French press review 21 November 2011

Local politics, the pope, unemployment and the crushing defeat of the Spanish Socialists in Sunday's elections make up the front-page menu this Monday morning.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy dominates page one of Left-leaning Libération. The president has been sliced down the middle and had his halves slightly displaced to illustrate the headline "Schizo Sarko". The small print explains that, despite his recent surge in the opinion polls, Sarkozy remains a politician without a clear policy.

He has now virtually caught up with his Socialist rival, François Hollande - Sarko with 29 per cent of probable votes in the first round of next year's election, Hollande with 30 per cent. But Hollande remains favourite to win the second round convincingly, with 58 per cent against Sarkozy's 42 per cent. So much for the speculation.

The real problem, says Libé, is that the president has yet to decide on his strategy. Is he going to remain true to crucial right-wing values, or is he going to chase voters in the centre?

Presidential advisors are happy that the man has shown himself competent and courageous in his attitude to the European economic crisis (Sarko gained eight points in the opinion polls in the days after his prime minister announced yet another austerity budget). But the same advisors know that you can't win an election on a single platform, and they are very worried about the rise and rise of far-Right National Front candidate, Marine Le Pen.

Sarkozy is also on the front page of Communist L'Humanité, where he's accused of aiding and abbetting the motor firm Peugeot in its efforts to protect its rating with the Moody's agency by sacking 6,800 workers. According to L'Huma, Peugeot plans to reduce its workforce by 10 per cent next year, despite receiving huge amounts of government money in return for promises not to sack any workers.

Business daily Les Echos is also worried about unemployment, suggesting that the crisis is forcing big French companies to "re-structure", that's the polite word for mass sackings. Les Echos accepts that many departures will be amicably agreed between employers and employees. But the fact remains that the medium-term prospects for the jobs market here in France remain very dim indeed.

The trade unions have called for a nationwide strike on 13 December to protest against the latest government-imposed austerity plan which, according to the unions, is ruining the French economy. Nationwide strikes probably don't do much for the health of the French economy either, but that's a different story.

Spanish voters yesterday kicked out the Socialist government of José Luis Zapetero, bringing in the conservatives to see if they can make a better job of the economy in these difficult days. Unemployment and a soaring national debt will be waiting on the doormat for the new Spanish leaders. It won't be long before austerity measures will force the people onto the streets, calling for a return of José Luis and the Socialists.

Popular tabloid Aujourd'hui en France notes that no fewer than seven European nations have now seen changes of government in the course of 2010. And there are elections due very shortly in France, Germany, Slovenia and Slovakia. Expect more changes, warns the popular paper.

And then there's Pope Benedict's message of hope to Africa. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church wrapped up his three-day visit to Benin at the weekend, praising Africa's youth, enthusiasm and joy. But, speaking in the presidential palace in Cotonou on Saturday, Benedict also spoke of scandal and injustice, of greed and corruption, of lies and violence. But, of course, as the Pope was quick to point out, those are not specifically African problems.