Message of hope

I can’t resist the pleasure to reproduce here this short column, published this week in the French weekly “Le Nouvel Observateur”, by a noted expert on French politics. I am glad to be in such good company. Thank you Mr Cayrol.

« In spite of the “bloody shambles”, the desire for politics is still there.

No, they haven’t gone crazy, our political leaders, unlike what Bayrou pretends to believe! They are at the end of the logical evolution of an exhausted system. With its unkempt promises, its political waffle, its privileges for the rascals of the gang, its concurrent holding of offices, its endless careers, politics has isolated in a comfortable bubble, without relation to the grass roots’ concerns. Fourteen years in “Mitterandia” and twelve in “Chiraquia” have succeeded in discrediting completely politics in a country which used to believe in it. Bravo!

Yet, there has been no shortage of messages sent by French: election results, referendum, street demonstrations, opinion polls. No reaction on Government’s side. And not much on Opposition’s side. Enter Clearstream and Drut scandals: so what, say the polled, political adversaries play dirty tricks on each other, and political friends grant each other favours; is that news? Honestly, we knew that already…

Unlike what happened in the 30’s, the French voter is not tempted to let himself be carried away by a wave of antidemocratic anger. He is just discouraged and ironic, he doesn’t believe any longer. It increases the voter’s wish to abstain and, mechanically, Le Pen’s results.

Yet, deep down, almost unbelievably in this “bloody shambles”, the desire for politics is still there. We want to understand how our complex globalised world could look like, which cards we could play to fare better in it, how we could be associated to the decisions which condition our future. It is our paradox at this time: against a background of generalised, and justified, mistrust of politicians, the French want at last a real debate, to put all cards for change on table.

Roland Cayrol (Roland Cayrol is a thesis mentor at Sciences Po, the French Institute for Political Science Study, and General Manager of CSA, a major French polling institute. He has just published a new book called “The Night of Politicians” at Hachette Littératures, Paris.) "

End of quote. It is my own translation and I assume responsibility for any mistake.