Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Pensions, Paris flooding and love in the presidential palace

From pension strikes to the president's love life, via the history of complaining in Paris and the 'French bastards', our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 14 January 2023 08:50 CET
Inside France: Pensions, Paris flooding and love in the presidential palace
Unions are promising the 'mother of all battles' against pension reform, invoking the spirit of May 1968. Photo by AFP

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.

Aux barricades !

After three years of pandemic and general strangeness there is something comforting about coming back to familiar scenes and topics – and in France this of course means strikes. 

Unions have promised the ‘mother of all battles’ as they unite to oppose Emmanuel Macron’s planned pension reform. The first strike day has been called for January 19th but I highly doubt it will be the last – the notoriously militant CGT oil refinery workers are already talking about blockades on petrol depots.

My weekend plan is buy a new pair of trainers in the winter sales – I foresee not many Metro journeys and a lot of walking in my immediate future, since I don’t anticipate Macron or his government backing down on this issue. 

Talking France

After a Christmas break the Talking France podcast is back and we are of course talking pension strikes, as well as the threat of violence from far-right extremists, Emmanuel Macron’s love life, property taxes in south-west France, the future of the French ski industry and how to save money on train tickets.

And if you want to learn more about Macron’s love love – check out this really interesting interview that he gave to a group of journalists with autistic spectrum disorders. It’s a fascinating insight into both the work of specialist magazine Papotin (entirely staffed by people with ASD) and the president. 

Thread of the week

If you have a spare couple of minutes I highly recommend giving this thread – about Haussmann’s remodelling of Paris – a read. It’s all fascinating but particularly interesting to me is how many people hated it at the time and accused him of destroying the historic charm of central Paris.

Still on a Paris theme, check out this amazing film from the great flood of 1910, when the Seine rose eight metres above its normal level and flooded huge parts of the city.

Franglais

Yes, I am a fool, but I’ve only just realised that the French chain Izipizi is supposed to sound like ‘easy-peasy’ not ‘izzy-pizzy’ – part of an ever-increasing trend of French businesses choosing English or ‘franglais’ names.  Although my favourite is still the ‘rock’n’roll boulangerie’ of Oberkampf named The French Bastards . . .

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.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Mascots, memories and minister’s love song

From politicians' love songs to the latest on the French government crisis, via the lingering memories of a golden summer of sport, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 14 September 2024 10:52 CEST
Inside France: Mascots, memories and minister's love song

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 every 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.

99 problems

Well this is brutal – France has gone from a golden summer of sport to being plunged right back into a political crisis (and maybe a financial crisis too) and top it all off the temperature has plummeted so that it feels like late October already. 

The Paris Paralympics closed on Sunday with a beautiful ceremony at Stade de France – and the French took the opportunity to remind president Emmanuel Macron that he can’t hide from his political problems for ever by booing and whistling at him.

5 of the biggest problems that France (and Macron) face in September

By Monday, France was plunged right back into its political crisis, with newly appointed prime minister Michel Barnier beginning the long and difficult process of trying to put together a government. That will happen by next week – maybe. 

The above meme showing Barnier considering picking Darth Vader for his cabinet (or Dark Vador as he is known to the French) is a reminder that, while many leftist Brits have a lingering fondness for Barnier as the man who stood up to Boris Johnson and his Brexiteers, on domestic issues he is pretty far to the right of the political spectrum.

L’amour and Le Maire

One person we know won’t be in the new government is Bruno Le Maire – the man who has served as Macron’s finance minister ever since 2017. He announced his departure by quoting singer Michel Sardou and saying Je vous aime, mais je pars (I love you but I’m leaving).

I don’t really feel qualified to judge his economic record, but I can say that I have enjoyed his Instagram posts (almost all close-ups of himself either jogging or drinking coffee) and I’m still trying to forget the passage that I read from one of his erotic novels. As a politician who appears to have a healthy ego, I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen the last of him.

Talking France

Back after its extended summer break is the Talking France podcast where we try, with the help of John Lichfield, to make sense of all this, look ahead to the legacy of the Paris Olympics and things to do in France in September.

As this is the first podcast we have done since the Games started we couldn’t resist a little chat about our favourite memories (plus some things to moan about) and I also got the opportunity to talk about my stint as a Volunteer during the Paralympics.

This was an incredible experience – I spent three weeks working at the Athletes’ Village and can honestly say it’s one of the best things I have ever done.

Farewell to the most incredible temporary workplace – the last 3 weeks as a volunteer in the Athletes’ Village for the Paris 2024 Paralympics have been amazing, wonderful, unforgettable

[image or embed]

— Emma Pearson (@emmapearson.bsky.social) September 8, 2024 at 9:28 AM

You can download the episode here or listen on the link below.

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.

SHOW COMMENTS