Emmanuel Macron, Savior?

It has become quite the norm, in the presidency of Francois Hollande for government to rise and fall in short periods. In the last remaniement, the more outspoken personalities, Arnaud Montebourg, Benoit Amont, Aurelie Fillipeti, opposed to the centrist shift of the President and his Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, were all fired. The new government ministers represented the full embrace by Hollande of the Social-Democrat political mind and his reject of the true left, the ideal to his party, the PS (the Socialist Party). No one represents that change more than the new minister of the economy and industrial renewal, Emmanuel Macron.

Manuel Valls and the Second Chance

Of course Francois Hollande nominated Manuel Valls to Matigon, there was no other choice for him, a man whom I consider rather bland, charisma-less and incapable of sticking to a decision. After dangling the glorious suggestion of a Martine Aubry prime ministership, Francois Hollande settled for the safest pick. A change in government was needed, and after the crushing defeat that was suffered by his PS in the municipal elections, which are always used as a confidence vote to the party in power, nominating Valls looks like a sensible choice.

China in France and the Coming Changing of The Guard

This week France received the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, to great pomp and circumstance for his first ever State visit in France. No expense was spared in welcoming the head of the second most powerful country and the fastest growing economy in the world. As usual there is always a little hypocrisy involved when the head of a western country receives a Chinese delegation, there were no mention of human rights etc. a stark contrast let's say if Hollande were to receive the President of Cameroon or any other impoverished nation, human rights would be at the forefront.

Martine Aubry, Prime Minister.

Well, it seems that the shoe has dropped for Jean Marc Ayerault, after one of the MPs of the PS called for a change of the head of government on public television, the path to his dismissal began. After a fruitless meeting between Ayeraut and the PS MPs, to try and end the current intra-party rift, shocking news were revealed.

The unlucky president

Francois Hollande, president of the French Republic has once again had a bad week, a very bad week. It all began with the arrest early last week of Roma school girl Leonarda Dibriani, she was arrested on a class trip and deported to Kosovo with her family that has been illegally residing in France since 2009.

Valls vs Hollande?

In my previous post I mentioned that French president Francois Hollande was suffering horrible poll numbers, his latest at 24% approval ratings. Things have looked really bleak for him recently. This is how we come to his Minister of the Interior, Manuel Valls who has been recently anointed most popular politician in France.