For our international friends who may be catching up on the french elections, France’s next president will be elected next sunday by 8pm. The 2 finalists are Nicolas Sarkozy, conservative/liberal and Segolene Royal, socialist/in favor of government assistance on most matters. Most of international observers agree that politically France lives with the memories of its glorious past and that the country needs to change.
So one of the key criteria in choosing a president should be : Who is in a position to design and execute change in the country while respecting its democratic DNA?
Do read John Vinocour of the New York Times about France’s fears of change. In an article called “Politicus: The politics of fear”, here is its conclusion (French translation by Gilles Berton), about Segolene and her incapacity to drive change.
Si Segolene Royal incarne une perspective de changement profond, c’est celle du glissement de la vision qu’a la France d’elle-meme vers un statut de victime, un denominateur commun inconnu jusqu’alors dans une histoire plus marquee par la reussite universelle que par une humiliation individuelle generalisee. Au fond, la candidature de Royal vehicule – et legitime – une notion de declin national qui va bien au-dela des vraies difficultes francaises et minimise la reelle capacite du pays a remonter la pente.
Au final, incapable de proposer un avant-gout significatif de ce que serait la vie durant ses cinq annees de présidence, Royal ne peut guere faire plus que demander aux Français de s’en remettre a ses instincts. Mais maintenant que sa mystique a perdu son éclat, cela ne peut qu’entrer en contradiction avec les vastes questions qui restent ouvertes sur sa compétence, sa credibilite et sa capacite a diriger.
Rodrigo Sepulveda Schulz, who is a chilian national living in France, recommends to vote Segolene Royal… He overdoes it when he writes that “corporations, startups and innovators rally Segolene”. I was at Fanny’s party last week and as many entrepreneurs and members of the French 2.0 community will vote Royal or Sarkozy. See here. Possibly, as Rodrigo wrote me, his enthousiasm for Royal could come from his own disappointment at the lack of changes led by the conservative in full power now for the past 5 years in France. I agree with him on that specific point and would add that incubent french president Jacques Chirac has left the country in a dramactic stalemate.
Loic Le Meur, the leading french blogger, is a definite supporter of Sarkozy, and i believe a member of his advisers for the internet strategy. There seems to be a real excess of web communications, an intense battle over the blogs as Versac puts it. It is part of the game , in general fair enough, except when abusive as when the Sarkozy supporters are making a promotional video out of saving 21 children. Will anyone in his staff tell him to pull it out?
For Edwy Plenel, former editor at Le Monde, Sarkozy would strenghten all the potential crises in France. That’s a possibility, because change often creates resistance and leads to crises. However, what is so terrible about it, provided again that they are conducted with unfaltering respect for our democratic DNA? Yes, as Plenel says it, Sarkozy is a man of power (like all the other candidates) and he will use the french institution to support his program (as the other candidates will – Royal said she wanted a new constitution). Strongly opposed to Sarkozy, Plenel brings up Hitler and the rise towards fascism in the 30’s in Germany. He assimilates Sarkozy to a new form of fascism in France. I had lunch with Plenel a few years back, attended one of his editorial meeting and recall that he was himself partly evicted because of overreaching authority. Courage also relates to the ability to acknowledge failure and move forward as a country. I don’t see any courage in a former star journalism using his name to suspect Sarkozy and his team of being a gang of fascists. Certainly, putting up pictures of Brice Hortefeux, one of Sarkosy’s team member, who has blond hair is despicable.
I however will join Mr. Plenel in his fight against fascism if Sarkozy comes to the dark side. I inherited the fighting spirit (it must be genetic!) from my grand-father Gaston who died after leaving his german cell, and from my father Guy who has been awarded “Grand Officier de la Legion d’honneur” and “La Medaille de la résisitance”. Both were “resisting” the german invasion in France.
One last thought : looking and listening to Segolene Royal ‘s campaign and what she proposes for France, i found this famous Shadok philosophy line (!) which could translate as ” When one does not know where to head, one has to get there and as fast as possible. “.
Copyright Rouxel