Appeal of 18 June as the beginning of the Resistance and Free French, historians have shown that the appeal was heard only by a minority of French people. De Gaulle's 22 June 1940 speech on the BBC was more widely heard. General de Gaulle became the "de facto" leader of the Free French Forces that had escaped to London in June 1940. Marshal Philippe Pétain, a hero of World War I, pledged to sign an armistice with Nazi Germany, and led the collaborating Vichy government while the Germans occupied the country's northern portion and several leading politicians, including Georges Mandel, Leon Blum, Pierre Mendès
Leader of the Independent Members Leader of the Independent Members The Leader of the Independent Members, also referred to as Leader of the Independent Group, is a Member of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands who is officially recognised as leader of a group of MPs who are aligned neither with the government nor with the Official Opposition. The position is established by the Constitution of 1978, which has been in force since the country's independence from the United Kingdom. Article 66 of the Constitution creates the functions of Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Independent Members, which are separate. (While "Leader of