September 8, 2004
THE FROG PRINCE:
Stage set for Chirac's revenge as his rival closes in (SUSAN BELL, 9/08/04, The Scotsman)
IT IS a tale of treachery, ambition and back-stabbing that cuts to the heart of France’s political elite. A bitter power struggle is being fought between president Jacques Chirac and his finance minister Nicolas Sarkozy for the soul of French conservatism and, ultimately, the keys to the door of the Elysée. [...]After months of plotting and back-stabbing by the Elysée in a desperate effort to prevent Mr Sarkozy seizing control of the centre-right party, created in 2002 as an electoral vehicle for Mr Chirac and his allies, the president was forced to concede victory to his former protégé last week, announcing with apparent good grace that he "approved and supported" his rival’s decision to stand for the leadership of the UMP.
On Sunday, Mr Chirac’s loyal lieutenant, the beleaguered prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, even went so far as to say that the finance minister was his "preferred candidate" for the job.
Bubbling beneath the surface of this uncharacteristic bonhomie however, the bitter feuding between the Chirac and Sarkozy camps remains.
Insiders say Mr Chirac is more determined than ever to stop his arch rival succeeding him at the Elysée in 2007 and intends to make him pay dearly for the humiliation of being forced to relinquish control of his party.
But if Mr Chirac wants revenge, he will have to bide his time. For the moment at least, Mr Sarkozy appears to have the French president backed up against a wall. Enjoying huge support within the UMP, Mr Sarkozy is assured of certain victory at the upcoming elections for party leader - a position which became vacant following the conviction of Mr Chirac’s designated successor, former prime minister Alain Juppe, on corruption charges in January.
With the right suffering historic lows in the polls, enthusiasm for a third Chirac presidential term is lukewarm at best and it is Mr Sarkozy who is widely perceived as the saviour of the party. [...]
Gambling on the fact that the media-hungry finance minister would cling to his high-profile post, Mr Chirac tried to thwart his rival’s ambitions by warning him he could not be both a cabinet minister and head of a political party.
His gamble failed as Mr Sarkozy decided he was prepared to relinquish a certain amount of media exposure in return for the exceptional power base and vast budget at his disposal as the head of the UMP - a combination which provides him with the ideal springboard for the Elysée.
In a carefully brokered agreement, Mr Sarkozy agreed to resign quietly from the cabinet upon his election as UMP president in November rather than defying Mr Chirac by pointing out that both he and Mr Juppe had both simultaneously held the posts of prime minister and party head. He also pledged not to use his position to attack the president or the struggling government.
Are the remains of France really worth this much effort? Posted by Orrin Judd at September 8, 2004 7:30 AM
The French political structure is so screwed-up I don't even know where to begin. Maybe the simplest picture is that in a nation where over 50% of the economy is in government hands, the overwhelming majority of voters believe that the government should interfere MORE in the economy.
Chirac's imperious crookedness and venality is neither unexpected nor unprecedented. The French have a malaise which is far exceeds anything that occured here even under Mr. Peanut's watch. When I was there two years ago, I really got the feeling that they were giving up. When I go back in December, I'll see if that has changed.
Posted by: Bart at September 8, 2004 9:00 AMFrench conservatism has a soul?
Posted by: Jeff at September 8, 2004 9:28 AMBy the American definition no more than about 15% of the French electorate could remotely be defined as 'conservative.'
Posted by: Bart at September 8, 2004 9:57 AMAnd they're probably outnumbered by the Communists.
Posted by: M Ali Choudhury at September 8, 2004 10:17 AMNot by the PCF specifically, which gets around 5-7% now, but if you add all the other really loopy left together, you're probably right. They come in at about 20%.
Posted by: Bart at September 8, 2004 10:38 AM>Are the remains of France really worth this
>much effort?
It doesn't matter if it's worth anything or not. The only thing that matters is Struggle for the Throne.
I once worked for a company that was going bankrupt through beyond-Dilbert mismanagement. The only concern of the bosses was Struggle for the Throne.
Another time I worked for a company that DID go under. The bosses reorganized, laid off everybody into Chapter whatever, and continued in their corner offices and fat salaries and titles and perks "managing" a company that now existed only on paper.
And once I was on the fringes observing a takeover/coup attempt IN A SEVEN-MAN RE-ENACTOR GROUP that almost turned into assassination -- FOR REAL.
It doesn't matter how big the prize is, or even if it exists at all, as long as someone (like ME! ME! ME!) can brown-nose and backstab his way to the top and hold onto the throne no matter what. Even if the throne is as dead as Jadis of Charn's.
Posted by: Ken at September 8, 2004 12:54 PM"Jadis of Charn?" Nice C.S. Lewis reference.
Posted by: Kyle Haight at September 8, 2004 1:06 PMI think we can assume that the President of France can steal enough to make it worthwhile. That feat has been accomplished by the presidents of many tiny african countries.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at September 8, 2004 11:42 PM