{"id":15705,"date":"2017-12-15T20:00:36","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T19:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devries.fr\/?p=15705"},"modified":"2026-02-03T19:20:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T18:20:41","slug":"news-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/2017\/12\/15\/news-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Ins &#038; Outs of French Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"intro\">While the main opposition party took a right turn, Macron was selling fighter jets, saving the Earth, delivering two eulogies and acted as the unofficial king of Europe. This month, the President\u2019s schedule is fuller than a stuffed Christmas turkey.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING<\/h4>\n<p>Two years after the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cop21.gouv.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cop 21 Summit<\/a>, Emmanuel Macron thought it would be a good idea to organise a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oneplanetsummit.fr\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">climate gathering<\/a> in a Parisian suburb. Leonardo DiCaprio, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elon Musk and around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/one-planet-summit-trump-macron_us_5a2f8435e4b01598ac478e15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">50 heads of state<\/a> tried to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/emmanuel-macron-moment-to-make-the-planet-great-again-climate-change-paris-one-planet-summit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make the Planet Great<\/a> again (for the umpteenth time) by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-climatechange-summit-paris\/paris-climate-summit-sets-scene-for-greener-investment-idUSKBN1E703K\">setting the scene for green investment<\/a>. Donald Trump\u00a0wasn\u2019t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/frances-macron-takes-lead-in-climate-change-battle-with-the-us-absent\/2017\/12\/12\/2da019aa-de88-11e7-b2e9-8c636f076c76_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> there<\/a>. In fact, the President of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/13.7\/2017\/12\/13\/570471177\/without-the-u-s-government-the-world-unites-to-fight-climate-change\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">only nation on earth<\/a> to have rejected the 2015 global pact, was not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/one-planet-summit-trump-macron_us_5a2f8435e4b01598ac478e15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">even invited<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the Summit in 2015, there was no reason for joy this time: <em>\u201cWe are losing the battle; we are not going fast enough, it is a tragedy\u201d<\/em>, the French President said. His efforts may indeed come in vain: <a href=\"http:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2017\/09\/17\/us\/neil-degrasse-tyson-on-climate-change-cnntv\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more and more scientists<\/a> are saying that it is already too late.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Making the planet great again for the next generation with a true leader and a dear friend, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EmmanuelMacron?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@EmmanuelMacron<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OnePlanet?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OnePlanet<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MAzZcQIKbq\">pic.twitter.com\/MAzZcQIKbq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Schwarzenegger\/status\/940692341987278848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN<\/h4>\n<p>Two cultural icons exchanged the temporary for the eternal last week. First, writer, journalist and <em>Acad\u00e9micien<\/em> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.academie-francaise.fr\/les-immortels\/jean-dormesson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jean d&#8217;Ormesson<\/a> (92) passed a way. A day later, rocker <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/artist\/2HALYSe657tNJ1iKVXP2xA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Johnny Hallyday<\/a> (74) followed him up the stairways to heaven. It meant Macron had to work overtime, having two separate eulogies in just 24 hours (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.elysee.fr\/declarations\/article\/transcription-du-discours-du-president-de-la-republique-lors-de-la-ceremonie-d-hommage-national-a-jean-d-ormesson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">read<\/a>\u00a0the first one <a href=\"http:\/\/www.elysee.fr\/declarations\/article\/transcription-du-discours-du-president-de-la-republique-lors-de-la-ceremonie-d-hommage-national-a-jean-d-ormesson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.elysee.fr\/declarations\/article\/transcription-du-discours-du-president-de-la-republique-hommage-populaire-a-johnny-hallyday-en-l-eglise-de-la-madeleine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">read<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K-Sqg5Cksew\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">watch<\/a> the second).\u00a0Hallyday, born Jean-Philippe L\u00e9o Smet, sold more than 110 million records worldwide.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15687\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15687\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15687 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/devries.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fichier-12-12-2017-09-53-31-1024x744.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/devries.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fichier-12-12-2017-09-53-31-1024x744.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/devries.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fichier-12-12-2017-09-53-31-300x218.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/devries.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fichier-12-12-2017-09-53-31-768x558.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/devries.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fichier-12-12-2017-09-53-31-200x145.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/devries.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fichier-12-12-2017-09-53-31-1250x909.jpeg 1250w, https:\/\/devries.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fichier-12-12-2017-09-53-31-400x291.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/devries.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fichier-12-12-2017-09-53-31.jpeg 3397w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15687\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Parisian newsstand this week<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.mondediplo.net\/2017-12-11-Au-nom-de-la-nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">national service<\/a> for D&#8217;Ormesson at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.musee-armee.fr\/lhotel-des-invalides.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Invalides<\/a> in Paris on Friday, Macron laid a pencil on the writer\u2019s coffin. On Saturday, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2017\/dec\/06\/johnny-hallyday-obituary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">foreign media<\/a> wondered who this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/05\/obituaries\/johnny-hallyday-dead-french-elvis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>\u2018French Elvis\u2019<\/em><\/a> was, Macron was awaiting the funeral procession at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eglise-lamadeleine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Madeleine Church<\/a> in the heart of the capital. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/gallery\/2017\/dec\/09\/johnny-hallydays-funeral-in-pictures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tens of thousands of fans<\/a> braved the cold and lined the streets to pay tribute to Hallyday. His homage to &#8216;Johnny\u2019 was the French President\u2019s way of showing that he is not only Jupiter but\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.rtl.fr\/actu\/politique\/d-ormesson-hallyday-macron-veut-associer-l-aristocrate-et-le-chanteur-populaire-7791323580\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">close to the \u2018ordinary people\u2019<\/a>\u00a0too.<\/p>\n<p><b>Oh my God!<\/b><br \/>\nNot everyone bought the homages. These were not, after all, Gandhi-like statesmen, but just two old (or, in the case of D&#8217;Ormesson, very old) entertainers. They both were loved, but D&#8217;Ormesson was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slate.fr\/story\/154997\/sagalovitsch-hommage-jean-ormesson-affront-litterature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mediocre writer<\/a> at best, while Hallyday preferred <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lavie.fr\/actualite\/france\/johnny-au-paradis-fiscal-08-12-2017-86739_4.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tax havens<\/a> to his own country.<\/p>\n<p>Hallyday\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.liberation.fr\/france\/2017\/12\/10\/saint-johnny_1615715\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">very catholic obsequies<\/a> almost degenerated into a constitutional crisis. The President was about to make<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lexpress.fr\/actualite\/politique\/video-le-moment-de-flou-du-president-macron-devant-le-cercueil-de-johnny_1967684.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> a religious gesture<\/a>in front of the coffin, something French office-bearers have not been allowed to do, since the implementation of the 1905 <em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/La%C3%AFcit%C3%A9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">La\u00efcit\u00e9 Law<\/a><\/em>. Fortunately, Macron changed his mind just in time. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.valeriepecresse.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Val\u00e9rie P\u00e9cresse<\/a>, the conservative president of the Ile-de-France region, on the other hand, <a href=\"https:\/\/fr.aleteia.org\/2017\/12\/11\/quelles-personnalites-politiques-ont-beni-le-cercueil-de-johnny\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">couldn\u2019t help herself<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"fr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"fr\">Le moment o\u00f9 Macron se souvient qu&#8217;il est pr\u00e9sident de la R\u00e9publique et qu&#8217;il vaut donc mieux ne pas b\u00e9nir <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HommageAJohnny?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HommageAJohnny<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IISZqi7NCB\">pic.twitter.com\/IISZqi7NCB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Thomas Vampouille (@tomvampouille) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tomvampouille\/status\/939493296069636102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">9 d\u00e9cembre 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>PENNIES FROM HEAVEN<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gouvernement.fr\/ministre\/florence-parly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Defence Minister Florence Parly<\/a> promised Belgium four billion euros if the country opts to buy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dassault-aviation.com\/en\/defense\/rafale\/introduction\/?noredirect=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">French Rafales<\/a>. Parly\u2019s promise was made\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/deredactie.be\/cm\/vrtnieuws.english\/Economy\/1.3109078\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in an op-ed<\/a>\u00a0in the newspaper De Tijd. Belgium needs to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.janes.com\/article\/68838\/belgium-formally-launches-fighter-replacement-effort\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">replace its obsolete F-16 fleet<\/a> with at least 34 new fighter planes, a project with a price tag of around fifteen billion euros. In October, France refused to respond to the public tender, much to the annoyance of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.standaard.be\/cnt\/dmf20170908_03060222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Defence Minister Steven Vandeput<\/a>. Parly\u2019s letter is a last-minute charm offensive, but bribery might be a better word. The battle is now on between the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jsf.mil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American F-35<\/a>(aka the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/what-went-wrong-with-the-f-35-lockheed-martins-joint-strike-fighter-60905\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">much-plagued<\/a> <em>Joint Strike Fighter<\/em>, chosen by the UK, the Netherlands and a string of other nations) and the British-Spanish-Italian-German <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurofighter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Eurofighter Typhoon<\/a>. In response to Parly\u2019s offer, the governments of these countries also <a href=\"https:\/\/world.eurofighter.com\/articles\/eurofighter-typhoon-proposal-for-belgium-the-european-solution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">threw their weight<\/a>\u00a0around, hoping to convince Belgium.<\/p>\n<p><b>Waterloo<\/b><br \/>\nAccording to a former fighter pilot, the failure to sell the warplanes to its northern neighbour is <em><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.mediapart.fr\/emilie-durand\/blog\/091017\/henri-de-waubert-lechec-du-rafale-en-belgique-est-un-autre-waterloo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201canother Waterloo\u201d<\/a><\/em>. Nevertheless, the French have not given up hope. Earlier this year, Belgium bought\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lesechos.fr\/29\/06\/2017\/lesechos.fr\/030418479084_la-belgique-commande-500-blindes-a-la-france.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">500 armoured vehicles<\/a> from France. The small kingdom, furthermore, is firmly in favour of close <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/programs\/international-security-program\/defense-industrial-initiatives-group\/archived-projects-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">European defence integration<\/a> (a plan that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/European_Defence_Community\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dates back to 1952<\/a>, but was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cvce.eu\/object-content\/-\/object\/350e5110-0a97-4dc9-998d-03099660bd81\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sabotaged by the French Parliament<\/a>) and is planning <a href=\"http:\/\/deredactie.be\/cm\/vrtnieuws.english\/News\/1.2699980\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to invest heavily<\/a> in the army in the years to come.<br \/>\nIn spite of the Belgian setback, Emmanuel Macron proved to be an excellent travelling salesman. On <a href=\"http:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/20171207-macron-qatar-buys-rafale-jets-airbus-12-billion-france\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a visit to Qatar<\/a>, he signed a contract for the delivery of twelve Rafales. It turned out to be a bitter-sweet victory: three days after Macron\u2019s visit, the oil state bought <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-britain-qatar-typhoons\/qatar-goes-ahead-with-6-7-billion-typhoon-combat-jets-deal-with-uks-bae-systems-idUSKBN1E40QM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">24 Typhoons<\/a> from arch-rival (and Waterloo-winner) Great Britain.<\/p>\n<h4>ISLAND RECORD<\/h4>\n<p>In the second decisive round of the regional elections in Corsica, the nationalists received 56.5 percent of the votes on Sunday, their highest number in history. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gillessimeoni\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gilles Simeoni<\/a> becomes the new president of the region. Macron\u2019s party only won 12.67 percent on the island.<\/p>\n<p>Even though independence is not an issue, Corsica wants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelocal.fr\/20171211\/elections-nationalist-gains-in-corsica-set-to-pose-dilemma-for-macron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more autonomy <\/a>as soon as possible. An independence push could be next. In a phone call Sunday night, Prime Minister Philippe invited Simeoni to come to Paris, to discuss the new situation. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-france-politics-corsica\/corsicas-nationalists-dream-bigger-after-election-win-idUSKBN1E51ZA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cThe ball is in the government\u2019s court\u201d<\/a><\/em>, said a Simeoni. Shortly after the results came in, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.corsematin.com\/article\/article\/bastia-explosion-dune-bombe-agricole-au-coeur-du-marche\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bomb exploded<\/a>in Bastia.<\/p>\n<h4>RIGHT TURN<\/h4>\n<p>Members of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.republicains.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Republicans<\/a> (LR), the main opposition party, also went to the polls this weekend. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/20171211-france-opposition-les-republicains-elects-right-winger-wauquiez-new-leader\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">They chose \u2018hardliner\u2019<\/a> Laurent Wauquiez (42), who\u00a0got 74.64 percent of the vote. He is to succeed Nicolas Sarkozy as party leader. Wauquiez <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/20cc55ae-d5af-11e7-a303-9060cb1e5f44\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has to rebuild the party<\/a> after the run of election defeats and legal scandals of the past year.<\/p>\n<p>The LR supporters expressed their preference for a political line that shifts to the extreme right.\u00a0Wauquiez\u00a0hopes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/article\/republicans-new-leader-laurent-wauquiez-set-to-take-france-to-right-t75x0dbcb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to lure voters away<\/a> from the Front National,\u00a0alienating\u00a0historical centre figures such as Alain Jupp\u00e9 and Jean-Pierre Raffarin. The feigned unity did not last long. On\u00a0Monday\u00a0evening,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.xavierbertrand.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Xavier Bertrand<\/a>, former minister and President of the region <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hautsdefrance.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hauts-de-France<\/a><\/em>, slammed the door. Five other prominent members followed suit the next day. Others are also expected to leave the party.\u00a0About\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bva-group.com\/sondages\/francais-lelection-de-laurent-wauquiez-a-presidence-republicains\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">60 percent of the French<\/a>\u00a0people agree with the leavers and view Wauquiez\u2019s election as bad news.<\/p>\n<h4>FAITS DIVERS<\/h4>\n<p>The Front National party will be prosecuted for alleged fraud at the European Parliament. Marine Le Pen had already been charged with the same case. She has no intention of quitting her political career: <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.europe1.fr\/politique\/marine-le-pen-na-pas-du-tout-lintention-darreter-la-politique-3520151\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cAs long as my country needs me, I\u2019ll be there\u201d<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0<b>+++<\/b>\u00a0At this week\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/euco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Euro Summit<\/a> in Brussels, Macron <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tagesspiegel.de\/politik\/frankreich-und-deutschland-macron-uebernimmt-merkels-fuehrungsrolle-in-europa\/20702888.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">will most probably take over<\/a> Merkel\u2019s position as Europe\u2019s most influential leader. France became the EU\u2019s most powerful country, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/interactive\/power-matrix-brexit-and-the-eurozone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">matrix by Politico<\/a>. Brits will not be happy: their country is left with zero power.\u00a0<b>+++\u00a0<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/francoisruffin.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fran\u00e7ois Ruffin<\/a>, a left-wing MP and a publisher, was fined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marianne.net\/politique\/le-depute-insoumis-francois-ruffin-ecope-sanction-1378-euros-port-de-maillot-foot-assemblee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1,378 euros<\/a> for wearing a football shirt in the Assembl\u00e9e. In a speech, he pleaded to increase the budget for amateur sports. <b>+++<\/b> After the last general election, no less than <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/politique\/article\/2017\/12\/01\/a-l-assemblee-nationale-le-renouvellement-de-juin-a-declenche-un-plan-social-massif_5222960_823448.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1405 political assistants<\/a> and party employees were laid off. There\u2019s no need to feel sorry for them: they received a total of 36 million euros in severance pay, and many found new jobs as a consultant or as lobbyists. <b>+++<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.europe1.fr\/societe\/georges-tron-juge-pour-viols-aggraves-il-me-fait-toujours-tres-peur-3518216\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The trial<\/a>against former minister Georges Tron started on Monday. Tron was forced to resign in 2011 after several women accused him of sexual assault. <b>+++<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/devries.fr\/2017\/12\/01\/news-5\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Two weeks ago<\/a>, I reported that former Prime Minister Fran\u00e7ois Fillon had finally found a job in the real world. Last week, the fanatical car enthusiast got another appointment. He became the chairman of the Constructors\u2019 Committee at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fia.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FIA<\/a>, the International Motorsports Federation.\u00a0<b>+++<\/b> The extreme-right mayor Robert Menard, from the southern town of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ville-beziers.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B\u00e9ziers<\/a>, wants a TGV station. He,\u00a0thus, launched a campaign that was <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RobertMenardFR\/status\/940132620121313280\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">so tasteless<\/a>, that several police reports were filed against him. <b>+++<\/b> Jean-Luc M\u00e9lenchon, party leader of the extreme left-wing <em>Insoumis<\/em>, started a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/pour-la-cr%C3%A9ation-d-un-conseil-de-d%C3%A9ontologie-du-journalisme-en-france\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">petition<\/a>. He is angry about the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leparisien.fr\/politique\/melenchon-charge-france-2-et-veut-un-tribunal-des-medias-pour-les-menteurs-04-12-2017-7433256.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cliars, the cheaters\u201d<\/a><\/em> working for the public broadcaster <a href=\"http:\/\/www.francetelevisions.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions<\/a>.\u00a0Due to his dissatisfaction\u00a0with the hacks, the politician launched his own \u2018independent\u2019 medium this week, modestly named <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemediatv.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Le M\u00e9dia<\/a><\/em>. <b>+++<\/b> Philippe Leglise-Costa is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/philippe-leglise-costa-confirmed-as-new-french-ambassador-to-eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">France\u2019s new ambassador<\/a> to the European Union. Read about why this is an important transfer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2017-12-13\/macron-picks-old-rival-to-steer-his-vision-through-eu-minefields\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<b>+++<\/b>Still looking for Christmas gifts? Order a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caganer.com\/fr\/nouveautes\/caganer-emmanuel-macron-931.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Macron Action figure<\/a>. Or\u00a0perhaps this more decorative piece, a <a href=\"http:\/\/lesparisettes.com\/en\/brand-parisettes\/10002381-boule-a-neige-macron-president-3760254561739.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tasteful snow globe<\/a> with the young President\u2019s effigy.<\/p>\n<h4>MERCI<\/h4>\n<p>Thank you for reading this newsletter. If you liked it, please share it on Facebook or Twitter, or with your colleagues and friends who are also interested in France. I welcome your questions and comments on <a href=\"mailto:news@devries.fr\">news@devries.fr<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Are you still hungry for information about France? Then please subscribe to <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sofrench.news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">So French!<\/a><\/em>, the bi-weekly podcast I co-host, available in <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/podcast\/so-french!\/id1064437158?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iTunes<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/tunein.com\/radio\/So-French-p881611\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tunein Radio<\/a>. The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sofrench.news\/2017\/12\/15\/episode-40\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">latest episode<\/a> is online now (Friday).<\/p>\n<p><b>NEW:<\/b> If you would like to receive news about French politics on your smartphone, subscribe to the Telegram channel <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/FrenchPolitics\">French Politics<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While the main opposition party took a right turn, Macron was selling fighter jets, saving the Earth, delivering&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[966],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15705","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"cs-entry","9":"cs-video-wrap"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15705"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18242,"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15705\/revisions\/18242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devries.fr\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}