Inside France: Sextapes, lunch, mayors and a Frenchmen problem
From sextape scandals and problems with women via French mayors and predictions of a new Revolution, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
Sex and lunch
There have been two scandals involving French mayors that have hit the headlines this week - one involving a sextape and the other involving lunch. I honestly cannot decide which of these two is more stereotypically French, but their prominence in the headlines does attest to the importance of the role of the the mayor in France.
One of the oldest roles in the country (dating from the years immediately after the revolution) their role ranges from city mayors who handle multi-billion euro budgets and a staff of thousands to village mayors who have a more hands-on role. Stories from village-dwellers in France include the mayor turning up with a chainsaw to clear a fallen tree from the road and taking part in animal rescues.
Talking France
We're sharing stories of French mayors on this week's Talking France, as well as addressing that crunch Constitutional Council ruling on pension reform, the €150 million tree-planting scheme in south-west France, French town nicknames and what you need to know about this year's tax declarations. Listen here or on the link below.
Man problem
An MP from the far-left La France Insoumise party returned to parliament this week, after a very short suspension after he was convicted of assaulting his wife. Party leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has been widely criticised for appearing to minimise the seriousness of the conviction and praising his MP's "courageous" decision to stand down from a senior role within the party.
This brings back memories of Emmanuel Macron who, when criticised for appointing as his Interior Minister (the nominal head of the police force) a man who was at the time the subject of a rape investigation, responded that he had spoke to Gérald Darmanin "man to man" about the incident and was satisfied with his explanation. Darmanin was later cleared.
If we include Rassemblement National leader Marine Le Pen, who has always been extremely reluctant to say whether she supports a woman's right to abortion (and consistently has urgent other business whenever there is a vote in parliament on the issue), that's the leaders of France's three largest parties (commanding 70 percent of the vote between them) who all appear to not really get it when it comes to women's rights.
Banner of the week
I think two under-rated guides to understanding French life and politics are graffiti and protest signs.
They're often funny as well as topical - frequently seen in Paris right now is "16-64 est une bière, pas une carrière" - 16-64 is a beer [Kronenbourg 1664] not a working life.
But I love the sheer bonkers complexity of the below sign, predicting a new French Revolution on the basis that 64 (the proposed new retirement age) minus 49.3 (the Article of the constitution used to force the legislation through) equals 14.7, or July 14th, the date of the storming of the Bastille. Who knew!
#NousSachons pic.twitter.com/QE2Aglj7sR
— Complots Faciles (@ComplotsFaciles) April 10, 2023
Life inspo of the week
Let's all get on board with this rather lovely priority list of things that people in France apparently want to do more of. Now, it may be that you don't actually need to retire to do some (or all) of these, but really, who couldn't do with a little more of each in their life?
This is a rather lovely priority list of things the 🇫🇷 want to do more of (through working less and retiring early) - friendship, love, sex, art, sport and enjoying nature pic.twitter.com/SY2yYr5a15
— Emma Pearson (@LocalFR_Emma) April 7, 2023
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
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Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
Sex and lunch
There have been two scandals involving French mayors that have hit the headlines this week - one involving a sextape and the other involving lunch. I honestly cannot decide which of these two is more stereotypically French, but their prominence in the headlines does attest to the importance of the role of the the mayor in France.
One of the oldest roles in the country (dating from the years immediately after the revolution) their role ranges from city mayors who handle multi-billion euro budgets and a staff of thousands to village mayors who have a more hands-on role. Stories from village-dwellers in France include the mayor turning up with a chainsaw to clear a fallen tree from the road and taking part in animal rescues.
Talking France
We're sharing stories of French mayors on this week's Talking France, as well as addressing that crunch Constitutional Council ruling on pension reform, the €150 million tree-planting scheme in south-west France, French town nicknames and what you need to know about this year's tax declarations. Listen here or on the link below.
Man problem
An MP from the far-left La France Insoumise party returned to parliament this week, after a very short suspension after he was convicted of assaulting his wife. Party leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has been widely criticised for appearing to minimise the seriousness of the conviction and praising his MP's "courageous" decision to stand down from a senior role within the party.
This brings back memories of Emmanuel Macron who, when criticised for appointing as his Interior Minister (the nominal head of the police force) a man who was at the time the subject of a rape investigation, responded that he had spoke to Gérald Darmanin "man to man" about the incident and was satisfied with his explanation. Darmanin was later cleared.
If we include Rassemblement National leader Marine Le Pen, who has always been extremely reluctant to say whether she supports a woman's right to abortion (and consistently has urgent other business whenever there is a vote in parliament on the issue), that's the leaders of France's three largest parties (commanding 70 percent of the vote between them) who all appear to not really get it when it comes to women's rights.
Banner of the week
I think two under-rated guides to understanding French life and politics are graffiti and protest signs.
They're often funny as well as topical - frequently seen in Paris right now is "16-64 est une bière, pas une carrière" - 16-64 is a beer [Kronenbourg 1664] not a working life.
But I love the sheer bonkers complexity of the below sign, predicting a new French Revolution on the basis that 64 (the proposed new retirement age) minus 49.3 (the Article of the constitution used to force the legislation through) equals 14.7, or July 14th, the date of the storming of the Bastille. Who knew!
#NousSachons pic.twitter.com/QE2Aglj7sR
— Complots Faciles (@ComplotsFaciles) April 10, 2023
Life inspo of the week
Let's all get on board with this rather lovely priority list of things that people in France apparently want to do more of. Now, it may be that you don't actually need to retire to do some (or all) of these, but really, who couldn't do with a little more of each in their life?
This is a rather lovely priority list of things the 🇫🇷 want to do more of (through working less and retiring early) - friendship, love, sex, art, sport and enjoying nature pic.twitter.com/SY2yYr5a15
— Emma Pearson (@LocalFR_Emma) April 7, 2023
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
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