Two Government Insiders Cast a Devastating Eye on the World of French Politics

Casting a devastating eye on the world of French politics, two former ministers have authored books about their experience in the halls of power, at times comparing that world unfavorably with its equivalents in Britain and the United States.

Speaking to Nicolas Weill, Luc Ferry denounces the archaism of the political establishment, the lack of courage of the MPs, and their "almost obsessional" attachment to the media.

The former education minister charges that

the president of the republic probably prefers to have by his side professional politicians who owe him something rather than lay people who owe him nothing. The latter … have nothing to lose or, at least, much less than those for whom politics has become the profession.

For Francis Mer, politics has become a "trade for life", and in spite (or because) of that, the world of French politics is lacking in "professionalism"; specifically, it is lacking in that

"breath" that exists between the public and the private sectors, notably in the United States.

Saying that he calls himself a champion of the "free market, albeit not an extremist", the former economics minister calls on his colleagues to follow the example of the English, "who manage their administrations like a private enterprise", instead of the Omertà that exists in France.

The response to the two men's criticism (as noted by Jean-Baptiste de Montvalon) is not always reassuring — listen to this description of a calling (politician/member of parliament) that its supposed to be that of someone who serves the people:

This job can't be improvised. It's a specialty which has its own language, its own code of conduct, its own culture, and its own mores.