Segolene Royal makes a laughingstock of French Socialists (again)

[mccafferty cat]

An extraordinary piece in today's Irish Times by Lara Marlowe, chronicling the latest attempts by Segolene Royal to preserve her position close to the top of French politics - no matter how much damage she inflicts on the Socialist Party (PS) as a result.

Her latest act has been to write to the Spanish PM Zapatero to apologise on behalf of France for comments made by Nicolas Sarkozy - comments which were made behind closed doors, and were only relayed to the media by some of those present.

"It all started when Mr Sarkozy told a bipartisan group of deputies and senators that US president Barack Obama was inexperienced, German chancellor Angela Merkel had no choice but to follow in his footsteps and the Spanish prime minister José Luis Zapatero was “perhaps not very intelligent”.

What Mr Sarkozy actually meant, most sources now agree, was that Mr Zapatero was more clever than French socialists, because he wins elections. The president’s irony though was lost on the Spanish media, who turned the perceived slight into a national cause.

Pardon, pardon, Ms Royal wrote to the Spanish prime minister at the weekend, asking forgiveness for the “offensive remarks made by Nicolas Sarkozy”. According to a statement on Ms Royal’s website, she assured Mr Zapatero “that these remarks did not commit France nor the French”. Ms Royal “believes that exercising the mandate of President of the Republic imposes the duty to master one’s language and behaviour so as not to harm the interests of France,” the statement ends preachily.

This bizarre act has raised condemnation from right and left.

Mr Sarkozy’s watchdogs accused her of seeking publicity and refusing to accept that she lost the election. She “needs psychological help”, said Frédéric Lefebvre, spokesman for the UMP.

Jack Lang, a former socialist minister, yesterday told Europe 1 radio station that Ms Royal made a faux pas. “I want to tell our Spanish friends: forgive her. How can you, on the basis of unverified rumours which were disputed by participants at the lunch, address yourself to the head of the Spanish government in the name of France?”

Royal seems to fear that PS leader Martine Aubry or even François Bayrou may emerge as chief opponents to Sarkozy, and is therefore trying to keep herself on the national stage.

This is the latest serious disaster to beset to the PS - following on from earlier scandals including an abandoned party congress, and a disastrous leadership election in November where Aubry defeated Royal by just 42 votes out of 140,000 cast. On that occasion, Royal's supporters went to town, making allegations of massive ballot fraud against Aubry and her main backer, Francois Hollande (Royal's ex husband!)

Is there no end to the meltdown of socialist parties across Europe?

[Clanrickard]

Clapped out has been ideology. Socialists have failed France and the French people. The sooner the electorate see it the better. The problem is there is little alternative.

[LDF]

Jeysus, sounds like she's swapping strategy notes with Mary Coughlan.

[evercloserunion]

Wait a minute. How does "perhaps not very intelligent" mean "is more intelligent than French socialists"? Am I missing something here?

[iartaoiseach]

thats up there with Mary McAleese apologising to the saudis for the mohammed cartoons.

[mccafferty cat]

Wait a minute. How does "perhaps not very intelligent" mean "is more intelligent than French socialists"? Am I missing something here?

That's irrelevant. Even if Sarkozy went on live television and gave an expletive-laden tirade against Zapatero's mother, it is absolutely pathetic for Royal to see it as her duty to apologise to him on behalf of France

[Pauli]

Clapped out has been ideology. Socialists have failed France and the French people. The sooner the electorate see it the better. The problem is there is little alternative.

Indeed it is a clapped out ideology. Almost as clapped out as the right wing nonsense those two muppets Harney and McCreevy, led, if that's the word, by the übermuppet Ahern, subjected us to for 7 long tedious years.

[arnaudherve]

She lost the internal elections in her party. She must now appear all the time in the media, in order to be selected by her party for the next presidential election.

That's how she became candidate last time.