'For the French left, inspiration could come from across the Channel'
Little more was revealed about the platform of France's Parti Socialiste (PS) after its congress in Nancy (northeast), which concluded on Sunday, June 15. But inspiration might come from across the Channel. After all, former prime minister Edouard Philippe, leader of the center-right Horizons party, makes no secret of drawing inspiration from Margaret Thatcher in his book Le Prix de nos mensonges ("The Price of Our Lies"), published in June.
After 14 years in opposition, the Labour Party, led by the highly moderate Keir Starmer, has returned to power with a large parliamentary majority. For tourists in 2027, the most striking change will be the unified rail network under the name Great British Railways. Britons had long endured a system plagued by chronic failures, despite paying the highest fares in Europe and receiving public subsidies, due to its fragmentation among a multitude of private companies. Nationalization is set to change that. The government plans to invest heavily in regional trains, reduce subsidies and keep fares steady.
The Conservatives left behind a severely deteriorated fiscal situation. In response, Labour has set a clear course: increase taxes to avoid austerity and refrain from imposing cutbacks on public services. In France, the current government is tempted to do the opposite – cutting public services to avoid raising taxes. Clearly, the two sides of the Channel are not speaking the same language!
The new funding sources identified by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor of the exchequer (the British equivalent of finance minister), will affect both households and businesses. In addition to taxing private jet flights, one key measure concerns private education. In the United Kingdom, public funds are almost exclusively allocated to public schools; private school teachers are not paid by the government. As a result, there are half as many children enrolled in private schools, and parents pay on average €25,000 per child annually. In Paris, enrolling a child at the prestigious Collège Stanislas – which receives generous subsidies, notably from the Ile-de-France region – costs only about €2,000.
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LeMonde
a day ago
- LeMonde
'For the French left, inspiration could come from across the Channel'
Little more was revealed about the platform of France's Parti Socialiste (PS) after its congress in Nancy (northeast), which concluded on Sunday, June 15. But inspiration might come from across the Channel. After all, former prime minister Edouard Philippe, leader of the center-right Horizons party, makes no secret of drawing inspiration from Margaret Thatcher in his book Le Prix de nos mensonges ("The Price of Our Lies"), published in June. After 14 years in opposition, the Labour Party, led by the highly moderate Keir Starmer, has returned to power with a large parliamentary majority. For tourists in 2027, the most striking change will be the unified rail network under the name Great British Railways. Britons had long endured a system plagued by chronic failures, despite paying the highest fares in Europe and receiving public subsidies, due to its fragmentation among a multitude of private companies. Nationalization is set to change that. The government plans to invest heavily in regional trains, reduce subsidies and keep fares steady. The Conservatives left behind a severely deteriorated fiscal situation. In response, Labour has set a clear course: increase taxes to avoid austerity and refrain from imposing cutbacks on public services. In France, the current government is tempted to do the opposite – cutting public services to avoid raising taxes. Clearly, the two sides of the Channel are not speaking the same language! The new funding sources identified by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor of the exchequer (the British equivalent of finance minister), will affect both households and businesses. In addition to taxing private jet flights, one key measure concerns private education. In the United Kingdom, public funds are almost exclusively allocated to public schools; private school teachers are not paid by the government. As a result, there are half as many children enrolled in private schools, and parents pay on average €25,000 per child annually. In Paris, enrolling a child at the prestigious Collège Stanislas – which receives generous subsidies, notably from the Ile-de-France region – costs only about €2,000.
LeMonde
3 days ago
- LeMonde
Second woman accuses French senator Guerriau of drugging her
A French senator accused of drugging an MP with the intent to assault her is facing an accusation from another woman, according to French television. The woman, who has not been named, accused Joël Guerriau of abusing her at his home in Paris in May 2022. The 67 year old already faces charges over drugging centrist deputy Sandrine Josso's drink in November 2023, an accusation he has denied. "I decided to bury it deep inside me," said the woman, speaking with her face covered and voice altered on France 2 late Thursday. The woman said she felt "dizzy" before coming to her senses in the senator's bedroom, who she knew from political circles and with whom she had a legal dispute. France 2 said the woman has contacted police but has not yet filed a complaint. A lawyer for Guerriau told France 2 that the center-right senator "strongly denies these new rumors," calling them "absurdities with the sole purpose of bringing Joël Guerriau to the public gallows." France's Horizons party, led by former prime minister Edouard Philippe, suspended Guerriau in November 2023 after he was formally charged with drugging Josso as part of a plot to carry out a sexual assault. Josso − who is nearly two decades his junior − said she felt ill after accepting a drink at the Paris home of the senator, with whom she was not in a relationship. Tests revealed that Josso had ecstasy in her system, prompting her to file the criminal complaint. Guerriau has denied any intention to sexually assault the lawmaker and has rejected the accusation that he deliberately drugged her, describing it as a "handling error." He has so far ruled out resigning, calling it "totally unfair" to step down before the court's ruling. The latest allegation against Guerriau comes months after the world was shocked by Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, who was jailed for 20 years for repeatedly drugging his wife so he and strangers could rape her. The shocking case, involving scores of men, brought widespread attention to the issue of consent. The French Sénat passed a bill on Wednesday to include lack of consent in the country's criminal definition of rape, paving the way for its official adoption in the coming months. Consent-based rape laws already exist in several European countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Second woman accuses French senator of drugging her
The woman, who has not been named, accused Joel Guerriau of abusing her at his home in Paris in May 2022. The 67-year-old already faces charges over drugging centrist deputy Sandrine Josso's drink in November 2023, an accusation he has denied. "I decided to bury it deep inside me," said the woman, speaking with her face covered and voice altered on France 2 late Thursday. The woman said she felt "dizzy" before coming to her senses in the senator's bedroom, who she knew from political circles and with whom she had a legal dispute. France 2 said the woman has contacted police but has not yet filed a complaint. A lawyer for Guerriau told France 2 that the centre-right senator "strongly denies these new rumours", calling them "absurdities with the sole purpose of bringing Joel Guerriau to the public gallows." France's Horizons party, led by former prime minister Edouard Philippe, suspended Guerriau in November 2023 after he was formally charged with drugging Josso as part of a plot to carry out a sexual assault. Josso -- who is nearly two decades his junior -- said she felt ill after accepting a drink at the Paris home of the senator, with whom she was not in a relationship. Tests revealed that Josso had ecstasy in her system, prompting her to file the criminal complaint. Guerriau has denied any intention to sexually assault the lawmaker and has rejected the accusation that he deliberately drugged her, describing it as a "handling error". He has so far ruled out resigning, calling it "totally unfair" to step down before the court's ruling. The latest allegation against Guerriau comes months after the world was shocked by Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, who was jailed for 20 years for repeatedly drugging his wife so he and strangers could rape her. The shocking case, involving scores of men, brought widespread attention to the issue of consent. The French Senate passed a bill on Wednesday to include lack of consent in the country's criminal definition of rape, paving the way for its official adoption in the coming months. Consent-based rape laws already exist in several European countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
