he Sarkozy cabinet is a strnage beast in that respect. It has women n powerful positions (Alliot-Marie at the Interior, Lagarde at the Economy, Dati at Justice), but we hear more about the symbolic ones that the powerful ones. Dati is universally seen as incompetent and yet she is more protected by Sarkozy than any other given the symbol she represents (female and Arab). Lagarde embarrasses Sarkozy with her unashamed neoliberalism, so she is kept hidden as much as possible, but at least her competence and legitimacy are contested by no one, even if her policies are fought tooth and nail. Alliot-Marie is hated by Sarkozy, and is seen as an unavoidalbe leftover from the Chirac/Villepin years, so she is also kept in isolation as much as possible. Again, neither her legitimacy nor her qability to do the job are contested. So these two are treated as male politicians in the same position would be, which is in a way a lot more important than the Dati show.
Lagarde embarrasses Sarkozy with her unashamed neoliberalism, so she is kept hidden as much as possible, but at least her competence and legitimacy are contested by no one, even if her policies are fought tooth and nail.
Alliot-Marie is hated by Sarkozy, and is seen as an unavoidalbe leftover from the Chirac/Villepin years, so she is also kept in isolation as much as possible. Again, neither her legitimacy nor her qability to do the job are contested.
So these two are treated as male politicians in the same position would be, which is in a way a lot more important than the Dati show.
French politicians are generally still very machist and sexist, but laws have been put in place to force a bigger proportion of women to be elected. For instance, elections that are based on lists (for municipal councils, or the European Parliament, or regional councils) have to have a strict male-female-male-female alternance, which ensures that close to half of those elected are female (and male). For parliament, political parties have to have at least 40% of candidates from each gender, or pay fines, but so far they have (i) either paid the fines, or (ii) put female candidates in unwinnable contests. Still, numbers have improved.
And of course, we had Ségolène Royal as candidate for President last year. The least that can be said was that she was not helped by her male colleagues in the socialist party (such as Laurent "but who will take care of the kids?" Fabius) In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris, is probably the main other candidate, with the backing of Lionel Jospin.
The importance of the post is that the highway to the Elysée is to become head of one of the two major parties. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
Note that Delanoë is gay (and Parisian), so the choice is not completemy trivial... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
I posted this recent poll of politicians before:
Those I mentioned above are the third to fifth. The fourth powerful female politician, the Socialist faction leader, is less popular nowadays (seventh from behind). *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
