French press review 09 July 2016

Labour law analysis, Paris attacks report, presidential hopeful Alain Juppé's take on French culture, tributes to former prime minister Michel Rocard and the politics behind politicians' Euro 2016 Football tweets are making the headlines today in the review of the French press.

DR

Le Monde is asking who the rebels of the Socialist Party, opposing the government's labour law proposals, are.

According to the centrist paper, the Socialist rebels are the thorn in the side of the ruling majority, warning the leadership against departing too far from its roots.

After the failure of a second motion of censure from the left in the ongoing battle against the labour laws, detractors have taken stock to view the balance of power.

On 6 July 30 Socialist rebels put their name to a proposed motion of censure against the government because it used an enabling decree to ram the labour reform through parliament without a debate or a vote. 

But it failed to win sufficient support to be voted on itself.

The paper shows a diagram to explain to its readers what happened.

It all gets quite complicated with different coloured circles representing the different factions for and against the reforms and the differing degrees to which these factions are for or against the law.

Paris attacks - parliamentary report findings

In Liberation there is an article on the 298-page parliamentary report on the Paris attacks.

The left-wing paper reports that the findings of the inquiry into the killings that took place in January and November last year point to some shortcomings by the intelligence services.

Parts of the report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the 2015 attacks have in fact been available since Tuesday, when the findings were presented to the public.

The report sets out 39 proposals to improve the French response to terrorism in various fields, such as intervention and rescue forces, intelligence, support for victims and diplomacy.

French culture in politics

Le Figaro this morning carries an interview with the current favourite for the mainstream right nomination for the French 2017 presidential elections, Alain Juppé. He accuses French President François Hollande of "manipulating" the cultural world.

Juppé is asked by Le Figaro about his vision for French culture, a vision that he has outlined in a little red book. He says his aim is to tell the French that culture is real life. It is both transmission and creation, a cement between people. It makes the French proud to be French, while expressing diversity. And now, more than ever, it is a bulwark against barbarism and hatred.

The presidential hopeful will be making an appearance at the festival of Avignon this weekend. Le Figaro asks whether he fears a cool reception, to which Juppé replies, "Not at all, because things have never been so bad for the current government."

Politicians' football tweets and their political meanings

Les Echos looks at what it calls "calculated political celebrations" following France's football victory on Thursday.

Sport, victory, community spirit and celebration ... Except that, as is well known, everything is political and football is no exception. Following France's win against the Germans in the semifinals of Euro 2016, politicians didn't delay in expressing their joy.

Les Echos takes on the task of trawling through their tweets in order to decipher their hidden political meanings.

Government spokesman and Minister of Agriculture Stéphane Le Foll tweeted "See, I was right" when France won. Les Echos believes that there is a strong chance that he will say something similiar if the labour law reform come to fruition.

Juppé chose to tweet about victory celebrations attended by "40,000 young people" in Bordeaux, where he is the mayor. Since announcing his hope of being a candidate in the presentials, the mayor of Bordeaux has constantly appeared in front of young people in order to fend off attacks about his age, Les Echos says.

Celebrating the life of Michel Rocard

La Croix reports that many politicians were present in the courtyard of Les Invalides on Thursday for a national tribute to the former socialist prime minister Michel Rocard.

Hollande hailed him as "a great and beautiful figure of the republic".

The proceedings began with a ceremony at the protestant church Le Temple de l'Etoile in Paris, followed by a national tribute at Les Invalides, then a tribute on the Paris street where the Socialist Party has its headquarters, rue de Solférino. Hollande and former trade union leader Edmond Maire, who was a friend of Rocard, delivered eulogies before his coffin was placed on the floor of the Court des Invalides.