Tonight is the night of the Big Face Off between the two remaining French candidates for the presidential election Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande
This widely watched debate is the last before the people of France go to the polls on Sunday next , 6th May. 5 years ago , it was between Sarkozy and Segolene Royale ( socialist) with Sarko making mince meat of Sego , going on to win the presidential election thereafter.
While we have come to know ( and love/hate) Sarko over the past few years, who is this Francois Hollande??
10 things you may not know about Mr Hollande
- He was born in 1954 and had a tough childhood under an authoritarian father
- He is Segolene Royale's ex partner - yes, the lady who came second in the last presidential race ... they split up just after the elections in 2007. How flipping small is this pool of presidential electorates anyway? He has four children from this partnership
- It transpired that he was having an affair with journalist Valerie Trierweiler from Paris Match
- He has never ever served in government. He has no experience whatsoever in running a country or holding a governmental position
- If it hadn't been for DSK's "indiscretions", we probably would be looking at a Sarko/Dominique Strauss Kahn debate ce soir
- His nickname is Flamby ( pudding or marshmallow)
- If he becomes president , he wants to put an end to Merkels "austerity policy"
- He proposes 75% tax for those with income over 1 million euros
- He normally gets to work on his own scooter and promises to be a " normal" president ( as opposed to Sarko who has been dubbed president Bling Bling)
- Even though , he is on the verge of becoming president, nobody really knows anything about him, his close friends and confidants saying that he has a mysterious side and is very private. No one really knows at all what kind of man he is and what kind of a president of the republic he will make....
Let the Debate commence : Bring in The Clowns! There ought to be clowns...
I think its a case of, "They're already here" GAB.X
ReplyDeleteQuite a circus!
DeleteHe was never married to Segolene Royale. They had a very progressive civil partnership (at that time).
ReplyDeleteHe's also an Enarque, so not stupid, intellectually at least...
I just can't imagine a Flamby being Prez, but I seem to be in a minority and can't vote anyway. It's just too bizarre.
Thanks for that Sarah, I have altered my text - I assumed they were married. Don't know why, I'm not married myself to the father of my children!!
DeleteDid you watch the debate? Quite unremarkable I thought?
I thought they'd married while she was making her presidential bid....
ReplyDeleteI'm not at all keen on Sarko, who let his party prevent him from making the much needed reforms France needed, but I'm even less keen on Hollande who, from what PS friends tell me is the typical ENA product, a tick in the box merchant - and a very dirty operator. In other words the typical establishment politician.
For some reason the press don't want to report on his finances.
He also sabotaged Royale royally - not that she needed his assistance.
They're all much of a muchness really .. they're not going to have much power in any case with the IMF etc chasing their heels...
DeleteI would be worried about letting a man run the country who has zero experience at all...he wouldn't even get an interview with his CV if he was going for a 'real job'!
I'm putting my money on Sarko winning, he really went for the FN vote in LeDebat , that might swing it for him? On verra...