| Author (Corporate) | BBC |
|---|---|
| Series Title | BBC News |
| Series Details | 22.11.08 |
| Publication Date | 22/11/2008 |
| Content Type | News |
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Royal driven by a sense of injustice When asked why he was so opposed to Ségolène Royal taking over the leadership of France’s opposition Socialists, a distinguished party figure leant over his desk, paused and then spat out the words: “Because she is such an idiot.” The violence of the remark, delivered naturally under request of anonymity, is a measure of the animosity that Ms Royal brings out in her critics. The Socialists’ bitterly contested party leadership has ended up in a tie-breaker between two women: Ms Royal and Martine Aubry, the mayor of Lille and a former social affairs minister. But the contest has boiled down to a referendum on one of them: Ms Royal. The Socialist party’s governing council on Tuesday night ratified Ms Aubry’s slender victory in Friday’s election by a slightly increased margin of 102 votes. However, in spite of this, the referendum on Ms Royal is set to continue because her determination to seek the party’s nomination for the presidential election – conferred separately to the leadership – is only likely to be reinforced by a sense of injustice. The Socialists’ leadership contest has been policy-free, instead revolving around character and ambition. Ms Royal alienated many senior figures in the party during her failed presidential election campaign first by winning the nomination against their best efforts and then by keeping them at arm’s length during the campaign itself. This is evidence of her inability to lead, they say. She argues they failed to pull their weight. Many party figures doubt whether she is a true socialist, despite her decades of party activism, three ministerial jobs and loyal service to François Mitterrand, the late president. Ms Royal questioned socialist shibboleths such as the 35-hour maximum working week – introduced by Ms Aubry – and traditionally rightwing issues such as law and order and patriotism. Above all, they suspect she will simply turn the Socialist party into a vehicle for a second presidential bid, which senior figures feel she does not merit. Ms Royal said she would act as party president rather than the conventional hands-on first secretary and would open up the party to sympathisers as well as card-carrying members. Her critics say she lacks self-discipline and intellectual rigour to fight against Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s agile president. They say she flits from one policy position to another according to the political weather. But it is her ability to grab the headlines and her populist style – which varies between TV evangelist and Joan-of-Arc martyr – that really get her opponents’ blood boiling. And yet Ms Royal still persuaded half of the party to vote for her. To her allies, she is the only leadership candidate who really believes the party must update its thinking, practices and personnel. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008 Aubry pledges to heal French Socialists' divisions Martine Aubry spent her first day in charge of France's opposition Socialists contemplating the prospect of a long insurgency by Ségolène Royal, her defeated rival for the party leadership. Ms Aubry, whose narrow victory was confirmed on Tuesday night, promised to try to heal the Socialists' bitter divisions and reach out to her opponent. But although Ms Royal accepted she had lost the party leadership race, despite threats of legal action, she made clear she would not give up her campaign to be the Socialists' candidate in four years' time. "2012, that's tomorrow," she said. Ms Royal said she would "carry on more than ever" with her efforts to reflect on policy, draw up a governmental programme and assemble a mass movement of supporters, creating a competing power base to Ms Aubry's Socialist party machine. But Ms Aubry has proved a formidable opponent, finally thwarting Ms Royal's attempt to seize control of the party to the relief of most of its senior ranks. It is a remarkable turnround for the 58-year-old mayor of Lille, whose career was flagging six months ago. According to Claude Bartolone, one her leading allies, Ms Aubry is best placed to rally other parts of the party around concrete policy positions, thereby ending the party's theological wars. However, she is not seen as a shoo-in for the presidency. "She is not considered 'presidentiable', but nor is she excluded altogether," Mr Bartolone said. Ms Aubry was once regarded as a bright and relatively young hope of the party she joined in 1973. She is a moderate, pro-European social democrat, like her father, Jacques Delors, former European Commission president. A reformist social affairs minister in the government of Lionel Jospin from 1997 to 2000, Ms Aubry was highly regarded by the business community for her technical competence and intelligence. But her greatest achievement, implementing the 35-hour maximum working week starting in 1998, soon became a millstone, summing up, perhaps unfairly, the weaknesses of the French economy. Many leading Socialists have since disowned the policy, although she continues to defend it. After losing her parliamentary seat in 2002, Ms Aubry retreated to Lille, in northern France, serving as mayor since 2001. She appeared condemned to play in the party's second division but saw her chance to return to the top tier as a slayer of Ms Royal's ambitions. Backed by an unlikely coalition, she outmanoeuvred her popular but unconvincing main rival, Bertrand Delanoë, Paris mayor. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008 French ex-presidential candidate Segolene Royal is contesting the results of a vote on the 21 November 2008 to choose the leader of the French Socialist opposition. Martine Aubry, a former minister and current Mayor of Lille, won the vote by a razor-thin margin of 42 votes. |
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| Source Link | http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7741015.stm |
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| Countries / Regions | France |
