http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,471231,00.html
March 12, 2007
A FOND FAREWELL
Chirac Says Adieu, The French Say Bonjour to a New Era
With his farewell speech, French President Jacques Chirac wanted to show the French one last time that his heart and values are in the right place. His people, however, have had enough of big words.
Jacques Chirac went out just as he had come in -- big words and passionate pleas dominated the ceremonial television address at the end of his second term. The 74-year-old president emphasized the country's grandeur, its values and its role in the world -- and announced, as expected, that he would not be seeking a third term.
Photo Gallery: Chirac's Bon Mots
Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (7 Photos)
On Sunday evening, Chirac appeared to want to bid farewell to his position at the helm of France, "this France which I love as much as I love you." The outgoing president, whose speeches have always seemed somewhat wooden, had rarely shown so such emotion during his twelve years in office.
Like a loving father passing on his wisdom to his children, the departing president -- who has seemed unusually passive and worn out since the November 2005 riots in the country's suburbs -- dispensed some good advice for the future: "Never compromise with extremism," he urged. He was on safe territory; nobody could accuse Chirac of not having a spotless record on that topic. Chirac has always had an abhorrence to extremism and racism, and was the first French president to officially admit the French involvement in the persecution of Jews during the Nazi occupation of Vichy France.
Assuaging French doubts
His second message to his people was that they should "always believe" in themselves. Chirac tried to encourage those French who have found themselves plagued by self-doubts and insecurity in the age of globalization, saying, "We mustn't be afraid of the world's evolution."
However, the next piece of fatherly advice was characterized by the same ambiguity with which French politicians have been pulling the wool over their people's eyes for decades when it comes to France's role in the world and in Europe. It is "vitally important" that the European project continues, Chirac said -- but added that this should be "a Europe which guarantees our social model."
Here again was Chirac's familiar idea that Europe is a great project -- as long as it is a large-format version of France, and as long as it doesn't change in any way the fundamentals of French politics or society.
The idea that "Europe has to be the same as France, just bigger" has always been the "autopilot" of French politics, says pollster Stéphane Rozès. "But that autopilot is broken and the people know that," he adds.
More tolerance, less poverty
According to Chirac, France also has a special role in the worldwide clash of cultures and religions. The country has a "special responsibility which arises out of its history and the universal values which it helped shape," the president said. France should encourage more tolerance -- and do something about the poverty that billions of people around the world are forced to live in. Furthermore, the country should find a new way of living in and with nature, "on a planet that can't take it any more."
His speech was so emotional, so passionately patriotic and so open about the challenges for the future that few observers dared to criticize the old man in the Elysée. "Consensus, appreciation, and respect" dominated reactions to the address everywhere, according to a TV commentator who summarized the situation.
Brice Hortefeux, a confidant of presidential candidate Nicholas Sarkozy, was impressed by the great "fairness" of the presidential statements -- even though Sarkozy has still not received the blessing of the outgoing head of state, despite belonging to the same party, the Union for a Popular Movement.
No bridge for a divided society
Neither was the spokesperson of François Bayrou, the Union for French Democracy's presidential candidate, prepared to criticize the president "on such an evening." Even the Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal referred to the "dignity" of Chirac's speech -- and went on to criticize how social divisions had deepened during his presidency and how the French people harbored a "deep anger" because of continuing unemployment.
Indeed, Chirac's legacy of 40 years in French politics will not be remembered for many achievements. Chirac himself rarely followed the advice he gave to his people on Sunday evening.
As far back as 1995, he declared that his big goal was to bridge the "divisions within society." But the advance of right-wing radical Jean-Marie Le Pen to the second round of presidential elections in 2002 was a first -- and extremely loud -- warning signal that the idea of a united society was largely an illusion.
Evidence of failure
Chirac won 80 percent of the votes against his extremist rival but didn't use his second term either for reforms. The uprising in the bleak suburbs one and a half years ago is evidence of his failure.
Chirac himself certainly has no illusions about his final scorecard. At last Friday's EU summit in Brussels, he even apologized for not having done enough to prevent the failure of the French referendum on the EU constitution in May 2005.
With his loving, proud vision of France, it seemed during his TV appearance that he wanted to show his compatriots one last time that his heart and convictions are in the right place.
However, his emotional appeals have little to do with the reality of the country and its people, who are widely seen as longing for change and renewal. Fulfilling these expectations is now the task of the presidential candidates.
And the population's -- and candidates' -- thoughts are already in the post-Chirac era. It is now time to "change from nice words to action," said Royal. And Bayrou, the surprisingly popular centrist candidate, summed up by saying that the times are over when French politics was dominated by "big words with little behind them."
But Chirac had reserved a last word on the topic for himself: He said he will announce later which person he considers the best contender -- and emphasized that this would be a "personal decision." Sarkozy loses out yet again.
March 12, 2007
A FOND FAREWELL
Chirac Says Adieu, The French Say Bonjour to a New Era
With his farewell speech, French President Jacques Chirac wanted to show the French one last time that his heart and values are in the right place. His people, however, have had enough of big words.
Jacques Chirac went out just as he had come in -- big words and passionate pleas dominated the ceremonial television address at the end of his second term. The 74-year-old president emphasized the country's grandeur, its values and its role in the world -- and announced, as expected, that he would not be seeking a third term.
Photo Gallery: Chirac's Bon Mots
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Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (7 Photos)
On Sunday evening, Chirac appeared to want to bid farewell to his position at the helm of France, "this France which I love as much as I love you." The outgoing president, whose speeches have always seemed somewhat wooden, had rarely shown so such emotion during his twelve years in office.
Like a loving father passing on his wisdom to his children, the departing president -- who has seemed unusually passive and worn out since the November 2005 riots in the country's suburbs -- dispensed some good advice for the future: "Never compromise with extremism," he urged. He was on safe territory; nobody could accuse Chirac of not having a spotless record on that topic. Chirac has always had an abhorrence to extremism and racism, and was the first French president to officially admit the French involvement in the persecution of Jews during the Nazi occupation of Vichy France.
Assuaging French doubts
His second message to his people was that they should "always believe" in themselves. Chirac tried to encourage those French who have found themselves plagued by self-doubts and insecurity in the age of globalization, saying, "We mustn't be afraid of the world's evolution."
However, the next piece of fatherly advice was characterized by the same ambiguity with which French politicians have been pulling the wool over their people's eyes for decades when it comes to France's role in the world and in Europe. It is "vitally important" that the European project continues, Chirac said -- but added that this should be "a Europe which guarantees our social model."
Here again was Chirac's familiar idea that Europe is a great project -- as long as it is a large-format version of France, and as long as it doesn't change in any way the fundamentals of French politics or society.
The idea that "Europe has to be the same as France, just bigger" has always been the "autopilot" of French politics, says pollster Stéphane Rozès. "But that autopilot is broken and the people know that," he adds.
More tolerance, less poverty
According to Chirac, France also has a special role in the worldwide clash of cultures and religions. The country has a "special responsibility which arises out of its history and the universal values which it helped shape," the president said. France should encourage more tolerance -- and do something about the poverty that billions of people around the world are forced to live in. Furthermore, the country should find a new way of living in and with nature, "on a planet that can't take it any more."
His speech was so emotional, so passionately patriotic and so open about the challenges for the future that few observers dared to criticize the old man in the Elysée. "Consensus, appreciation, and respect" dominated reactions to the address everywhere, according to a TV commentator who summarized the situation.
Brice Hortefeux, a confidant of presidential candidate Nicholas Sarkozy, was impressed by the great "fairness" of the presidential statements -- even though Sarkozy has still not received the blessing of the outgoing head of state, despite belonging to the same party, the Union for a Popular Movement.
No bridge for a divided society
Neither was the spokesperson of François Bayrou, the Union for French Democracy's presidential candidate, prepared to criticize the president "on such an evening." Even the Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal referred to the "dignity" of Chirac's speech -- and went on to criticize how social divisions had deepened during his presidency and how the French people harbored a "deep anger" because of continuing unemployment.
Indeed, Chirac's legacy of 40 years in French politics will not be remembered for many achievements. Chirac himself rarely followed the advice he gave to his people on Sunday evening.
As far back as 1995, he declared that his big goal was to bridge the "divisions within society." But the advance of right-wing radical Jean-Marie Le Pen to the second round of presidential elections in 2002 was a first -- and extremely loud -- warning signal that the idea of a united society was largely an illusion.
Evidence of failure
Chirac won 80 percent of the votes against his extremist rival but didn't use his second term either for reforms. The uprising in the bleak suburbs one and a half years ago is evidence of his failure.
Chirac himself certainly has no illusions about his final scorecard. At last Friday's EU summit in Brussels, he even apologized for not having done enough to prevent the failure of the French referendum on the EU constitution in May 2005.
With his loving, proud vision of France, it seemed during his TV appearance that he wanted to show his compatriots one last time that his heart and convictions are in the right place.
However, his emotional appeals have little to do with the reality of the country and its people, who are widely seen as longing for change and renewal. Fulfilling these expectations is now the task of the presidential candidates.
And the population's -- and candidates' -- thoughts are already in the post-Chirac era. It is now time to "change from nice words to action," said Royal. And Bayrou, the surprisingly popular centrist candidate, summed up by saying that the times are over when French politics was dominated by "big words with little behind them."
But Chirac had reserved a last word on the topic for himself: He said he will announce later which person he considers the best contender -- and emphasized that this would be a "personal decision." Sarkozy loses out yet again.