The "Vice-Prime Minister"

Alain Juppé, former Prime Minister under Jacques Chirac from 1995-1997, current Mayor of Bordeaux, former convicted felon, has been named Minister of State in matters of ecology, sustainable development, energy, transportation, urbanism, and industry.

First, regarding the title "Minister of State" (Ministre d'Etat), this title exists in various countries and has various meanings. Sometimes it is an honorary title; in France, it refers to the "preeminence" of the person holding the title, who becomes, in fact, "Vice-Prime Minister". The range of duties is extensive, and the ministry includes several formerly separate portfolios, such as ecology, transportation, and industry. Obviously, some of these sectors are in conflict with one another as this article from Yahoo explains:

(...) According to a communiqué from the council of ministers, Alain Juppé, besides the traditional duties of the Ministry of Ecology (water, waste removal and recycling, pollution, protection of the environment), will prepare and implement the government policies in the domains of sustainable development, environment, energy, raw materials, industrial security, transportation and its infrastructure, equipment, rural development, urbanism, development and outfitting of the territory and the sea, with the exception of fishing."

In other words, the minister holds a plurality of offices formerly reserved for separate ministries. (...) Notably it means that decisions relating to the development of nuclear security fall henceforth to Mr. Juppé, who will also arbitrate decisions on renewable energy sources. He is the one who will decide on the construction or closing of nuclear facilities, and thus will be instructing the EDF (Electricity of France).

Automobile traffic, speed laws, pollution from automobile emissions, construction of roads, highways, rapid train rails also are his responsibility, as well as the tax on trucks, advocated by Nicolas Sarkozy during the campaign.

On paper the extent of his powers is intended to reaffirm the importance of the environment in the eyes of the new President. In practical terms, the exercise is perilous because it implies that the new super-minister will be the permanent arbiter between players with divergent objectives. Highway or train? Incinerator or waste reduction at its source? Urban development or protection of nature? Wind farms or protection of the landscape?

For a look at a "wind farm" click here.

Information in Wikipedia tells us that Alain Juppé is generally considered to be of superior intellect. He was a brilliant student at Lycée Victor Duruy in Mont-de-Marsan where he received first prize in Greek and Latin studies. He obtained his high-school diploma ("baccalauréat") at age 17 and entered Lycée Louis-le-Grand's preparatory courses for those whose goal is specialized higher education. In 1964 he entered Normal School and received his "agrégation" in classical studies, and went on to the Institute of Political Studies and the National School of Administration (known as ENA).

Note: The "agrégation" has no real equivalent in English. It is a State administered test for those who intend to teach.

Alain Juppé early on became a collaborator of Jacques Chirac and worked his way up to become Prime Minister in 1995 when Chirac became President. He attempted to reform the French Welfare State and was rewarded for his efforts with a series of strikes and the threat of great social unrest. He became extremely unpopular among the people, as does any politician who attempts serious reforms of welfare programs.

Alain Juppé also advocated a union of all parties of the center-right and was the founder of the UMP (Union for a Popular Movement) that is today Nicolas Sarkozy's majority party.

He has been involved in some scandals, the most highly publicized of which was the affair of fictitious jobs that took place between 1983 and 1995, when he was deputy mayor of Paris and Chirac was mayor. The story did not break until 1998 after Chirac had already been President for three years (and therefore had immunity) and sentence was passed in 2004.

Wikipedia writes:

In 2004, Alain Juppé was tried for the felony of abuse of public funds when he was general secretary of the RPR party, and the RPR illegally used personnel provided by the City of Paris for running its operations. He was convicted and sentenced to an 18-month suspended jail sentence, the deprivation of civic rights for five years, and the deprivation of the right to run for political office for 10 years. He appealed against the decision, whereby his disqualification from holding elected office was reduced to one year and the suspended sentence cut to 14 months.

Read more about the scandals here.

Juppé's supporters claim he was unfairly convicted and took the rap for others (presumably Chirac). However as mayor of Bordeaux he has earned the contempt of many, if one is to judge by the left-wing website Bordeaux, where he is accused of everything under the sun, including fascism, racism, and lavishly entertaining mass murderers (Vladimir Putin).

However even the patriotic websites including Le Salon Beige call him a crook (at least on the message boards) and Le Pen has no regard for him. For Le Pen the issue was the way Juppé "arranged" to regain his position as mayor of Bordeaux, having relinquished it in light of the scandals. It seems he forced (or persuaded?) the entire city council to resign, making new mayoral elections a necessity in an off-year. This was seen as both costly to the taxpayers and illegal. But mayor of Bordeaux he is.

Regarding his personal life, all I have learned is that he has a son. There is no mention of a wife or ex-wife.

Turkey In Europe

According to an article in Le Figaro, the Vatican approves of the entry of Turkey in the EU. The article speaks of "laïcité" - the separation of Church and State - and of "laïcisme" - a policy of giving institutions of a country a non-religious significance. The two words overlap, and it is difficult to translate them comfortably into English:

The scene takes place Wednesday, on the fringes of a conference on "Christianity and Secularism". Monsignor Tarciso Bertone, nº2 at the Vatican, speaks with several journalists:

"In Europe we exalt 'laïcité' for itself and even more so 'laïcisme'. And in the name of this 'laïcisme', we reject all references to the Judeo-Christian roots of Europe. But Turkey has also marched on a long road and is marching still. The positions are naturally very different but with people and governments who respect the basic rules of living together, we can have a dialogue and build together a common good in the European sphere and in the sphere of the world community," believes the Secretary of State of the Holy See.

"Including the entry into the European Union?" asks a journalist from La Stampa. "Including the entry into Europe", responds Monsignor Bertone.

A declaration that conflicts with a preceding stand taken by the Holy See. In 2004, Pope Benedict - who was then Cardinal Ratzinger - made a clear pronouncement against the entry of Turkey into the EU. But the Vatican had quickly explained that Cardinal Ratzinger was expressing his own personal opinion. (...)

Another Figaro article presents an interview with the European Commissioner on Expansion, Olli Rehn, who lauds the French president for his willingness not to block future negotiations with Turkey, scheduled to take place in June:

"The new French president is showing a responsible attitude. It is preferable to continue the process of negotiations with Turkey, especially since the country is going through a very difficult period with legislative elections coming up in July. The European Union must continue to aid in the development of democracy in Turkey." (...)

"We must respect our commitment of December 2006, when we decided to pursue negotiations. For Turkey, it's an important signal, because many Turks wonder about the EU's credibility. It's essential to strengthen the process of reform in Turkey." (...)

When asked what single argument could be made to the French people in favor of Turkey's entry, he responded:

"The relations between Europe and Islam! It is, in my opinion, the greatest challenge for Europe. Turkey is already a bridge between European civilization and the Muslim world. If it can fulfill all the criteria of adhesion, at the end of ten or fifteen years, it will form an even more solid bridge between our civilizations. There are 15 million Muslims in Europe, and their integration is capital for the future of our societies." (...)

Note: No one can read Nicolas Sarkozy's mind. In the past he has expressed his rejection of Turkey in the EU, but the strength of this conviction is uncertain. Possibly he will object, but not do anything to stop the process. Recommended: a post I did last October on Sarkozy's ambivalent stand on Turkey.

Review also the latest figures on Muslims in Europe, a post I did a few weeks ago.

The Minister Of Higher Education and Research

The former spokesperson for the UMP party, Valérie Pécresse, was named Minister of Higher Education and Research by Nicolas Sarkozy. This came as something of a relief to the patriots who feared she would be named minister of the family. As it turns out there is no ministry of the family as everyone thought there would be, considering the emphasis placed on family values by the various candidates, and Madame Pécresse will not be given the opportunity to implement her liberal notions of morality, at least not on the family. She will, however, be in a position to influence the various bioethical issues that arise in matters of research.

It is not yet clear what she plans to do as head of Higher Education, although she has outlined a general plan, posted at the official government website, that sounds very untraditional. She speaks of bringing about long-term, profound change to the university system through a new law that President Sarkozy hopes to have passed this summer. But the law is only the beginning:

"You see that it is not just a question of the law on autonomy and on the modernization of the administration of universities (...) This law will be thoroughly prepared and I am personally committed to devoting all my energy to its preparation, for it is the first brick of this 'new university' that we must build together.

But this project cannot be divorced from a parallel inception of four projects that I am also committed to:

- the conditions of student life (housing, health, scholarships, application of the 2005 law on handicapped persons...)

- a global consideration of the careers of all university employees (equality of the sexes, career path, statutes...)

- the material conditions in which higher education and research take place (buildings, security...)

- the status of young researchers and teachers/researchers (teaching service, evaluation of young researchers, stipends...)

It is the ensemble of these reforms that will enable us to insure the success of our students and a genuine equality of opportunity. This reform will be accompanied by an unprecedented budget increase of 50% over 5 years.

In addition, at the request of the student unions, I have decided to add a fifth project to the ministry's agenda: it concerns the fight against academic failure at the end of the first cycle.

Our objective is to turn the university into the motor for upward social mobility and the crucible for life-long training and innovation."

These vague, rather utopian notions sound inspired by the American model. We will have to wait 5 years to see how these ideas materialize. The most troubling of her goals is the fifth project - putting pressure on teachers to pass the greatest number.

During the presidential campaign Le Salon Beige followed closely the comments and proposals of Valérie Pécresse, because, as stated above, she was being considered as minister of the family. Here are a few condensed excerpts from LSB's posts:

In June 2006 Valérie Pécresse proposed abolishing the right to anonymity accorded to women giving birth.

In 2004, out of 394 women who chose to give birth anonymously, 40% refused to give their name. According to changes advocated by Pécresse: "The mother would give her name at the moment of birth, but she could always request that her identity remain secret." Until the child is 18, at which time he or she would have a "right" to this information. Thus, Valérie Pécresse claims she is protecting the "rights of the child" - the child whose mother might prefer abortion if she can no longer be guaranteed anonymity.

In November 2006, as spokesperson for Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party, Valérie Pécresse spoke of research on embryos:

"The principle of human dignity must be subject to interpretation, like all principles, and confronted with the realities of the society in which one lives. It must be understood in light of other imperatives, such as the general interest."

In February 2007 she spoke of the need to remove the ban on embryo research:

"I believe that the great majority of those involved favor this evolution, knowing that the extra embryos, since they would not be part of a parental plan, are bound to be destroyed. It appears possible that they could be used for research, like any human being in the last stage of life, without any major ethical transgression."

Le Salon Beige wondered if she was advocating experiments on old people.

In February 2007, during parliamentary debates on embryo research led by Valérie Pécresse (who is also deputy from Yvelines), the issues of the proven superiority of stem-cells from adults, from umbilical cords, from amniotic fluid, from bone marrow, etc... were completely overshadowed by the preference for human embryos. Le Salon Beige quotes Pierre-Olivier Arduin:

"There is still time to correct this mistake during the next gathering of the estates-general on bioethics that will be held during the first months of 2008, when a revision of French laws on bioethics will be undertaken."

The website Genethique has a brief post, dated May 29, 2007, about Madame Pécresse:

Pierre-Louis Fagniez has been named adviser to Valérie Pécresse (...) A reminder that Fagniez had issued a report in July 2006 advocating the acceptance on principle of embryonic stem-cell research and human cloning.

And in an interview with the magazine Têtu for June 2007, Pécresse reiterated her stand on the CUC (Civil Union Contract) where same-sex couples will have fiscal and patrimonial equality and a new status of "beau-parent" (step-parent), and she took a swipe at another minister, Christine Boutin, who has voiced her disapproval of the CUC:

"Christine Boutin knows many topics... she can have her own responsibilities without in any way influencing the issue of gay couples' rights." (In other words, she can mind her own business.)

A reminder that ministers can also be deputies in the National Assembly. Hence Valérie Pécresse can promote her gay rights agenda in parliament even though it is not part of her ministry. Apparently the same does not hold true for Christine Boutin!

Finally in August 2006, Vox Galliae posted these words of Valérie Pécresse who was then spokesperson for Nicolas Sarkozy:

"France is a mixed society that refuses to see itself as such. And yet, one must be aware that the inhabitants of the ghettoes and those of the better neighborhoods will end up mixing together. Our borders will open to new forms of immigration from Asia and countries to the East. We are at the crossroads and we are afraid. Fear of the Other, of the Foreigner.

The future is built more easily when one is proud of what one is, when one is reconciled with one's past. The history of France is one of grandeur, humanity and we should be proud. There are also memories that hurt, of people sacrificed and of martyrs. But if, as responsible leaders, we expend all our energy treating our wounds, and re-writing our past to make it more acceptable, we will not be able to project ourselves into the future, that is, the construction of a mixed society."

Valérie Pécresse, born on July 14, 1967, is married to businessman Jérôme Pécresse and is the mother of one daughter and two sons. She is the daughter of Dominique Roux who is president of Bolloré Telecom. Bolloré is a major European investment group and it was on Vincent Bolloré's yacht off Malta that Nicolas Sarkozy vacationed for three days after the election. She became national spokesperson for Sarkozy's UMP party in 2004, and has declared her hostility to all things relating to the Front National.

Memorial Day Reading

Over the past several weeks readers have sent me links to English-language articles that may be of interest. The French election generated much commentary in the English-language press and there was, at least temporarily, a renewed interest in France. Here is a collection of news and reflections for this warm (on the East coast) holiday week-end:

First, from the Australian Jewish News, some interesting background information on Nicolas Sarkozy's Jewish ancestry, starting with his grandfather Aron Mallah born in 1890.

Next, an article from Chronicles published before the May 6 election by Serge Trifkovic, entitled France's Fateful Choice. For the author there was a clear distinction between the two candidates, and there is no question that he favored Sarkozy.

You can read more about Mr. Trifkovic at Wikipedia.

Michel Gurfinkiel, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Valeurs Actuelles has published a long article on France in Commentary magazine. The article, entitled Can France Be Saved? gives an overview of French social and political history and the current crisis in which the nation finds itself due to the deadly combination of immigration, socialism, economic stagnation and demoralization. Valeurs Actuelles has taken a positive view of Sarkozy's election.

If you are interested in the article, please download it, since Commentary does not leave its articles posted for very long. Let me know if the article is not available - I have an Appleworks version.

At the website Gates of Vienna the draft of a proposal for solving the problem of immigration was posted back in October 2006. It is still worth reading, since it is exceedingly rare to find articles in English advocating closing the borders or deporting large numbers of people.

The new Minister of Education Xavier Darcos wants to restore the formal form of address in the schools. Rozier's Orléans Diary has a brief but entertaining post on this proposal.

Avi Green, writing at Tel-Chai Nation, speaks of the possible reactivation of a financial scandal involving Jacques Chirac's supposed secret bank account in Japan. This scandal broke last year at the same time as other scandals known collectively as "Clearstream", but was placed on the back burner as news of the election took precedence. He links to a substantial article on the scandal in The Scotsman.

A website founded by apostates from Islam, called Islam-Watch, offers extensive information on the Islamization of Europe, how it will predictably progress, and how it must be combated definitively. Here is the opening paragraph of the section entitled Background:

The Islamic takeover of a country or a region of the country – is dependant on the relative proportion of Muslims compared with non-Muslims, and/or the influence of militant Muslims among the Muslim population. A higher proportion of Muslims among the population - or the growth of the number of militants among Muslims (even though Muslims constitute a smaller part of the population) – drive the political development along a certain path. A successful assimilation process may change that path but there seems to be no definite examples yet of such a process.

Last but not least, though it is off topic, you might be interested in some unhappy facts about Sweden's educational system as discussed by Charles Henry at Covenant Zone.

The striking vintage postcard is from US Memorial Day.

Restoring Versailles

Having posted just a few hours ago an introduction to Christine Albanel, the new Minister of Culture, using as sources the critical remarks of Didier Rykner and Le Conservateur, I came upon a rebuttal to their arguments by historian Camille Pascal in Le Figaro. The essence of his essay is an attack what he feels are the snobbish and reactionary attitudes of those who think they know all about Versailles, but who in reality are refusing to accept the authentic restoration of the 17th century palace, preferring instead to retain the modifications done during the 19th century, which are now being undone.

Here are excerpts of his article:

(...) These good souls of the patrimony have vowed to defend the palace of Versailles from itself and from what they call with fright its "Disneylandization". And what is the object of such indignation? The restoration project that has been going on for four years. The average citizen would be justified in rejoicing at the massive commitment by the government towards a monument whose name alone evokes the grandeur of France.

But such is not the case. These devout preachers of the Internet, where, in their virtual journals, they assume the position of both writer and reader, refuse to give up. (...)

Nothing in the restoration that began in 2003 finds grace in the eyes of these largely self-proclaimed historians. The repainting of the door frames, now a bold yellow, and the reconstruction of the royal grillwork are an affront to good taste and constitute a crime of lèse-majesty against the good King Louis-Philippe who saved the palace in 1840, at a cost of merciless destruction, one should add.

For this is in fact the heart of the problem. The current restoration is erasing little by little the work of Louis-Philippe in order to recreate a Versailles that is not that of Sacha Guitry (1), but a château scrubbed clean of the romantic patina that the 19th century had not hesitated to smear it with. A Versailles brilliant and overwhelming, as a monarchy eager to affirm its majesty had wanted it to be, is being reborn under our eyes. If the denouncers who cry vandalism today would take the trouble to open a history book, they would understand that the reconstruction of the royal grillwork gives the edifice its political significance. (...)

What person of reason could miss the statue of Louis XIV by Petitot and Cartellier? It was not only bad - a poorly proportioned marriage between the horseman and his mount gave the impression of a Sun-King on his pony - but it stood out also thanks to a laughable misconception of history. It never would have entered the king's mind to have a statue of himself in the middle of his barnyard! (...)

If we were to yield to the siren of stagnation, we would have to fossilize Versailles and close it, with a double lock, behind a dusty window, while visitors would be asked to move on their way or to keep their distance. Now, thanks to a forceful policy, Versailles has never been so open and so popular. The old château today attracts a public that formerly was intimidated. But this new public upsets people and the sense of wonder stimulated by the luster of gold causes a small coterie of snobs to retch.

(1) Sacha Guitry (1885-1957) was a prolific writer, dramatist, stage and film director, and actor who frequented the greats of French literature and theater during the first half of the 20th century. I don't entirely understand the reference to him, except that he may have written about or staged plays about the Versailles of Louis-Philippe. If anyone can give further information on this reference, it would be welcome.

Before posting these excerpts, I decided see what I could find on the author Camille Pascal, who presents himself as an historian. He is well known in the world of the media, and has been at the center of more than one controversy. In fact this headline appeared at the website Media-Ratings, an independent entity that evaluates the trustworthiness of information spread by the media: "If France were not a banana republic, Camille Pascal would not obtain a position at France Télévisions"

The headline refers to the appointment of Camille Pascal, in November 2005, as assistant CEO in charge of development and diversification at France Télévisions, the coalition of national television channels 2, 3, 4, 5 and RFO (overseas). According to the French law on ethics in public service, this appointment was illegal because Pascal had been "directeur de cabinet" (office supervisor) for Dominique Baudis, president of the High Council on Audiovisual (CSA), a government agency similar to our FCC. Media-Ratings explains:

The Minister of Culture and Communications, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, was not visibly upset by this appointment. It is true that ethics are not his strong point since he was himself convicted for money laundering and was caught in the act of lying to the National Assembly in 2005. As for the president of France Télévisions, Patrick de Carolis, he let it slide when he was personally informed by Media-Ratings of the corruption associated with Camille Pascal.

In any non-banana republic where there were journalists specializing in the media, they would have rushed to investigate and reveal the scandal to the public at large.

Not in France!

Certain journalists, who work at so-called major newspapers, are in contact with us, and were alerted by us, but they chose not to inform their readers.

It's true that in France, no ambitious journalist would dare get in trouble with France Télévisions...

Let us clarify that Camille Pascal, in order to rebut the opinion of the ethics committee, affirmed that he had never dealt with France Télévisions during his tenure at CSA.

This information is false and we have the proof, both electronic and telephonic, that Camille Pascal lied.

Consequently, the appointment of the former office head of Dominique Baudis to France Télévisions is incompatible with his former functions. (...)

We should add that among the services performed by Camille Pascal was his intervention to prevent the CSA from doing its job in the affair of France 2 - Enderlin. This in turn set off a world-wide wave of anti-Semitism. Is he reaping the dividends of his past actions with this new appointment? (...)

Note: The Enderlin Affair refers to the false reporting by France 2 of a supposed killing by Israeli soldiers of a young Palestinian boy named Mohammed al-Duri. The story long ago was shown to be a fake concocted by France 2 and its reporter Charles Enderlin. Here are two English-language articles (among many) on the incident:

From Media-Ratings

From Front Page Magazine

The last word has not been said on the fate of Versailles, and I am no expert on restoration. However, regarding Camille Pascal I feel it's safe to say that people who live in glass houses, etc...

For now I put my trust in Didier Rykner and Le Conservateur, and hope that somehow it turns out for the best for France's greatest symbol of monarchical splendor.

The photo of Louis XIV on horseback is from RPeyre, who has an extensive gallery of photos of France. I don't know if this is the statue alluded to by Camille Pascal in his essay.

Angevin Violence - Update

A few days ago I posted an article on the frightening crimes that have occurred in Anjou, including a brutal gang rape of an 18-year old Dutch girl in downtown Angers. Yesterday I received an e-mail from Via-Resistancia giving more details on the rape:

Here is what you will never read in the local newspapers of Angers:

Among the 7 persons implicated are the following:

Rachid B., 17, of Congolese nationality
Romain B., 17, of French nationality
Abdul Kader D., 18, of Ivory Coast nationality
Lovi K. 15, of Angolan nationality
Abassi M., 17, of Congolese nationality
Antonin S., 17, of French nationality
Wendy Yam Z.N., 18, of French nationality

On the night of May 4, around 11:30 p.m. the victim asked for directions and was dragged by the gang into the gardens below the castle, along the river banks, where she was subjected to a series of sexual acts on the part of her assaulters. The youngest of them, Lovi K., having given his cell phone number to the victim (!!!!), was quickly arrested. He confessed and gave the names of his friends. All were arrested and formally recognized by the victim (except Antonin S.).

Even more instructive is the fact that the sexual violence was committed by the 5 young Africans, (here the e-mail gives a description of what was done to the girl), while Antonin S. and Romain B., the two "ethnic" Frenchmen, stayed at a distance, did not participate in the rape, acted as watchmen while the "others" did the work.

These acts did not occur in Seine-Saint-Denis, but at the foot of the castle of the Dukes of Anjou. Ysabelle, the young Dutch girl, will remember all her life her trip to the land of Angevin sweetness, and her meeting one lovely spring night with 5 "bringers of good fortune to France".

A reminder that at one time Jacques Chirac and Dominique de Villepin had described immigration as "France's good fortune". Since then, the patriots have always bitterly referred to immigrants as "chances pour la France" - good fortune for France.

The Official Photo

Here is the official photograph of Nicolas Sarkozy taken by photographer Philippe Warrin. My recent post on this photo session said that the flags were in the background, but that does not appear to the the case. At least the French flag is equal in size to the EU flag, but I find the total effect of the photo very unappealing. First, the EU flag intrudes in a situation that is solely French. Second, he appears too stiff, almost sinister, lacking a certain buoyant quality seen in his other photos.

However, this is purely subjective...

The photo was posted at Le Salon Beige. They are having a contest, as they have done in the past, for the best caption to accompany the photo. Interested parties have until Friday, May 25 at 2:00 p.m. French time to submit their gems. I'll be curious.

The Minister Of Culture

Christine Albanel has been named Minister of Culture, replacing the much disliked Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres. A few days before the appointment, Didier Rykner, an art historian and expert in matters of France's national cultural heritage, administrator of the excellent website devoted to the state of the arts in France: La Tribune de l'Art, made a brief evaluation of her then-rumored appointment:

It is rumored, and our own sources confirm it, that Christine Albanel will inherit the Ministry of Culture. This is good news if for no other reason than it signals the departure of Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, one of the worst ministers to hold this post, one of the most sectarian as well, who engaged in witch hunts that belong to another age. (...)

Christine Albanel, "agrégée" in modern literature, former writer for Jacques Chirac, has been, for five years, president of the Public Establishment of Versailles. She has hardly been brilliant in this post having implemented a highly debatable policy (on restoring Versailles). Still we hope that her new duties force her to rise above all that. We also hope that she proves herself to be more open to criticism than her predecessor.

When her appointment became official he added:

The Public Establishment of Versailles will necessarily need a new president. It would be desirable that an art historian be chosen, but it is clear that there is little chance of that happening.

The story of what is happening at Versailles is very long and cannot be discussed here. I'm reading through a long description by Didier Rykner of the restoration project and the wrongheaded concepts being implemented, such as restoring what "might have been" instead of researching history to find out what actually was, and attempting to turn the Park into a type of playground à la Disney, for the purpose of profit. These misdeeds are largely the responsibility of Christine Albanel. If you know French, you can read the article for yourself here. You will also see photos of the vandalism that has taken place on the grounds.

Regarding the term "public establishment", it refers, in the case of Versailles, to a State-controlled organization, subject to public law, having a certain degree of administrative and financial autonomy, whose goal is to fulfill a mission of general interest, other than industrial or commercial.

The following facts are from Le Figaro:

Christine Albanel was born on June 25, 1955 in Toulouse. Her father Jean-Claude Albanel was a doctor. Her mother was born Lucile Bez. She is divorced from Philippe Guilhot de Lagarde and is the mother of one child: Antoine Valroff.

She has held numerous posts as "chargée de presse", "chargée de mission", technical advisor, and assistant supervisor of office personnel, primarily in the service of Jacques Chirac when he was mayor of Paris, and later when he became president.

She was president of the Public Establishment of Versailles from 2003 until her appointment as Minister of Culture.

She has written 3 plays: Les Palhasses (1983), Hôtel Sawat et de la Plage (1984), Barrio Chino (1984); one novel: A Senseless Mother (1994).

She has been named Knight of the Legion of Honor.

An article from RTL describes one of her first duties as minister - visiting various museums during the "Nuit des Musées" (Museum Nights), a yearly event in France and Europe when museums stay open late. This year 960 French museums and 850 others throughout Europe participated in the event. She began at a museum called Mac/Val in Vitry-sur-Seine, dedicated to contemporary art, then visited the Château de Versailles where she had worked for four years, and ended her evening at the Rodin Museum in Paris. The article quotes her as saying, a propos of Mac/Val:

"Cultural democracy is a very big stake. A place like this is the archetype of what needs to be done: to make people think, laugh , smile. It's a beautiful symbol."

Le Conservateur posted a short article on Christine Albanel expressing his great displeasure with the work she had accomplished at Versailles:

The desire to increase the number of visitors results in a denaturing of the site and a rapid degradation of the buildings and gardens where numerous acts of vandalism are only the most visible signs of decay. (...)

I have already said many times at this blog that the Ministry of Culture ought not to exist. It represents a concept of official culture worthy of East Germany from the 1950's. This ministry contains a hidden vice: it brings together the world of the media, such as live spectacles and part-time performers on the one hand, and the silent world of cultural patrimony, which does not attract the crowds or the media, on the other. (...)

To save our patrimony, which is threatened with dissolution pure and simple, we need a non-political agency. But that is not on the horizon today, and we regret this bitterly.

While it is too soon to judge Christine Albanel, she seems to be, like her boss Nicolas Sarkozy, a person of her times, a product of all the cultural changes that began in the 1960's.

A Ministry of Culture, like our Supreme Court, must remain faithful to the past, to what has been constructed so laboriously by the millions of people who lived before us. Change takes place around us all the time. There is no need to glorify these changes just because they represent the trends of the times. Eventually some of these changes will take their place as part of the national heritage, but they have to stand the test of time, and they have to be subjected to severe scrutiny by experts and public alike. They have to hold their own with the works of the past before they can be considered patrimony.

Today we tend to confuse the latest fad with "art" and we call someone who is merely talented a "genius". If you belong to a think-tank you are "brilliant". And if you write a play or two, you may become Minister of Culture!

Christian Churches

This is a story without end.

Like crime, the on-going reports of damage and neglect to Christian churches are impossible to keep up with. Fires, desecrated grave sites, vandalism, political indifference, etc... are an everyday occurrence. The will to see the European landscape rid of all traces of the religion that was its moral backbone for two millennia is the 21st century counterpart to the Revolution's destruction of churches in the 18th century.

This report is from Le Salon Beige:

One rural church out of five will be destroyed in France. This amounts to 2800 churches, 2800 spires that will come down.

The churches are emptying out, they are too big for the number of faithful.

Their upkeep is too expensive.

The municipalities are forced to tear them down...

And everybody bows down before these decisions - priests and politicians.

A terrible abandonment and a horrible desertion.

To get rid of a building, all that is needed is to let it rot for 20 years, then surround it with red bands indicating danger, then file for a decree of public danger. Demolition then is no longer a shameful thing. It is the recommended thing to do.

How can one feel optimistic, despite the online poll being taken by Le Figaro indicating that so far 85% of readers are shocked by the destruction of our churches. That will not be enough to change politics... and those Internet users who are shocked are not necessarily those who have influence in these matters...

To try one last time to save a few churches, it is urgent to act and to fight: to act in the municipalities, to attempt to buy back (to become a patron of the arts, like Maecenas), to mobilize through organizations such as "Clochers de France" or "40,000 Clochers", etc... To insist firmly and effectively that the next minister in charge of patrimony accept this responsibility.

Note: For those interested, both organizations linked to above accept contributions.

But who is really going to make a move to save our churches and allow our children to hear, as our fathers did and we ourselves did, the ringing of the Angelus in our countryside?

Meanwhile, municipalities subsidize illegally the construction of mosques in Marseilles, Montreuil, Roubaix...

The photo shows the burnt interior of the abbey of Kergonan that was destroyed by fire on April 19. The cause is still being investigated, but the abbey is in Brittany, scene of many burnt churches, desecrated tombs and a seemingly endless series of acts of vandalism as reported by Indignations. Often the perpetrators leave behind satanic references.

Many more photos of the Kergonan fire are available here.

Officially European

It has been noted at some websites that the official photograph of President Sarkozy includes the flag of the EU in the background. This report appeared both at Le Salon Beige and Chrétienté Info:

It was photographer Philippe Warrin of the Sipa Agency who took the official photograph of President Nicolas Sarkozy in the library of Elysée Palace on Monday. Why is it necessary to mention the name of the photographer?

Because it is said that it was he who suggested to the President that he include a European flag in the picture:

"The President just wanted to stand in the library with the French flag behind him. I suggested he add the European flag and he agreed. It is the first time that a French President has posed with the European flag!"

More information from 20 Minutes:

Philippe Warrin, 44, is delighted to have the "honor of being chosen" for this presidential photograph. "This counts in the life of a photographer," he stressed.

Philippe Warrin also took the photo for the poster used during the first round of the election, with the slogan "Together everything is possible".

He followed candidate Sarkozy during the campaign and took the photos on the night of the second round at campaign headquarters and at Fouquet's restaurant, which were published in Paris-Match.

Mr. Warrin explained that he met Cecilia Sarkozy three years ago when a magazine asked him to do a series of photographs of her, while her husband was Minister of Finances. "Cecilia liked the photos... I later followed her husband on trips to New York and Morocco," he added.

Photo of the photographer from Monsieur Cinema.

In Charge Of National Identity

When Nicolas Sarkozy enlivened his presidential campaign with talk about a ministry of immigration and national identity, he did not tell us who would be in charge of such a potentially dangerous mission. Having considered both Rachida Daty and Bernard Kouchner, he finally gave the post of Minister of Immigration and National Identity to his long-time friend and close associate Brice Hortefeux.

Here is a condensation of a Le Monde article that zeros in on the relationship between the two men:

The most faithful of those faithful to Nicolas Sarkozy, Brice Hortefeux finds himself in charge of a delicate mission, dear to the new president, of heading the Ministry of Immigration, Integration and National Identity.

For some he is the incarnation of Sarkozy's policies, for others he is a lackey. Born on May 11, 1958 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, he has known Nicolas Sarkozy since 1976. Since their first meeting they have remained very close, through thick and thin.

Brice Hortefeux is the only one, of those in Sarkozy's entourage, to have known him before he met his second wife Cecilia. He was a witness at Sarkozy's first wedding and is the godfather to one of his sons born from this marriage.

In a book recently published, journalist Philippe Reinhard presents Hortefeux as a man of loyalty. Loyal to the region of the Auvergne where he settled, loyal above all to the new occupant of Elysée Palace.

Here is a list from Wikipedia of the positions held by Brice Hortefeux:

Degree in private law (1982)
Master's degree in public law (1984)
Graduate of Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po)
Local authority administrator (1986-1994)
Prefect, given responsibility for a government public service mission (1995)
Special adviser in the office of the President of the Senate (1998-1999)
Head of office of the Minster for the Budget and Communications and government spokesman (1993-1995)
Departmental secretary, Le Puy de Dôme RPR Federation (1991-2001)
Member of the RPR political committee (1998-2002)
Member of the UMP political bureau (since 2002)
Member of Auvergne Regional Council (since 1992)
Chairman of the finance committee and rapporteur on the budget, Auvergne Regional Council (since 1998)
Member of the European Parliament

He also held the position of Minister-Delegate of overseas territorial collectivities, which is part of the Ministry of the Interior, in the last of Chirac's cabinets. It is said that he very much wanted to become Minister of the Interior, but that post went instead to Michèle Alliot-Marie. Sarkozy probably needed someone he could trust totally in the new Ministry of Immigration, but only time will tell what this actually means in terms of fewer immigrants and more expulsions.

It is difficult to evaluate this appointment because from the descriptions of Hortefeux he is Sarko's man through and through without a distinct personality or value-system of his own. His most difficult job will probably be to bear the brunt of any hostility aimed at his boss and to engage in damage control.

Photo from 20 Minutes.

The Minister Of Education

While the message boards of some websites engage in heated debate over the naming of Rachida Dati as Minister of Justice, most patriots are happy about the appointment of Xavier Darcos as Minister of Education. Le Salon Beige reports:

An "agrégation" in literature, a doctorate in Latin studies and a doctorate in literature and human sciences, mayor of Périgueux, a former inspector for the Ministry of Education, staff coordinator ("directeur de cabinet") for François Bayrou at the Ministry of Education, Xavier Darcos was education adviser to Prime Minister Alain Juppé (1995-1997), and Minister for Secondary Education under Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

When he was in the Ministry of Secondary Education, he set off a controversy in November 2002 by suggesting that "the most troubled schools be equipped with fences." In 2003, he reopened the debate on school uniforms and the use of the formal forms of address ("vous") in schools. He also deemed "necessary" the law forbidding the wearing of religious symbols in public schools.

Since June 2005, he has been an ambassador: the permanent representative of France to the organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. (OCDE).

At his blog, you can read some of his ideas on schools:

"France should delve more deeply into the idea of giving young people in school insights into that which is transcendent: the soul, religion, the infinite, time, values, the Western spiritual basis... School, besides the fact that it confuses culture with being cultivated, is mired in problems involving the use of the vernacular, and in sermonizing about global and uniform "human rights" as if there were no hierarchies, differences or choices."

When Pope Benedict made his remarks in Germany last year (about the violent nature of Islam), Xavier Darcos defended him and denounced anti-Catholic prejudice:

"Catholicism is used to these distortions: it can be the object of caricatures, it can be insulted and attacked, its churches can be invaded and ridiculed. But woe to anyone who attacks another religion. Then it's no joke. I'm still waiting for illegal immigrants to invade a mosque or a synagogue."

So far, Darcos is one of the few cabinet members who sounds like a traditional Frenchman. What he will be able to accomplish at the Ministry of Education remains to be seen.

Angevin Violence

The 16th century poet Joachim du Bellay wrote of his love for his land in a famous sonnet that ends with a salute to "Angevin sweetness". But the Angevin region of France - the former royal province of Anjou - is today encountering ugly problems of criminality in the form of gang rapes, murders and other types of violent behavior committed primarily by young immigrants. This report from Avenir du Futur describes some recent acts of terrorism:

During the night of May 12 - May 13 a young female Dutch student, barely 18 years old, was the victim of a gang rape in the middle of downtown Angers. She was raped by a gang of young men she had approached on the Verdun bridge to ask directions.

During the night May 7 - May 8 in Trélazé, a suburb of Angers, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a passing car. According to a local paper: "when the three passengers stopped to check on the extent of damage, five young people, four of them minors, came out of the bushes, insulted them and threw rocks. The main perpetrator was arrested, questioned and released. The others will be summoned to criminal court next August 2."

On Monday a family man, 46 years old, was stabbed to death in the street in the neighborhood of Roseraie.

Another post at the same website deplores the manner in which these events are reported by the press, in particular the gang rape of the Dutch girl:

The police said that this sort of thing is very rare.

And here is an amazing statement from the director of the International Center for French Studies: "When you're in a foreign country you feel safe. Angers is a relatively safe city but girls should always be accompanied. This problem would never happen to Asian girls, because they are more careful. American girls, by their outgoing nature, attract attention."

Isn't this a type of racism, as if some girls deserved to be raped and others did not?

The head of international relations at ESA (College of Agriculture of Angers) tops everything in these terms: "All these students come from countries that have nothing to teach us as far as security is concerned. Maybe it's a question of age. Our students are at least 20 years old. Perhaps one is more mature, more aware than at 18."

In short, the girl who was raped becomes the main cause of her rape. She sould not have been young, or attractive or quick to ask directions with such assurance.

Le Conservateur quotes from the above articles and discusses the problem of crime against foreigners in France:

This is an opportunity to remind ourselves that a major portion of the crimes in France target foreigners. It is not well known, there are rarely any complaints filed, the statistics do not take it into account, and yet it is a cancer to our tourist industry. For so-called reasons of "non-discrimination" we do not dare warn foreigners that certain areas, or certain populations, must be avoided, either at certain times or permanently. Thank you, political correctness.

I think in particular of the hordes of "gamins" who go pillaging in the streets of Paris (Gypsies, Rumanians, Albanians, Kosovars? I'm never quite sure). These gangs only go after foreigners ("Do you speak English?"), knowing that most of them will not know how, or won't have the time, to file a complaint. At Rue de Rivoli or the Gare du Nord, you are certain to find them, amidst general indifference. It's a shameful thing for our country.

Note: I certainly don't mean to sound hard on the poor Dutch girl, but an 18 year old girl should not be out alone at night. Her parents should not have let her go to France alone. Am I to believe that in Holland, of all places, it isn't known that gangs of immigrants attack women in France, as they do in other countries? Does somebody really have to warn tourists about crime? They don't know?

There is so much crime in the daylight hours, there's no need to ask for more trouble by walking alone at night. However, I realize that it cannot always be avoided.

As for Americans extroverted behavior, this is often true. Years ago they were among the loudest, noisiest tourists in France. But back then, they didn't attract gangs of thugs, only the disdain of the natives.

The illustration of Henri II Plantagenêt, who reigned over Anjou in the 12th century, and was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine, and who was also King of England, and father of King John under whom the Magna Carta was signed, is from Les Plantagenets.

Latest Figures

An article posted by Golani Warrior at his website brings us up to date on some of the latest immigration statistics. He uses a report from a German institute, posted at a Dutch website, as his source. One feature of this report is that it considers Russia and the European part of Turkey as belonging to Europe. And it distinguishes between Europe in its totality and the European Union:

According to the Zentral-Institut Islam-Archiv-Deutschland, in Germany, there are 53.7 million Muslims in Europe today. Of these 53.7 million Muslims, 15.9 million live in countries of the European Union. This data comes from the German embassies in Europe.

According to the institute, 7.9% of the 680 million Europeans are Muslims; 3.2% of the inhabitants of the European Union are Muslims.

It is impossible to compare these figures with those from preceding years, because it is the first time that the smaller European countries have participated in the study.

Most of the Muslims live in Russia (25 million) and in the European region of Turkey (5.9 million).

Within the European Union most Muslims live in France (5.5 million), in Germany (3.3 million), in Great Britain (1.5 million), in Bulgaria (1.1 million) and in Italy and the Netherlands (about 1 million each).

The countries with a Muslim majority are Turkey, but also Albania (2.1 million) and Bosnia (2 million).

The countries with the fewest Muslims are Andorra (400), Latvia (380) and Iceland (321).

Of the 494.7 million inhabitants of the European Union, 224.5 million are Catholic, 115 million are atheist, 57.8 million are Protestant, 39 million are Orthodox, 15.9 million are Muslims and 1.5 million are Jews.

Figures on the Muslim presence in Europe are variable, and in France, it really depends on how they count. If they count just the immigrants, there may be 5 million. But if they factor in the children born of immigrants and those resulting from mixed marriages, etc... the figures are double or triple.

It is also worth remembering that should Turkey be admitted into the EU it would add no fewer than 80 million Muslims to the 53.7 million who are already there.

The sticker protesting the entry of Turkey into Europe is from Occidentalis.

A Defense of Rachida Dati

Denis Greslin, administrator of Occidentalis, feels the need to defend Rachida Dati against those who fear her Maghrebin background or doubt her competence:

The choice of Rachida Dati as Minister of Justice breaks with the former policy that consisted of taking any idiot provided it was a North African and giving him a visible "responsibility". Such was the case of Azouz Begag, a worthless writer, poor orator, minister of the moment, who will certainly be at home alongside François Bayrou, with whom he shares certain qualities...

A reminder that Begag shoved his way into a post as "minister of equal opportunity" and threatened to pursue all those who committed acts of discrimination. During the campaign he left Sarkozy and joined François Bayrou.

For me, Rachida Dati is not a product of immigration. Her parents arrived in France at the time of decolonization, she studied in private Catholic schools and never used the label of "visible minority" to get ahead. On the contrary she always expressed her love for France and its values, declaring herself "French, of French origin". Certainly she is ambitious, what could be more normal in politics? Character? She has plenty. One had only to see how she calmed Besancenot, who is usually a good debater, during a televised debate. She owes her success to hard work and certainly to the good contacts she made, for example with Albin Chalandon and Simone Veil. She is not a Muslim, on the contrary, she may, because of her appearance, her charm and her new position, attract the hatred of Muslims.

A reminder that Olivier Besancenot was a candidate of the far-left. Chalandon helped her to get a job at Elf-Aquitaine and Simone Veil encouraged her to go to law school.

Why am I painting such a flattering portrait of her on Occidentalis? Quite simply to make it clear that we are fighting Islam, not people of North African origin who do not belong to that sect. Some minister named Dupont who claims he loves the prophet might cause us concern. That is not the case here.

I felt it was important to underscore these points, now it is done. Naturally that will not prevent us from criticizing her performance if it is justified!

The photo is from Telenews.

Keeper Of The Seals

The attractive woman in black, seen here at the inauguration ceremonies, is Rachida Dati, the new Minister of Justice. I've taken the following from Wikipedia with some modifications:

Rachida Dati, born November 27, 1965 in Saint-Rémy, is a French politician of Moroccan and Algerian descent. She was named Minister of Justice on the 18th of May 2007 by Nicolas Sarkozy. She was Nicolas Sarkozy's spokeswoman during the 2007 French presidential election. Rachida Dati is the first member of an ethnic minority ever to hold a key ministerial position in the French cabinet.

She was born to a Moroccan father who worked as a bricklayer and an Algerian mother. The second child of a family of twelve, she spent her childhood in a poor suburb of Chalon-sur-Saône.

She went to school in a Catholic school, with girls of a wealthier background from the country. When she was sixteen she started working as a paramedical assistant during the night. She then worked for three years as an accountant at Elf Aquitaine, while continuing her studies in economics and business management.

After meeting Jean-Luc Lagardère (1928-2003), a powerful French businessman, she started working in the management of the audit for Matra Nortel communication. She later spent one year in London, in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, still in the financial auditing department. In 1994 she was management auditor, secretary general of the bureau of urban development studies at the Lyonnaise des Eaux. She was also a technical counselor at the legal management division of the Ministry of Education.

She entered the École Nationale de la Magistrature (a school that prepares students for the position of magistrate). She then became legal auditor in the Bobigny lower common pleas court. She later took up a position of judge commissioned to collective procedures in the higher court of common pleas in Péronne, and finally as substitute for the public prosecutor in the Evry tribunal.

In 2002, she became Nicolas Sarkozy's advisor, for whom she worked on a law project on crime prevention. In 2006 she became a member of the UMP party. On the evening of Sunday the 14th of January 2007, she was named as spokeswoman for Nicolas Sarkozy, himself chosen the same day as the candidate for the UMP during the 2007 presidential elections.

After Sarkozy's victory, she entered the Fillon government on May 18, 2007 as Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice. When she arrived at Place Vendôme she declared, "I am the symbol of France."

She is a member of the Montaigne Institute, the Le Siècle Club and co-founder of the 21st Century Club.

She married Lebanese businessman Walid Darwiche on October 5, 2003.

Update: May 25, 2012 - Her marriage and husband were never mentioned in the press (that I know of) during her term as minister of Justice. It was as if she had never been married. I believe I read the marriage was annulled, but I cannot provide a link. During her term, she would become pregnant and give birth to a daughter. The father remains unknown to the general public. She is still unmarried.

Le Salon Beige provided information about the three clubs Ms. Dati belongs to:

The Montaigne Institute is a French think-tank composed of cadres, high functionaries and university professors/researchers who elaborate political and public proposals. Its work turns on three axes of research: mobility and social cohesion, modernization of the public sphere, economic and European strategy.

Le Siècle (The Century) is the most influential club of France, composed of influential members of the French ruling class (high functionaries, CEO's, politicians both right-wing and left, high-profile journalists, university personnel and unions.)

The 21st Century Club is a network whose function is to "improve this tremendous asset that is French diversity, by promoting equality of opportunity in the interest of politicians, without artifice or special favors." The club is mainly composed of bankers, CEO's and high functionaries most of whom are of foreign origin, especially North African.

Four readers of Salon Beige made these comments:

 - Get it? France is ruled only by these networks, clubs more or less obscure where our politicians get their stupid and destructive ideas. We can vote, complain, criticize, it won't help in any way the problems that preoccupy us. The only solution is a radical change, even by force. Politics no longer exists, democracy is disappearing, only these secret villainous groups directly influence our political system and through that, our daily lives.

 - The more deeply we get into this Mafia society, the more the outcome seems unavoidable: sooner or later we will have to take up arms.

 - It's naïve to think you can get known and act without frequenting these groups. They are obligatory stops on one's path. Or else, you remain anonymous. As in Versailles in the 17th century, where you belonged to a club and had the right to enter. Otherwise it was social death and oblivion.

 - (...) If all the children of immigrants could take her as a model, France would be enriched by its new citizens. I don't agree with the way you condemn this woman. Such notions have destroyed the Right (the real Right) for so many years. (...) Let's judge people on their personal value. That, too, is what it means to be French.