Issue 122:2017 09 28:Week in Brief International

28 September 2017 Week in Brief: International Europe FRANCE: Florian Phillipot, the deputy chairman of the National Front, resigned and left the party.  Although socially tolerant, he believes in absolute national sovereignty and has clashed with leader Marine le Pen over his opposition to the EU and the euro. Jean-Luc Melenchon (leader of the far… Continue reading Issue 122:2017 09 28:Week in Brief International

Issue 110: 2017 06 22: Remain or Leave (Richard Pooley)

22 June 2017 Remain or Leave? The dilemma facing one British expatriate couple. by Richard Pooley My wife and I moved to south-west France in March 2013, intending to stay for no more than five years before returning to our house in Bath. After living in seven different countries and visiting over fifty others, either… Continue reading Issue 110: 2017 06 22: Remain or Leave (Richard Pooley)

Issue106:2017 05 25:It’s my party (Neil Tidmarsh)

25 May 2017 It’s My Party I’m the leader, I’m the leader… By Neil Tidmarsh I’m the leader, I’m the leader, I’m the leader of the gang I am… until the music stops, that is.  And political parties all around the world have been playing frantic games of musical chairs all week.  Leaders in, leaders… Continue reading Issue106:2017 05 25:It’s my party (Neil Tidmarsh)

Issue 106:2017 05 25 :“I don’t understand anything anymore.” (Richard Pooley)

25 May 2017 “I don’t understand anything anymore.” Where do French voters now stand: to the Right or to the Left? by Richard Pooley It was the afternoon of Monday 15th May.  A ceremony was taking place in a sunny Paris outside the Hôtel Matignon, the residence and office of France’s prime minister.  The chubby… Continue reading Issue 106:2017 05 25 :“I don’t understand anything anymore.” (Richard Pooley)

Issue 105:2017 05 18:Macron’s discombobulation of the French political landscape(Richard Pooley).

18 May 2017 Macron’s discombobulation of the French political landscape. By Richard Pooley Discombobulate has always been one of my favourite words.  Like its French equivalent bouleverser it is onomatopoeic: you can hear the world turning upside down.  And the election of Emmanuel Macron to the French presidency has certainly bouleversé le paysage politique français. … Continue reading Issue 105:2017 05 18:Macron’s discombobulation of the French political landscape(Richard Pooley).

Issue 102: 2017 04 27: It’s not in the bag, Emmanuel (Richard Pooley)

27 April 2017 It’s not in the bag, Emmanuel What will the Mélenchon supporters do on May 07? By Richard Pooley Exciting, wasn’t it?  Actually, no.  Despite the warning by pollsters that the first round of the French presidential election was too close to call and hence reliable exit polls would not be published at… Continue reading Issue 102: 2017 04 27: It’s not in the bag, Emmanuel (Richard Pooley)

Issue 100:2016 04 13:The French election (Richard Pooley)

13 April 2017 The French election What can the literature teach us about the candidates and their policies? by Richard Pooley The election pamphlets have started appearing in my letter box, marking the official opening of the campaign to elect the next Président(e) de la République.  Unofficially, of course, the campaign has been going on… Continue reading Issue 100:2016 04 13:The French election (Richard Pooley)

Issue 99:2017 04 06; It’s the debates which will win it (Richard Pooley)

06 April 2017 It’s the Debates which will win it. But for who? by Richard Pooley That the French love to discuss and pontificate is hardly news.  Nor is it a stereotype.  To see how important arguing the toss is to the French you only have to look at the timing and length of the… Continue reading Issue 99:2017 04 06; It’s the debates which will win it (Richard Pooley)

Issue 92:2017 02 16:Sans lui, le deluge (Richard Pooley)

16 February 2017 Sans lui, le déluge? Who will stop le Pen? by Richard Pooley For the past fifty-five years the French have had it easy when choosing their presidents.  The presidential election has two rounds.  In the first round you voted for whoever you liked most, safe in the knowledge that there would be… Continue reading Issue 92:2017 02 16:Sans lui, le deluge (Richard Pooley)

Issue86:2017 01 05:Ignore the Pronos (Richard Pooley).

05 January 2017 Ignore the Pronos Nobody knows by Richard Pooley On 10 June last year I sent the following email from France to friends and family in the UK: “We voted last week.  I bumped into the mayor as I was posting the envelopes: “Deux votes pour Europe,” I told him.  He seemed pleased.… Continue reading Issue86:2017 01 05:Ignore the Pronos (Richard Pooley).

Issue 29: 2015 11 19:L’Affaire des Chemises Arrachées

19 November 2015 L’Affaire des Chemises Arrachées by Richard Pooley Until the appalling slaughter in Paris on Friday night buried all other news in France (even the death of at least 11 people, including perhaps children, in the first accident in the 35-year history of the Train à Grande Vitesse), one of the main talking… Continue reading Issue 29: 2015 11 19:L’Affaire des Chemises Arrachées

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