Over the next 9 days, Paris’ Parc des expositions will be home to the ’49eme salon de l’agriculture’. Every year the show attracts farmers, gastronomes, tourists, artisans and members of the public to show and buy produce. This year, there will be somewhere in the region of 1,000 stands and 4,500 animals in attendance.
This is all very interesting. But why am I writing about it here? No, I’m not being paid to advertise it (not yet, anyway).
This show, which conveniently falls around two months before the second round of elections, has been home to animals of the political genre for years. Whether campaigning, rallying support or just being ‘seen’ out and about, attendance has become compulsory for anyone wishing to get anywhere near the Elysée anytime soon. Jacques Chirac, for instance, attended the show every year from 1995 until 2011 (his poor health is cited for his abscence this year).
The show offers not only the opportunity to mix with the general public, but also to win votes by showing one appreciates French produce. (On a side note, I wonder if it is possible to be elected if you pass over the foie gras. Another time, maybe.) The newspapers are full of pictures, none of which are flattering, of these politicians tasting ‘real’ French produce. Attractive it most certainly is not. But this is what the French want to see in their candidates for the presidency.
After wooing artisans by feigning interest in a multitude of products, the politicians move on to the farmers.
Farmers, in France, tend to vote for the right. Of some kind. Maybe even centre, but never for the left.
In 2007 Nicolas Sarkozy successfully rallied these votes, winning 51% of farmer’s first-round votes. This time, only 35% intend to vote for the UMP candidate. So what’s changed?
At the 2008 show, the (relitavely) newly elected Président was hand shaking, and when someone refused his hand, Sarkozy said “Casse-toi pov’con”, which roughly translates as “Get out of my way you stupid b******”.
Obviously this was a PR nightmare, (not least because le Président had used ‘tu’ instead of ‘vous’) but mostly because of the ‘con’ bit of the phrase. Unfortunate, for a Président whose approval rating had just started to slip.
This always was, and will remain, one of Sarkozy’s in-office gaffes. This year, he is opening the show (as Mr. le Président, of course) and this is intended to be so marvellous that everyone forgets ‘con’-gate. Whilst that’s not likely, Sarkozy needs all the votes he can get. As it stands, farmers’ voting intentions are:
Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP) 35%
François Hollande (PS) 11%
Marine Le Pen (FN) 21%
(Bayrou will probably pick up around 15%, similar to 2007)
In short, as farmers are more ready to vote Le Pen than Hollande, Sarkozy needs to win back their favour. In everyone’s interest.
Now let’s just see if he can get through the next nine days without swearing at an innocent bystander, shall we?
theother2012election 