (screenshot TF1 news)

"Public health is what most concerns us here and in spite of the measures taken since the beginning of the week (measures introduced by the local authority in Paris such as free public transport) there's a risk of another rise in pollution levels at the beginning of the week," he said.

"We had to take this decision and we're relying, of course on the responsibility of Parisians which will allow us to cope with the situation," he added, proving he had a) been briefed and b) read the prime minister's official statement before going on air.

 

Bye bye Delphine Batho and the end of government gender parity

Well wasn't that a brave decision by the French president François Hollande and his prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault?

Sacking the ecology and energy minister Delphine Batho, because she dared to criticise departmental cuts in next year's budget - seven per cent in a sector to which the governnment is supposedly politically committed.

Delphine Batho (screenshot from RTL interview)

Bravo M le President and M. le Prime Minister.

You've proven yourselves to be well in control of the situation

Just as you were when former budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac lied to you, parliament and the media about his financial holdings abroad and tax fraud allegations.

How long did it take you get rid of of him?

Weeks.

You were the masters of inaction.

Just as you were when the ever-effective and "maverick" minister for industrial renewal Arnaud Montebourg was quoted as having criticised Ayrault and accusing him of running the government as though it were a municipal council with that infamous, "Tu fais chier la terre entière avec ton aéroport de Notre-Dame-des-Landes, tu gères la France comme le conseil municipal de Nantes."

What happened?

Ayrault confirmed what had been said and then did...diddly squat.

Your interior minister Manuel Valls - not exactly reticent about his ambitions to replace Ayrault at some point - decided it was time to say what he thought, namely that if he had been prime minister he would have sacked Montebourg.

What was your reaction?

Silence.

And when housing minister (and leading Green party member) Cécile Duflot criticised Valls' treatment of the Roma, how did you react?

By doing nothing, apart from letting Ayrault call a meeting to smooth over differences.

Ah yes, but Montebourg and Valls both have some standing in the party don't they.?

And they were, M Hollande, your opponents in the first round of primaries to choose the Socialist party candidate in the 2012 presidential elections which you finally won.

Both men and Duflot are heavyweight "untouchables". You need them apparently.

Not so Batho, plucked from almost nowhere and with very few allies - not even her former mentor Ségolène Royal who had openly criticised her in recent weeks.

An easy target and one providing you with the opportunity to flex your presidential and prime ministerial muscles to show just how in charge you both are...NOT.

Oh yes and just to reinforce how unwavering you are to your professed principles, who did you appoint to replace Batho?

Philippe Martin - a man, just in case you needed reminding. Thereby ensuring there was no longer gender parity within the government.

But of course, there aren't enough women around to fill the post are there?

Bravo

Such consistent and firm leadership.


Delphine Batho : "Le budget 2014 est mauvais" par rtl-fr

Incomplete faction - Paris mayor announces new Marchelib' shoe sharing scheme

Do you live in or around Paris? Or are you thinking of a trip to the French capital?

Well here's some news for all those trying to make their way around the City of Light.

The mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, has plans to make it easier for you.

A bit wobbly on two wheels and still unsure as to whether you can defend yourself in the precarious bicycle lanes that have been squeezed out of the existing roads?

Fed up of going bumper-to-bumper and getting nowhere slowly on the Boulevard Périphérique, the ring road separating Paris from its suburbs?

Not keen on suffering unwanted, almost sexual, encounters while sardined into the Métro?

Delanoë,  has the answer.

First he gave us Vélib', the bicycle sharing system launched in the summer of 2007.

Then Delanoë introduced the electric car sharing Autolib' programme guaranteed to annoy any driver stuck behind one of those flippin' dinky toys and render even the most mild-mannered motorist (not easy in Paris) barmy.

And now he's planning to go one step further with the world's first ever shoe sharing scheme - Marchelib'.

The idea is a simple one: using the same pick up and drop off stations already available for Velib', Parisians, out-of-towners, visitors - in fact just about everyone - will be able to grab a pair of walking shoes or boots and strut their stuff happily through the City of Light.

The announcement came on Monday as part of a package of measures aimed at trying to reduce pollution levels in Paris - still too high at certain times of the year and which contravene EU regulations - and simultaneously piss off the maximum number of motorists.

Among the proposals are a reduction of the speed limit on the ever-flowing (as if) Boulevard Périphérique from 80km/h to 70km/h (as if), a ban all cars older than 17 years from the city centre (and drivers with less than 17 years of experience), the introduction of a péage, or toll, on the motorways immediately surrounding the capital to limit the number of trucks and the launch of Marchelib'.

"These propositions represent a new step in our battle against pollution," Delanoë said on RTL radio.

"Parisians have changed their habits in the past decade because we've dared (to introduce progressive policies) but pollution still remains a scourge," he continued.

Delanoë added that Marchelib' would not only help cut drastically the levels of pollution, it would also make Parisians fitter, healthier and give a boost to the economy by insisting that the shoes supplied would only be "Made in France".

The mayor, a prominent member of the Socialist party, said he would be talking to the government minister in charge of industrial renewal, Arnaud Montebourg, to help draw up a list of French cobblers who could meet the new schemes requirements.

Time to strut your stuff.

Take it away Nancy!

A French melon-powered power plant

Do you like melons? Tasty aren't they?

Sweet when ripe, and refreshing.

North American "cantaloupes" (from Wikipedia, USDA photo by Scott Bauer. Image Number K7355-11.)

You've got to be careful about storing them though because apparently their pungent pong can permeate other food and you've probably also noticed how their remains can stink out a kitchen when left in the bin.

Something to do with the amount of methane melons produce when they decompose - just like all fruit really.

The company Boyer S.A Philibon in the southwestern département of Tarn et Garonne knows all about that.

It's one of France's biggest producers and packers of melons and its processing station is in the town of Moissac.

But Boyer S.A also has a huge waste problem in the shape of rotten melons - 1,800 tonnes of them annually.

So earlier this year it called in the experts, turning to the Belgian-based company GreenWatt, a specialist in building, designing and maintaining biogas plants and the fruits (ouch) of the two companies collaboration will be unveiled on Friday.

That's when France's first biogas plant or anaerobic digester will open.

And it'll apparently be able to produce enough hot water for the whole of the Boyer S.A site as well as the equivalent of electricity for 150 homes which it'll sell back to the country's largest utility company Électricité de France.

Not bad going for a load of mouldy fruit, and very green to boot.

So forget nuclear, coal, hydro-electric, thermal, wind and solar power.

The future is melon - well at least as far as Boyer S.A is concerned.

Green the orang-utan

Green the orang-utan (screenshot from film)

"Her name is Green, she is alone in a world that doesn't belong to her. She is a female orang-utan, victim of deforestation and resource exploitation."



No words are necessary. And there are none in this video (full version here).

Take just 48 minutes out of your busy schedule. That's surely not to much to ask.

And follow the story of Green's final days.

No comment.

Just three minutes to wreck a town. Now the long clear up begins

Tuesday's papers here in France of course are full of pictures and stories of the devastation brought on the town of Hautmont and the surrounding areas of Boussières-sur-Sambre and Neuf-Mesnil in the north of the country on the night of Sunday to Monday after a tornado struck, killing three people and injuring 18.

Around 700 homes were damaged or completely destroyed, and in Hautmont alone - a town of 16,000 people - at least 500 homes to between 2,000-3,000 people were hit according to local officials.

An initial €300, 000 has been made available in emergency aid, with the promise of more to come, and a trauma team is on its way to help those who are only now returning early from their holidays, to cope with the devastation they're likely to face.

The local authorities with the help of the Red Cross are busy providing temporary shelter and food for those without accommodation or whose homes are deemed inhabitable.

Of course the size of the event was by no means on the same sort of scale as some weather disasters in other parts of the world. But tornados are a rare occurrence in Europe, let alone in northern France, and when they happen, few are prepared. And the impact on the local community has been enormous.

The pictures of upturned cars, roofs stripped completely of tiles, trees uprooted and some buildings no more than a pile of rubble tell a tale in themselves of how in just three minutes, winds of up to 220 kilometres an hour and driving rain were able to wreak such havoc.

The personal accounts also tell a moving story and now, after the initial shock of what happened, they've started emerging.

One resident told the national daily, Liberation, how he couldn't believe what he was seeing at first.

"To begin with I thought it was a small storm, just the same as we're used to," Julian Lenoir told the paper. " But then I saw what was flying past the window outside, I got hold of my little brother and hid in one of the bedrooms at the back of the house."

Another inhabitant was just thankful his family was safe, although his daughter had been hurt slightly in the tornado.

"The wardrobe fell on my daughter. If she had been asleep, she would have been dead," Mohamed Gharbi told the paper. "I said to my wife the house is about to take off - and we all went and hid in the bathroom for safety."

While three people died as a direct result of the tornado, it was sadly all too much for one 76-year-old resident, who local officials confirmed had taken his own life after losing his home.

Visiting the town on Monday, the interior minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, went so far as to describe Hautmont as looking as though a bomb had hit it. And she should know what she's talking about. Before taking over her current job, Alliot-Marie was this country's defence minister.

"I have rarely seen devastation such as this outside a war zone," Alliot-Marie told the press.

"It resembles scenes I've witnessed at certain moments in southern Lebanon," she added. "One has the impression that the place had been bombed."

During her visit Alliot-Marie promised €300,000 in immediate emergency relief and said a team of psychologists and trauma specialist would be sent to the area.

The government also plans to hold a special session before the end of the month to discuss a more comprehensive aid package and to make certain that those who have lost their homes and many of their possessions don't have to struggle with insurance claims for compensation.

While the clear up has begun and the emergency services are busy ensuring power supplies are up and running and the area made secure, and the insurance companies are already on the scene assessing the extent of the damage, there are also some other, less welcome visitors to the town of Hautmont.

The plain curious or "disaster tourists" as one local woman described them on national radio, who've come to see first hand the misfortune of others. They're apparently "not getting in the way or hampering the clear up", she said, but "they're there, watching and looking."

Get on your bike - and we'll help

A company in north western France is doing its bit for the environment, encouraging fitness among its workers and getting some good PR into the bargain.

In a move to boost its green credentials the company, Salmson, is offering more than just empty rhetoric to persuade its employees to switch from four wheels to two, and to cycle to and from work rather than take the car. It's actually providing them with pedal power in the shape of course of a bike.

The scheme is a simple one. Salmson, based in the town of Laval on the border between the two departments of Brittany and Normandy and one of the country's leading suppliers of pumping systems for water, heating and industry, has offered its 700 employees the use of the bicycles - free of charge.

In exchange for sticking to the terms of a "moral contract" by agreeing to use the bike every other day and making sure they abide by the rules of the highway code, employees will basically be able to use the bikes as and when they like, as though they were their own - during work and leisure time.

They'll also be provided with a padlock and a fluorescent yellow jacket.

So far just 50 people have taken the company up on its offer - mainly those who live within easy travelling distance. But Salmson is looking to extend the project in its effort to get people peddling.

For those who don't sign up, the company says it also wants to put in place an official system of car-pooling - not exactly de rigueur for either employer or employee here in France.

The timing probably couldn't have been better. Summer has finally arrived, the days are longer and the price hike at the petrol pumps has left many people counting the centimes in their pockets just a little more closely than before.

Of course the initiative won't do Salmson's image as a responsible and aware employer any harm either. And it'll get a spot of advertising too as the red bikes are clearly marked with the company's logo.

It might just be a small gesture on the part of one firm's efforts to reduce global warming and go green, but there again from little acorns grow......