💾 Archived View for sdf.org › icemanfr › 2024 › f01.gmi captured on 2024-05-10 at 11:22:25. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The end of the year was as tumultuous as the year 2023....And 2024 promises to be similar with the same actors/actresses.… or worse
2023 ended in France with the scandalous "immigration law". Scandalous because some of its articles were directly inspired by what the far-right party had wanted for years. Scandalous because it was worse than the government's version after a trip to the Senate, but the president's ego did the rest: he wanted a law for his right wing (don't forget, he is a conservative in progressive clothing), whatever is in it. The deputy of the president's party voted without enthusiasm after a day and night of negotiations. The Minister of Health resigned... he was the only one to do so (some resignations were refused!!?). Political courage? Some polls (paid by whom?) said that the French wanted this kind of law and that immigration was in the top 3 of the most important issues. Fear as a guide.
Immediately after this law, President Macron invited a journalist on television to talk about it, and he lied as usual... Who listens to him? and who believes him? But he made a tirade in defence of Gérard Depardieu, between two old-fashioned expressions. Depardieu is the most famous French actor alive... But he is accused of rape and sexual assault by more than 14 women. He was filmed by a director for a documentary during a trip to North Korea (!!). And he insulted women, between obscene touching and dirty jokes... The climax was a sexual "joke" on a 10-year-old girl. If the girl didn't hear or understand what he was saying, it seems to have been his favourite game during filming, with obscene touches, according to many testimonies. The statue of the great actor has been taken down from its pedestal. But by defending the actor, President Macron is supporting rape culture, according to many feminist and victims' defence associations. An article in a newspaper signed by friends of Depardieu (and some far-right figures) made the same scandal. Depardieu has no project anymore... More (and younger) people signed another article against Depardieu, in response to the first one....When you are talking of this, you're not talking about politics.
In his New Year's wishes, President Macron gave the impression of living in a meta-world where he is popular, where France is leading the "war" against climate change with its famous "French ecology", 4 years (!!) ahead of schedule. No problems with the health system and hospitals (some emergency services were closed due to lack of doctors, others had to select and triage patients...). The main problem for him was... Notre-Dame de Paris, rebuild for 2024 and the Olympics. At the same time, he had a word for the French-Israeli victims of the Hamas attack, no words for the French-Palestinians (even Christians) killed in Gaza. Inflation, energy prices, the increase in poverty (+2% of the population since 2020... to reach 14%)? No problem. He has done everything well and "everything is great", as the Lego film said. He forgot the "refractory Gauls", ha ha! But he is able to find millions of euros for the army, for the police, not for health, schools or justice. The "magic money", as he likes to say.
Suddenly, the president has fired his prime minister... because she doesn't want to resign, but was forced to. And the new executor is... the brand-new Minister of Education of 6 months ago, Gabriel Attal, the youngest Prime Minister in France. That's his only interest... He's a good communicator, but he's not interested in politics or ideology. His nickname: The Viper... Politics will not change, except to try to run after the extreme right for ideas, thinking of the European elections. And of course, for at least a week, all the media will be talking about the new government, who is in, who is out. Winter is coming and the homeless are dying in silence. More and more poor people are waiting for meals at the "Restaurants du coeur". And the last decision of the former education minister was to impose school uniforms (200€/each for the families). Because he saw pictures of Korean pupils in uniforms and they are top of the PISA rankings? Don't laugh, he's a marketing fanatic. And all that for musical chairs!
Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission, has died. He was president from 1985 to 1995. For me, he was a great defender of the European idea. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I'm a European citizen. But I have some problems with the way he made Europe in the 90s with the Maastricht Treaty (I voted against it for social reasons, not nationalism). He was for more federalism and I don't think that's a bad idea. But the Europe he built was a Europe of markets, not of citizens. That may not have been his aim, but it's the result of his choices. I have to admit that no Commission President since Delors has been a great builder or defender of Europe, working with the Germans, the French, the Italians and sometimes the British to keep it on the right track. Perhaps because the European institutions were not designed for so many members? Another Jacques Delors to rebuild a different Europe? I don't see anyone....Just look at the difficulties in foreign policy. He was better known than Jean Monnet or Robert Schuman in France, and seemed to be appreciated by the left and the right (not the far right, of course). But let's not forget that Europe was built on the coal and steel market after the Second World War, and trying to prevent war was a consequence.
Now that January is here, more and more people are doing "Dry January". You can't imagine the scandal for all the conservatives who want to buy and drink wine, symbol of French culture. Portugal and France are the biggest consumers of wine, together with Italy and ... Switzerland, in terms of litres per inhabitant. Wine is so important for the commercial balance... you know the balance between imports and exports that has been so bad in France since 2004 (Chirac, Sarkozy, Hollande, Macron as president... a little better with Hollande). Some advertisements against alcoholism have recently been cancelled. And with the exception of the United Kingdom, France, like many western countries, still has a blood alcohol limit of 0.5g/l for driving. Alcohol kills 49,000 people each year in France (2nd leading cause). So the debate will continue every year. At the same time, wine consumption has decreased (especially between 1980 and 2000), but quality wine, beer, champagne are still at a high level. It hasn't changed much in the last 10 years... France is now not so far away from other western countries.
So, a glass of Vichy Celestin water for this new year ?
2DÉ›
or by a reply on your blog