Politics in France

Maxi boots and mini controversies

The strangely close relationship of French politicians and journalists

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Readers' comments



As long as we know who is related to whom, what is the problem.

It is the secret relationships that no one knows about that would undermine politicians as well as journalists.

Iris J.

France does have a huge problem there. French medias are NOT independent; everyday we see more and more propaganda, which is very worrying. It's simple: News given by French media cannot be trusted anymore. It's easy to see if you compare French media to media in other countries. It's not acceptable.


Already life becomes complicated for Monsieur Hollande, but surely it was to be expected. What is evident is that the thin veil of 'entente cordiale' displayed by the French Socialist Club is visibly dissolving to reveal even more hypocrisy.

Aubry declares, "the only thing that counts is the support of Hollande". But if one respects the basic rules of democracy, the only thing that counts is the people's choice.

Right or wrong would be another question regarding Trierweiler's expressing her opinion, but at least she has revealed this hypocrisy.

The polls now affirm that Mme Royal would lose the legislatives of La Rochelle (42% Royal, 58% Falorni).
And regarding Hollande and his clique, this is only the beginning. More fun to come folks..


so what?

Of course, we must rest assured that. apart from the Gove marriage, there is an unbreachable wall of chastity that keeps Britain's press girls 100% away from horny politicians ("power is aphrodisiac", someone said - Kissinger, I guess?).


Definitely a less dysfunctional relationship than what the English apparently share with their journalists...

Another Innocent Bystander

"Politicans meet journalists" stop press!!!

What about sportspeople and journalists - do they pair up more often? Chances are also high finance journalists more likely than average to be connected to businss people; ditto science journalists and researchers. Is it unhealthy or just the consequence of limited size of anyones social circles?

King of Punjab

It seems like the difference between the right and left wing politicians in france is that Left have partners (mistresses/girlfriends) and Right marry their partners


In France investigative journalism translates as collaborative journalism. That's why nobody reads it.

Plazidus in reply to Gwitreg

Are French news-hounds glued to their seats? To what extent are French newspapers state-supported? Is ultra-cheap newsprint made available? Are journalists the lucky beneficiaries of a specially low rate of income tax? Is the 3rd (unwritten) law of French journalism: upset those in power at your peril?

The one thing about which there is no dispute: circulation numbers are rather like trade union membership numbers - embarrassingly low.

Gwitreg in reply to Plazidus

say, Rotchild's supported? or Qatar's, or Dassault's...

unlike you encline for France inter

The journalists still benefits of niches fiscales exonerations, and yes, that might be a reason no government tried to cut them down !


‘'She isn't "Tante Yvone", nor Laura Bush, I bet she has no taste for visiting schools and poors, and she isn't married, so, no obligation !'[Gwitreg]

If I am to believe French TV, Val the Pal has little regard for personal security, Francois Hollande’s, or her kids’ or her own. This is very worrying. Which world do she and François Hemistitch live in? Obviously, it’s not a world where the bad guys are allowed to disturb the complacency.

On France2 news this evening, the deaths of the four gallant French soldiers was announced. Let us not forget them or comrades wounded in the attack.

Disturbingly, the voice-over suggested that this Taliban suicide-bombing of a market square was not fair, really: hadn’t Paris had announced its intention to remove all its fighting soldiers from the um… fight before Christmas? Presumably, the Talib lady-suicide-bomber should have done the decent thing and have picked on non-French victims, Marie.

The Hollande-Trierweiler residence and love-nest is no more immune to the terrorist attack than those poor foot-soldiers were. Bless them.

Gwitreg in reply to Plazidus

the Taliban attacks would/will not stop because one country said that it's going out of the conflict, they, whatever argument you want to place, are FOREIGNERS, Talibani are at war with any infidel foreigner on their territory. Besides they dispises Karzay's government.

The rest is of your usual elucubrations style, therefore not interesting besides a thea saloon

Plazidus in reply to Gwitreg

This angle was picked on on 'Irance Inter' this morning. The French mediocrita... pardon me, media have a problem regarding the nature, workings and rationale of terrorism: the battle is psychological.
France's hasty retreat will attract mujahaddin from every nook and cranny eager to rub the noses of the departing soldiers in the fact that they have chosen to become 'soft', marked (wo)men, a particularly appealing propaganda target.
I hope to God I'm writing rubbish - I fear not though.

Plazidus in reply to Gwitreg

Very seriously, you don't think that Hollande has given the French military a particularly thankless task?

Old Afghanistan hands think the place is perilously easy to march into and the polar opposite to leave. And isn't the Islamic fundie world full of would-be Schwarzenegger Terminators?

Gwitreg in reply to Plazidus

Each year the Talibani have attacked the French (not only them), it's kinda operations for demoralising the western opinions on the rightfulness of the war there.
indeed it's a difficult place to leave, more since american drones killed Pakistaneses lately, as the road there is closed now.
When they leave, the military will have to abandon lots of materials which would be more costful to repatry than to leave.
The Talibani know that at the end they will remain the rulers again, unless the Pachtounes from Afghanistan and Pakistan form one country.
Yet we should never have been implied in that part of the world, not our sphere of influence, we should rather look after the Sahel AQ jihadists
Hollande or Sarkozy, it's kif kif bourrico discourse for such people.

Plazidus in reply to Gwitreg

I feel flattered by your use of druggy demotic.

'Each year the Talibani have attacked the French (not only them), it's kinda operations for demoralising the western opinions on the rightfulness of the war there.' [Gwitreg]

Do you really think we Brits don't know this? For the Canadian and Brits, Afghan has been particularly difficult. I disagree with your analysis - in my view, it's ideological, opportunistic, and pole d'emploi [job centre] rolled into one... financed by Saudi money.

A Brit officer wrote his memoirs, 'The Junior Officers' Reading Club' Patrick Hennessy. Disenchantment set in when the young officer found his translator, not liaising with the Afghan Army, but deflowering an attractive quadruped nearby. More centrally:


Gwitreg in reply to Plazidus

very interesting video

It confirms what I said, "we should never have gotten there"

apparently the french soldiers weren't simple soldiers, but "Renseignment", so it adds into your basket, that they were purposely targetted.


drggy demotic at your best !

hmm Saudi, Iranian, may be Chinese money too !

this Bush what a idiot, and above all this Blair, he won the jackpot for idioty, you Brits should have stepped back the first !

Anyway, from this adventure, it remains that tht was/is the training ground in real for our young troops, that almost have forgotten the knowledge of those that were in Algeria, same islam obsession and slaughtering


Plazidus in reply to Gwitreg


85% correct on Bush; 60% on Blair and 60% too on the unspeakable, opportunistic moralising Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee messieurs Jack the Lad Chirac and Gerhardt Rosneft Schroeder.

Blair's saving grace: a backbone; Blair's fatal flaw, conceit born of religious conviction.

So there you have them: two believers and two unbelievers. Alternately, two guys in touch with their electorate, warts and all, and two guys with a hot-line to the Big Man Upstairs. Put like that, Schroerac-Chirder are the lesser of two evils.

Have you read that - following the latest 100 billion euro Spanish arrangement - the Irish want to renegotiate?

Plazidus in reply to Gwitreg

We Brits might be expected to pick up the cudgel for the Irish... except that the madly property-developing Irish owe money not to French or German, but to British banks. Cue: embarrassed silence.

"España no es Uganda"[Mariano Rajoy] and Ireland?

Plazidus in reply to Gwitreg

Ironical, a lot of Brit prosperity (sic!) is built upon talented Ugandan Asians expelled by Idi Amin.

A couple of decades ago 'Ugandan activities' was a journalistic euphemism for illicit sex.

Mirino in reply to Gwitreg

One should know by now that the Taliban are not the brave afghani defenders of Afghanistan. They consist of Djihadists of all nationalities, although they were originally formed in Pakistan. They are and have always been the invaders, and the original incursion (December 2001) to bring down the criminal Taliban regime was at least a year overdue. It should have been made before Massoud (the then Afghan minister of Defence) visited Europe to ask for help to fight the Taliban. This was in April, 2001, thus well before 11/9 and Massoud's assassination two days before the twin towers were hit. But it was the era of immobilisatio in Europe and certainly in France under Chirac. The era of the three monkeys, that much of the world has been paying for ever since.


What on earth does Mitterrand's extramarital affair have to do with DSK's criminal behaviour ? Why put them in the same box ? Has TE been taken over by Murdoch ? And BTW, although Quatremer is right to blast the - far too close - ties between French politicians and the press, he thinks journalists should look in every nook and cranny of politicians' private life. The overwhelming majority of the French reject the idea, as they should.

Dominique II

To each country its customs. Our lady journalists are more pleasant to look at than your spin doctors. And more interesting in bed, I guess, but once again politicians are welcome to their own tastes.

jean guy giraud

Common sense would suggest that the cosy relationship between french politicians (mainly males) and journalists (mainly females)is not unrelated to the old french tradition of keeping a rather large sector of public media under government indirect influence and control. It so happens that both professions might then be mutually supportive for career sake, even if such encounters rarely occur 'en premières noces" .


who cares?

rosefrol in reply to Gwitreg

Well since most if not all journalism, especially in France, is opinion-oriented rather than fact-reporting, it can be disturbing. Especially when it suits government purpouses.
That most of journalists in France, by their own sayso and recent polls, are left-sympathizers (75-80% depending on surveys) has helped keep this quiet for long, since the right was busy not getting too involved with the media writers, but some start to realize that journalism has its own agenda in establishing an American-like political power - fear, scandal and trash breaking-news have replaced in-deep studies, comparative approaches and a relative neutrality.
In this context, a sentimally-politically involved journalist could at least refrain from political writing (though Mrs Tierweilers latest 'cultural' piece was about how Jackie Kenneddy was a cool media-laced activist using her first-lady position to reach her goals), and could rather take care of other, more relevant tasks in the meantime. Especially when their notoriety is solely a product of their other half's, and not their proficiency in their job.

There is always the good old 'I was a first lady / minister's wife/husband' book at the end that brings the retirement package a little boost ;)

Gwitreg in reply to rosefrol

if she wants to play "Jacquie Bis", then she'll have a lot to report in her people magazine Paris-Match


OK plazidius?

Plazidus in reply to Gwitreg

'if she wants to play "Jacquie Bis", then she'll have a lot to report in her people magazine Paris-Match.' [Gwitreg]
What a dreadfully cynical thing to write. I wonder if you could tell me if there's been any improvement in Mr Hollande's er... stop in the middle of the er... line verbal wasting disease. It's so very distressing for those who persist in believing there's a remote chance Francois is going to say something interesting.
Vive Hollande, the default-setting Pres.


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