Inside France: The modern Frenchwoman and l'entente cordiale
From the latest manoeuvres in parliament to a slightly desperate trip to Nice, via the UK-France relationship and the face of modern France, 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.
Green manoeuvres
Say what you like about France's ongoing political instability caused by the lack of an overall majority in parliament - but I think we're all learning a lot about obscure parliamentary procedures.
These things have all been part of the political process since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958, but when the governing party has a big majority they're either formalities or - like the infamous Article 49.3 - not used regularly.
This week's discovery is the Motion de rejet - motion of rejection - that allows political opponents to kill a bill before parliamentary debate has even begun. The Green party has announced it will put forward one of these motions on Monday, in the hope of junking the controversial Immigration Bill before the debate in the Assemblée nationale. The motion will, however, need the support of the leftist group Nupes, Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National and at least some of the rightwing Les Républicains party in order to succeed.
Hands out
It's for this reason that Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin - the sponsor of of the Immigration Bill - travelled to Nice to "tend la main aux Républicains" - or extend the hand to the party, whose leader Eric Ciotti is the local MP.
LOI IMMIGRATION : retrouvez l’interview que j’ai donnée à @Nice_Matin ⤵️https://t.co/heiDfEmncN
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) December 7, 2023
The once-mighty Républicains - party of Charles de Gaulle, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy - looked to be dwindling into irrelevance after being humiliated in the 2017 and 2022 elections, but their small group of MPs in parliament can be crucial in getting votes passed.
Under Ciotti, they have moved sharply to the right and their position on issues including immigration is now hard to distinguish from that of Le Pen's party.
The modern face of France
"Une française d'aujourd'hui" (a modern Frenchwoman) is how the heroine of Ladj Ly's excellent new film Bâtiment 5 describes herself.
The character of Haby is extremely impressive - trilingual, smart, hard-working, caring and passionate about engaging in politics to improve things for her community.
Hers might not be the face that foreigners think of when it comes to France, but she's certainly a million times more inspiring than the tired old trope of 'La Parisienne' as the slim, well-dressed white woman with slightly messy hair who does nothing but smoke and have affairs.
READ ALSO Why France is rejecting the 'Paris woman' cliché
We're talking about French clichés that really need to be retired (including the old 'French women don't get fat') in this week's Talking France podcast, plus cheese wars, why French farmers are turning signs upside down and the best French festive traditions. Listen here or on the link below.
Adults in the room
The deal between France and the UK on school trips has been hailed not because it is particularly far-reaching (although it will certainly help the school trip market) but because it seems to mark the return of a more grown-up relationship between the neighbours after the low points of the Boris Johnson years and the Liz Truss weeks.
I personally think we're unlikely to see any significant changes to the post-Brexit rules for Brits in France in the years ahead - especially since many (like the 90-day rule) are EU rules which France cannot change alone, even if it wanted to.
A recent attempt to exempt British second-home owners from visa rules was struck down in the Assemblée Nationale, with MPs saying there is no justification for an exemption for Brits simply because they own property, while pointing out that an exemption granted solely on the basis that someone is wealthy enough to own two properties is hardly égalité.
But what the school trip deal does show is that the two countries can once again talk to each other like grown-ups, and there is a willingness to look for topics where improvements can be made without having a knock-on effect on EU rules.
Vive l'entente cordiale !
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.
Green manoeuvres
Say what you like about France's ongoing political instability caused by the lack of an overall majority in parliament - but I think we're all learning a lot about obscure parliamentary procedures.
These things have all been part of the political process since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958, but when the governing party has a big majority they're either formalities or - like the infamous Article 49.3 - not used regularly.
This week's discovery is the Motion de rejet - motion of rejection - that allows political opponents to kill a bill before parliamentary debate has even begun. The Green party has announced it will put forward one of these motions on Monday, in the hope of junking the controversial Immigration Bill before the debate in the Assemblée nationale. The motion will, however, need the support of the leftist group Nupes, Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National and at least some of the rightwing Les Républicains party in order to succeed.
Hands out
It's for this reason that Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin - the sponsor of of the Immigration Bill - travelled to Nice to "tend la main aux Républicains" - or extend the hand to the party, whose leader Eric Ciotti is the local MP.
LOI IMMIGRATION : retrouvez l’interview que j’ai donnée à @Nice_Matin ⤵️https://t.co/heiDfEmncN
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) December 7, 2023
The once-mighty Républicains - party of Charles de Gaulle, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy - looked to be dwindling into irrelevance after being humiliated in the 2017 and 2022 elections, but their small group of MPs in parliament can be crucial in getting votes passed.
Under Ciotti, they have moved sharply to the right and their position on issues including immigration is now hard to distinguish from that of Le Pen's party.
The modern face of France
"Une française d'aujourd'hui" (a modern Frenchwoman) is how the heroine of Ladj Ly's excellent new film Bâtiment 5 describes herself.
The character of Haby is extremely impressive - trilingual, smart, hard-working, caring and passionate about engaging in politics to improve things for her community.
Hers might not be the face that foreigners think of when it comes to France, but she's certainly a million times more inspiring than the tired old trope of 'La Parisienne' as the slim, well-dressed white woman with slightly messy hair who does nothing but smoke and have affairs.
READ ALSO Why France is rejecting the 'Paris woman' cliché
We're talking about French clichés that really need to be retired (including the old 'French women don't get fat') in this week's Talking France podcast, plus cheese wars, why French farmers are turning signs upside down and the best French festive traditions. Listen here or on the link below.
Adults in the room
The deal between France and the UK on school trips has been hailed not because it is particularly far-reaching (although it will certainly help the school trip market) but because it seems to mark the return of a more grown-up relationship between the neighbours after the low points of the Boris Johnson years and the Liz Truss weeks.
I personally think we're unlikely to see any significant changes to the post-Brexit rules for Brits in France in the years ahead - especially since many (like the 90-day rule) are EU rules which France cannot change alone, even if it wanted to.
A recent attempt to exempt British second-home owners from visa rules was struck down in the Assemblée Nationale, with MPs saying there is no justification for an exemption for Brits simply because they own property, while pointing out that an exemption granted solely on the basis that someone is wealthy enough to own two properties is hardly égalité.
But what the school trip deal does show is that the two countries can once again talk to each other like grown-ups, and there is a willingness to look for topics where improvements can be made without having a knock-on effect on EU rules.
Vive l'entente cordiale !
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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