Two years ago the campaign for the French President elections was highly seen in the media, fascinating almost every French people. The three main candidates at that time (the socialist Segolene Royal, Francois Bayrou in the center and of course Sarkozy) did their best to seduce the French who really expected a change. They appeared in lots of debates, or prime time interviews on TV for example.
I remember Sarkozy, liar as usual, explaining that the most prestigious positions appointed by the government will now be done because of people's competence and previous track record of success and not because of their network, friendship or connections. What an idiot I was: I believed him. I though he was a great speaker and what he said made sense. I almost thought the time of the Chiraquie was gone and a new fair system would be put in place.
This is even worst.
This is now almost disgusting.
Not only Sarkozy always ppoints people that are very close to him to those positions, but he doesn't hesitate to sack highly competent people who did not contribute to increase the prestige of the French President. Recently a Prefet (Rep of the State in a Region, who is also in charge of the regional security and police) was badly sacked because Sarkozy was whistled during a meeting in his region.
The latest scandal happened this week when Sarkozy nominated Francois Perole, ex deputy general secretary of the Elysee Palace, to the head of the new bank that will result from the merging between Banque Populaire and the Caisse d'Epargne, which will become the second French bank. What experience does he have in managing a bank and the risks in such a climate? None, probably, but that doesn't matter for the French. In the middle of the scandal Saroky claimed that the "Commission of Deontologie" (a kind of Code of Conduct institution that is supposed to give its approval when someone who worked for the French administration at a high level is appointed to a private company ) gave its approval. It appeared that it was wrong and that the commission has never been consulted before Sarko made this public annoucement.
The French elitism doesn't focus on achievement or competence, but on the academic background, friendship or network. The perfect system to have the wrong person in the wrong place probably in the wrong time. Like Sarkosy may be. The problem is that in France this practice is widely known, recognized and accepted.
French politicians are not credible. No one (or a few) could be trusted. To be where they are they would have demonstrated their ability to lie, to betray and to flatter. To be where they are is the culminant point of their bad practices, when they have become and expert and they have now even more power to practice their art.
