Back to work

Nicolas Sarkozy came back from holiday - and immediately found himself immersed in controversy following a routine visit to a car parts factory in northern France. A Belgian TV report claimed that workers were vetted for their size, with no one taller than the president allowed to appear behind him on the podium.

For some, it was a joke: another attempt to give the rather diminutive French leader added stature. For others, it smacked of manipulation.

"There is a doubt over the way those tours and visits are organized. Are they all set up?" asked Sylvain Lapoix of the online magazine Marianne 2. "People think we are back in some old time of monarchy when we had to please the king. Are we in the 'grand siecle', or are we in the 21st century where people face their responsibilities?"

The Elysee Palace dismissed accusations of stage management as "absurd" and "grotesque." It would prefer people to focus on the president's policies. In particular, his renewed attempts to challenge the excesses of the capitalist system have boosted his popularity in the opinion polls recently.

G20 challenge to bankers' bonuses

The French president has been tough on excessive bankers' bonuses, suggesting a bonus-penalty system that he wants the leaders at the next G20 summit on Sept. 24 in Pittsburgh to adopt. Sarkozy is backed by Germany and other European countries. Success would reinforce his credentials as a world leader.

"Everywhere, not only in France and Germany but also in the US and the UK, public opinion is supporting rather ambitious reforms," argued Christian de Boissieu, an economist at the Sorbonne university. "Therefore the whole of public opinion could be important in order to accelerate an agreement at Pittsburgh."

But domestic issues threaten to overshadow whatever progress is made at the G20. Despite signs of economic recovery, unemployment is still rising in France, with the numbers likely to be swelled by young people looking for work.

Carbon tax quagmire

The government also wants to introduce a new carbon tax as part of its strategy to deal with climate change. But the practicalities are complicated and have brought dissent within the governing UMP party. The measure itself is very controversial at a time when people are already struggling to make ends meet.

President Sarkozy has nailed his colors to the mast over the tax. "The world is on the edge of the abyss in terms of protecting the environment," he said recently. "We have to change our tax system by targeting pollution rather than work. We must be brave - those who pollute must pay."

Socialists have their own mess

The opposition socialists emerged with a rare display of unity from their summer conference, at which leader Martine Aubry tried to focus the attack on Sarkozy. But the party is itself divided over the carbon tax and threatened by Europe Ecology, a new alliance centered around the Green party.

Worse, the socialists' own credibility has been damaged by allegations in a new book, in which two journalists accuse Aubry supporters of having rigged last year's knife-edge election for the party leadership. Segolene Royal, narrowly beaten in the vote, had recently been building bridges with her bitter party rival, but is now back on the offensive again.

"I was very shocked to think of the tens of thousands of activists who had their votes stolen," said the former presidential candidate. "We knew that cheating had been going on, but not on that scale nor in such an organized way."

Bit parts for French people in the political play

For some observers, all this leaves the French people looking short-changed by their politicians. Marianne 2's editorial this week paints a picture of a stage show where the people are just extras.

"When they appear with the president they are chosen because they are shorter than him," commented Sylvain Lapoix. "When they vote for the head of the socialist party, it's the same; it's a set-up. People say 'what about my job, what did you do with my vote, my party, my country?'"

All parties have their eyes on regional elections next March in France as they battle for the political high ground. But with so many suffering and threatened by the economic crisis, people's tolerance for more scandal and disharmony is likely to be low.

Author: Alasdair Sandford in Paris/dc
Editor: Rob Turner