Entertaining political week in France. Mme Royale has been in the headlines upsetting Monsieur le Président and his supporters, first asserting that Sarkozy had nothing to do with Ingrid Betancourt's release, and then linking a recent break-in at her flat (the 3rd in 2 years where nothing was taken) with the 'clan Sarkozy'. Cue a parade of minions from the premier ministre downwards opining that Ségo had 'lost control', 'sunk to new level of pathetic stupidity', or 'like all other victims of crime, has a right to psychological help'.
Elsewhere, in Strasbourg, Sarkozy was taken to task for his decision to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing by the French Green MEP, Daniel Cohn-Bendit in a quite marvellous rant in the European parliament. Choice phrases include (rough tranlation): 'the more repressive the Chinese authorities get, the lower we bow before them... Monsieur Sarkozy will be given a nice dinner with baguettes in Pekin, exchange hugs & kisses and say "here you are, here's 3 nuclear power stations, 36 TGVs, and I don't know what else..." It's squalid!'
And finally, last night saw l'adieu de Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, former king of French television newsreaders, dethroned, according to himself and others, for having treated Sarko like a little boy live on TV. Wearing a suitably funereal black tie and jacket, he unemotionally read the news until his final words during which he quoted Shakespeare: "That which cannot be eschewed must be embraced."
A man with a 'colourful' past, PPDA. Father at the age of 15, first book (of over 30) published at 16 (1.5m copies sold), affair with a fellow newsreader which produced his 6th & youngest child more than 30 years after his first, conviction for fraud ten years ago, and so on...
