Wednesday 15 January 2014

Francois Hollande, the elephant dans the room - and wombats




 Francoise Hollande and his scooter in 2012. Photo: JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP


Ah the French!  

Am in seventh heaven watching the British press sniff and double entendre their way through coverage of Francois Hollande's latest tryst, from the midnight scooter visits to his actress friend to current partner, Valerie Trierweiler's rather Victorian attack of the vapours and admission to hospital for nerves.

The Daily Mail branded Hollande 'France's most unlikely swordsman'; the Telegraph headlines shouted 'Hollande et son alleged bit sur le side' and the Indy referred to "Hollande et l'elephante dans the room".

The Brits, like the Australian media I suspect, would never have allowed David Cameron or Tony Abbott (let alone Julia Gillard!) to conduct an entire media conference sans mention of the aforementioned pachyderm. 

Can you imagine Abbott caught visiting an actress friend on a scooter and getting away with it? Or David Cameron snubbing Sam, enjoying breakfast croissants in a  love nest a brisk walk away from Number 10 and then fronting the Westminster Lobby with not a word to say?

One of my favourite tidbits is  this account of how an accidental encounter at a cafe led the photographer who caught Hollande on his two-wheeler directly to the love nest!

However my very favourite is a blog written when Hollande was first installed in the Elysee Paris and an unknown (at least to me) fabulous wit decided that the new head of state bears more than a passing resemblance to a wombat.

Check this site out for a giggle but here's a taste in the meantime.







                          Genius, n'est pas?!




4 comments:

  1. I'm not sure if this improves Hollande or wrecks wombats.

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  2. Have to say the most intriguing thing about the whole story centres for me on the taste of the actress involved. What was she thinking? Or is it true power is …..

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    1. Think back, not one French Prez has been Adonis and yet they all seemed to be chick magnets!

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