Sarkosy's Cabinet

[holger]

Just wondered what thoughts the French "hands" had about Mr. Sarkosy's cabinet choices. The New York Times has been writing about them and they do seem to be an eclectic and interesting bunch including people who have openly disagreed with him.

Since this is the Current events Thread, I hope I am not violating any rules.

[susanb]

I too have been wondering about that. We just hear about the gossip. The wife didn't go to the swearing in, she has a boyfriend, he has a girlfriend, that kind of stuff. What can I say, I'm a cheesehead. For those living in the U.S., you know what that is.

[Truffaut]

First of all, EVERY French president has a wife AND a girlfriend--it's part of the package! This is an interesting question, and I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't kept up with the news recently. I'll be interested to hear others' thoughts.

[cybee]

Yes, I read that the French just don't pay much mind to an elected official's personal life such as mistresses and such...unlike we do in the States!

[holger]

I wish we did not pay so much attention to our politician's personal lives. Their intelligence, sensitivity, knowledge of the cultures and norms of other societies are important. What they do in their private lives is private, at least in terms of whether they have had lovers. Before someone gets offended, I would draw the line at mass murder but I would do that both for someone in either a public or private area.

[holger]

Let me add that in terms of Sarkosy, it is his cabinet and the selections he is making that I find intriguing. Whether he and his wife are in a menage a trois is up to them to deal with.

[kasthor]

Yeah, politics!!

The french are funny people actually, the anti sarkozists kept saying during the campaign that he was sort of a little dictator but his cabinet includes two of Frances most famous politicians, Mr Juppe and Mr Kouchner.
The latter being a former socialist minister and initiator of medecins sans frontières and medecins du monde. A person I personnally have a lot of admiration for, he has put his own life in danger to draw attention to humanitarian causes in Lebanon, somalia or in darfour, so I think this guy is not the kind of guy serving an antidemocratic government, Sarkozy has decided to make him his minister of foreign affairs...
Juppe is a historical right wing figure with a very strong character and not that easily influenceable.
Both are more than 20 years older than Sarkozy himself.
Admittedly I have been a Sarkozist during this campaign, I certainly do not agree with many things but I really like the people around him and I think he has a good mix of young and more exprimented guys to make the whole thing work.
For me he made good choices and I especially like his minister of Justice, Rachida Dati, not only is she a beautiful woman but she is a total self made woman, 41 years old, from a north african background and raised in a suburb with 11 brother and sisters. I think this is the kind of image France must give to their people. Unlike in America where you are taught quite early that everything is possible if you just work hard enough for it, the french don't have this kind of mentality, we are very fatalistic and don't beleive in ambition and success, actually it is almost something bad...
However, Sarkozy is there for 5 years now and if he does what he said he would, he'll be there for another five, if he doesn't we'll vote for Strauss-Kahn!

[phread]

The most important point to me is that Sarkozy made a campaign promise to make the cabinet a 50/50 mix of men and women and he kept that promise!!! When was the last time you can remember a politician keeping his promise? I am very optimistic about this man!

[kasthor]

Well Phread, there are always to sides to a coin, he did indeed the 50/50 for his minister but by far not for the many secretaries of state... But you are right, this is not what he promised

[GitteK]

I like Sarko.
I was a socialist in my youth as everyone else. Now that I earn enough money not to be, I'm naturellement not.....

[andi]

Did I hear right that France has a President and a prime minister? I was watching the news the other day and caught the tail end....I am ignorant when it comes to politics really, I thought that the president WAS the Prime minister like over here in the UK but I guess I am wrong?

[GitteK]

andi - yes they have both. They also have in Germany. The reason why we, the kingdoms, only have a primeminister, is that we have our queens to rule over us...... (Elizabeth and Margrethe II)
Your primeminister is nothing like a president. He is not head of state - Elizabeth is head of state. The prime minister is only head of the government.

[andi]

I understand that Gittek, but am I right in thinking then that America only has the president and NOT a Prime Minister......or is there a a version but with a different title? Told you I was dumb when it came to politics!

[GitteK]

andi - the americans are a strange people....... BUT there are so many of them roaming this board so I'm sure that one of them will clarify Anyone out there ??

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

I'm not sure how closely the positions equate (woefully ignorant about European government and politics for the most part, although I do have a basic understanding of the UK system). But, we have both a president and secretary of state (president is elected, secretary of state is appointed by the president).

[Truffaut]

Please accept the following as grossly oversimplified, but basically correct.

In the US, our government is divided into three entities--the executive branch (President, Vice President, and appointed cabinet secretaries); the legislature (elected Senators and Representatives); and the judiciary (appointed Supreme Court justices and lower court judges). The President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has power to veto laws passed by the Congress, and appointed cabinet secretaries and federal judges. The Congress has the power to levy taxes, approve international treaties, approve Presidential appointments, and determine national spending. The judiciary has the power to review and interpret laws. There is an elaborate system of checks and balances that are intended to ensure that no one branch strays too far fom the way things are supposed to work. Of course, as we have seen recently, those checks and balances don't always work as they should The President is responsible for both domestic and international aspects of government.

In France, the President is responsible for all international and military affairs, while the Premiere is more focused on domestic policy. The two can, and have been, from different parties--and that makes for an interesting situation! I'm not sure what system of checks and balances there are, but I assume they exist.

[cybee]

Kasthor,

Very interesting what you wrote. I picked up on the statement that French may actually even consider success and ambition a bad thing? Why do you think this is? Too materialistic or is it a result of with such secured job employment (once employed), any motiviation may be mitigated to something less? I wonder.

I was just reading about the new foreign minister , Mr. Kouchner. It does sound indeed as if Sarkozy is selecting a range of thinkers, not necessarily rubber stampers to his own positions. While both Sarkozy and Koucher are generally pro -American, they don't agree on many other issues including Kouchner position that the Iraq invasion was justified (!!) and also Koucher's stand that Turkey should be admitted into the EU (both contrary to Sarkozy's positions on the same). Very interesting!

[amy321]

I read the descriptions of the new cabinet members and my impression is that Sarkozy is making a real attempt to be a "uniter, not a divider." I also found it curious that Kouchner supported the Iraq war.....

[Ray(aka) tripnebraska]

We only have a President, No Prime Minister. We cause enough mischief with the one.

[holger]

Truffaut did a good job of describing what ought to be. However, if the Court is full of presidential appointees from one President primarily and/or if the President and the Congress are largely the same party, the system of checks and balances may not work too well.

We do have a Vice President but that is often a titular office.