Inside France: Dodgy French politicians, fast trains and fun soldiers
Slippery politicos
It's been a bad week for dodgy politicians in France - ex PM François Fillon
was finally sentenced
over the fake jobs scandal that torpedoed his 2017 presidential bid, while ex president and convicted criminal Nicolas Sarkozy was
stripped of his Légion d'honneur
. These two very much represent the past in French politics, but the woman who hopes to be the future
also suffered a legal setback
the previous week - a Lille court denied Marine Le Pen's appeal against the loss of her role as a local councillor in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais area, following her conviction for embezzlement.
The fact that these things are all happening in the same couple of weeks is pure coincidence - Fillon and Sarkozy have both been dragging out the legal process for years - but it does highlight the issue of corruption in French politics.
The reaction in France from many has been to worry that this paints a terrible picture of their country - but among foreigners I notice that the response is often the exact opposite; they see it as a positive thing, and proof that France is willing to prosecute corruption in high places.
I wouldn't get over excited about the powerful getting their comeuppance - all three have access to the sort of lawyers who can and do drag out cases for years, and ensure that their clients get sentences at the lower end of the spectrum. But it does at least send a message that no-one is above the law.
On track for growth
This week - the week when the UK's latest high-speed rail project was delayed for what feels like the millionth time - we're also looking at how France got so good at high-speed rail, and how it manages to keep build costs comparatively low. One French expert said that France's 'authoritarian streak' is a key component.
READ ALSO
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How France became a world champion of high-speed rail✎
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I find that whenever you mention French rail success, anglophones tend to respond that France's frequent rail strikes put them off - that may be the case for them, but data suggests that the French don't feel the same way, with
more and more people taking the train each year
, and more people choosing high-speed rail over flying.
It's the same with tourism - the anglophone reaction to French strikes or social unrest that takes place over the summer is often to suggest that it will damage the tourism industry. That's not born out by statistics either, with France retaining its crown as the world's most visited tourist destination and
on course to break its own records in 2025
.
I feel that it's worth digging in to this data, because it gives the lie to the assumption that you can either have an engaged and militant workforce or you can have economic growth, but you can't have both. France's rail and tourism industries would suggest that these are far from being mutually exclusive.
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Talking France
We talk about both dodgy politicians and rail in the latest episode of the Talking France podcast, before having some fun with a segment on French swearing - and why it is both cool and elegant. Listen
here
or on the link below.
Oldie but a goodie
I saw this clip being shared a lot in response to Donald Trump's somewhat underwhelming military parade last weekend - from the Paris Bastille Day event in 2017, it's a reminder that military parades can also be fun.
The French military displaying a sense of humour was perhaps also a foreshadowing to one of my favourite bits of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony - the very serious Garde Républicaine soldiers suddenly morphing into a backing band for Aya Nakamura.
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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