Better late than never

First of all, I would like to wish every one reading us a very Happy New Year [I am late, I know, and I am sorry for that. Just know that in France, we have until January 31 to send our wishes]. May 2005 bring you health, wealth, happiness and everything that your heart desires. And may the leftists among us get as many good news as in 2004 (Remember: First in line, second in line, democracy in once-unlikely places, next in line?, victory, third in line - it indeed looks like the world is a better place), starting here and there in 2005.

I have been posting only sporadically lately - again, I'm sorry. Thanks to Valerie and Damian for posting more regularly - ahem - than I did. I promise I'll be more serious in 2005.

Last year, while E-nough! was still in its conception stage, I wrote some kind of state of France post at Pave France. Has something - anything - changed?

Well, not much.

2005, just like 2004, started with teens and wannabe jihadists torching cars all over France:

The Police counted more than 330 torchings of cars in the whole country during New Year's Eve . . . 333 cars have burnt for the new year compared to 324 in 2004. . .

Huh... looks like life isn't really getting better in France.

"It's about the same as in 2004 because we put the emphasis on prevention and the presence of policemen in difficult neighborhoods", [said a spokesman for the National Police], stressing that 272 persons were taken in for questioning in entire France and 200 placed in custody, two figures strongly increasing compared to last year. . .

In Paris, where about 500,000 people crowded the Champs-Elysées to celebrate the beginning of 2005, no windows or bus stops were broken unlike in previous years.

The Police took 140 persons in for questioning, including for insulting policemen, throwing projectiles or robbing by snatching but "it was a good night", indicated a spokesman for the Paris police headquarters.

A good night? Oh well, if he says so...

As far as French lecturing is concerned, well, different teacher, same nonsense. Let's just hope some other losers won't have the bad idea to join the French team.

As for Chirac... he'll always be there Chirac:

Supporters of French President Jacques Chirac are pushing for a constitutional change that would make him a senator-for-life after he leaves office and thus shield him from the threat of future legal proceedings, newspapers reported Friday.

The proposed measure would mean that all former presidents become automatic members of the upper house of parliament - instead of joining the constitutional council, France's highest judicial authority, which they do under the existing arrangement.

Chirac, 72, cannot be prosecuted as long as he remains president, but when he steps down he risks being placed under judicial investigation in connection with a series of party-finance scams during his 18-year tenure as mayor of Paris.

By becoming a life senator, the conservative president would enjoy parliamentary immunity which would make it extremely difficult - though not impossible - to bring him before the courts, the left-leaning Liberation and Le Monde newspapers said.

The risk of being made to face trial after he loses his presidential immunity is believed to be a major factor in Chirac's deliberations over whether to stand for an unprecedented third term in 2007. So far he has assiduously kept the possibility open.

The new proposal, which would require a change to the country's 1958 constitution, is being promoted by senator Patrice Gelard - a leading Chirac supporter - and will be formally tabled in the Senate next Tuesday, Le Monde said.

But both papers agreed that its chances of success were small, as any constitutional change would have to confirmed by referendum.

We'll see...

Gelard told Liberation that the measure is primarily aimed at another former president - Valery Giscard D'Estaing - who is frustrated by the rules of strict neutrality that he is obliged to observe as a member of the constitutional council and wants greater fredom to speak out.

"It's not a question of any particular individual. But it seems to me incongruous that a former president such as Giscard should be forced to submit to a rule of non-interference in public debate," he said.

"It seems perfectly normal that he should be able to share his ideas on any number of subjects. The question of the European constitution is the prime example," he said. Giscard D'Estaing headed the Convention that drew up the EU constitution.

But Gelard did not deny that the measure could also offer a potential lifeline to Chirac, Liberation said.

So far two words come to mind: banana republic.

Not so long ago, I had mentioned in a thread that France was "in an advanced state of sovietization". You have no idea how things have worsened since August 2004.
This post is already a long one, so I'll close it here. But wait for more details coming.

Meanwhile, let's hope France will have the courage and sanity to stand up and get down to work so that 2005 will look less like 2004.