Ségolène Sings the Marseillaise
In recent days Ségolène Royal has suddenly discovered the joys of patriotism to the dismay of her supporters and her critics alike. In her recent speeches she has advocated flying the French flag and singing the Marseillaise. Judging by the reactions one would think she had advocated military service in Iraq. The responses of the various candidates, with the possible exception of Le Pen, to her new-found love of French symbols, attest to how unpopular France is among those who would lead her:
This is an abridged version of a longer article at Journal Chrétien:
Seizing upon the theme of national identity espoused by Nicolas Sarkozy, the socialist candidate called on the French people to keep a French flag in their homes and to place it in their window on July 14. She also showed herself to be a fervent admirer of the Marseillaise, "a very beautiful song for the advancement of civilization" (...)
The UDF candidate François Bayrou reacted by saying, "The nation is alive" and "one must speak of it in a balanced, not obsessional, manner." "The nation is not a problem, but HAS problems: unemployment, education, environment, exclusion, economy."
Jean-Marie Le Pen, candidate of the Front National, denounced the "electoral hypocrisy" of his opponents. "A passport or an ID have never made a nationality, and a flag has never made a patriot."
Former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin admitted his "concern" on seeing Ségolène Royal "consider herself to be France by virtue of a flag". "I think she is confusing herself with France. Nobody has a monopoly on France."
Communist candidate Marie-George Buffet said the flag and the Marseillaise are "symbols that belong to the people and must not be fought over like bits of cloth."
Olivier Besancenot, candidate of LCR (Communist Revolutionary League) affirmed: "This shocks and frightens me. (In the ghettoes) people don't give a damn about a red white and blue flag in their home...they need heat, electricity, jobs with decent pay, and sometimes even just a place to live."
For Arlette Laguiller, of LO (Workers' Fight) "nationalism is a poison."
José Bové (left-wing) accused Mme Royal of starting a "troubling national lie" and of trying "to Americanize the country with all these flags at the windows." (...) "Chauvinism and nationalism have never been values of the Left."
Among the socialists, a few voices came to her rescue. Marc Ayrault, a leading socialist deputy, explained that she was trying "to restore the patriotism of the heart", while Nicolas Sarkozy "was selling a patriotism of fear." (...) Her spokesman, Julien Dray, insisted that she "didn't want to leave the symbols of the Republic to others."
According to Le Figaro Mme Royal made the following comments about the Marseillaise during a speech she delivered in Marseilles to more than 6000 people:
"Make no mistake, the Marseillaise is a hymn of the fight against all forces of tyranny. It is the hymn that Louise Michel had her pupils sing every morning and every evening, and she cried every time. Let us not misinterpret this hymn. This is not a hymn of bloodshed, nor is it xenophobic. It is a hymn of those who risk their lives for liberty. A universal message from France that is more important than ever: liberty, equality, fraternity!"
Note: Louise Michel was an raving anarchist whose main love was the black flag of anarchy that she adopted as her own. There is much about her (in French) at Wikipedia.
Another Figaro article here, also discusses Mme Royal's praise of the French national hymn.
Labels: 2007 Election, National Identity, Ségolène Royal
posted by tiberge @ 5:00 AM
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4 Comments:
The Marseillaise and the Tricolor flag are not symbols of genuine patriotism, but rather of revolutionary tyranny and genocide. The only true French patriots are royalists who have nothing but contempt for that bloodthirsty anthem, and fly the fleur-de-lys!
@ theodore harvey
Point taken. I've learned, since I started this blog, that there are many legitimists and others who would not object to having a king. A recent poll showed that about 20% would not mind if the State were headed by a king. Which king - that's another problem. True legitimists want a restoration of the Bourbons, while others favor the Count of Paris, of the Orleans branch.
I don't think it will happen, but the fact that people are talking about it is an indicator of the failure of the Republic.
I've also learned that the initial motivations of a great event, such as the French Revolution, is an indicator of how it will fare. Born in violence and regicide, it seems incapable of correcting its congenital faults.
This is frightening. It means that once the Revolution had taken place, France became a hostage fated to die a slow death. I would have hoped that a healthier government policy could have reversed the trend.
My mother and her sisters would sing the final line «. . .abreuve nos sillons » but added "tas de cochons" as a rhyme under their breaths when they had to sing it at school.
In World War II, the national hymn took on another significance and this is what I think of when I hear it or sing it. Royalist or not, I can't help getting up and singing whenever I see that scene in "Casablanca"!
somewhere at home, I have the complete words of la Marseillaise ; everybody knows a passage was added by Victor Hugo, but very few people know these lines which were sung originally :
"quoi des cohortes étrangères
terrasseraient nos fiers guerriers ?
Quoi des phalanges mercenaires
feraient la loi dans nos foyers ?"
Of course, in those days, les cohortes étrangères were "les Emigrés", not "les Immigrés"...Still, when I hear the tune, these are the words that come to my mind nowadays !
Moreover, one must not forget that "les Emigrés" were French, and so had a right to have their say about French politics ....
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