France has given me everything, and now it is my turn to render to France that France has given me. [Nicolas Sarkozy, president-elect of France]
…[N]o regular reader of this weblog will be surprised by my fervent wish to see Royal, a former environment minister, elected president of France. After all, based on her ideology and a comparative analysis of their policies, I clearly have more common cause with Royal than with Sarkozy.
(Although, ironically enough, I sympathize with Sarkozy’s pledge to “rupture” France from its encrusted habits (especially of doling out unsustainable welfare benefits and indulging a 35-hour work week) which make the French too complacent as well as devoid of the entrepreneurial vigor that is necessary to survive and compete economically in the 21st Century. Alas, most Frenchmen regard this vow as a symptom of the American-style impudence and recklessness that afflict Sarkozy. Indeed, Sarkozy displays a Blairite affinity for America that any self-respecting Frenchman must find particularly galling. And this, more than anything else, is why a majority of them will vote for Royal in the runoff.)
I would like Royal to win also because she would immediately become the most appealing, dynamic and influential member of my “woman-power” club of female heads of state – with all due respect to sehr geehrte Frau Merkel, the first female Chancellor of Germany.
As things turned out, however, a record number of Frenchmen (reportedly 85%) voted yesterday to elect Sarkozy over Royal by a relatively decisive margin. Nevertheless, I hereby applaud their better judgment unreservedly.
Indeed, I’m obliged to note that Royal did not inspire much confidence in her leadership in the waning days of her run-off campaign when she insinuated that France’s disenfranchised, disaffected and disillusioned immigrants would have just cause to riot – as they did a year and a half ago – if Sarkozy were elected. Because this clearly amounted to nothing more than a shameful, irresponsible and hysterical act of political pandering, which I found unworthy of her candidacy.
Never mind that – far from rioting – many of those immigrants were in the streets last night celebrating Sarkozy as the leader who will provide meaningful jobs, lower their taxes and enforce law and order. After all, not only do they comprise the vast majority of the chronically unemployed; they are also most often the victims of crime. Of course, France’s smattering of anarchists were all too happy to be goaded by Royal….
Meanwhile, during his victory speech last night, Sarkozy endeared himself on this side of the Atlantic when he pointedly rejected France’s counter-Americanism, which his predecessor Jacques Chirac proselytized so zealously, by declaring that:
American friends…can rely on our friendship…France will always be next to them when they need us.
Vive La France!
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