Unlike most French politicians, Ms Royal listens to voters and responds to their concerns in everyday language.
| Love is . . . a pillow fight to be president of France By John Thornhill Personal relationships are often mysteries to those outside them. But the long-term liaison between France's most glamorous power couple - Segolene Royal and Francois Hollande - is turning into a particularly engrossing personal and political soap opera. The two Socialist politicians, who met and fell in love 25 years ago while studying at the elite Ecole Nationale d'Administration, have since had four children together and pursued highly successful, but parallel, political careers. Yet both now appear independently to have set their sights on a single objective: winning the presidential election in 2007. What on earth do they talk about over the breakfast table? For the moment, Ms Royal has the momentum, shooting up the opinion polls in recent weeks and even outrunning the popularity of Nicolas Sarkozy, frontrunner for the presidency from the ruling centre-right UMP party. The authors of a book based on gossipy interviews with the couple's party colleagues suggest her appeal is simply explained. Unlike most French politicians, Ms Royal listens to voters and responds to their concerns in everyday language. In her frequent appearances in the pages of women's magazines, the elegant and eloquent Ms Royal talks about the challenges of bringing up children in the modern world and about threats to the environment. With the authority of a former minister and the grace of a mother, Ms Royal has become a political agony aunt of our times. In spite of a personal froideur, she radiates a rare political warmth. Described as both classical and modern, Ms Royal is a fervent feminist, who has never felt the need to get married and insisted on being called Madame La Ministre when in office, breaching the convention that women should be called Madame Le Ministre. She is also a tireless political campaigner with a deft populist touch - a "Sarko in skirts" - who won a stunning victory in 2004 to become president of the Poitou-Charentes region. To the scarcely concealed dismay of many Socialist leaders, she has resolutely refused to do what was expected of her and sacrifice her career forher partner's. "I am Ségolène Royal, not the wife of anyone," she says. Or, in the words of some startled party members: "In Ségo, there's an ego." Some of her rivals have been extraordinarily bitchy about her ascent. The so-called party "elephants" have fired off their blunderbusses. Laurent Fabius, the former prime minister, infamously asked who was going to look after her children. Another former minister commented: "Ségolène's programme is summed up in three words: me, me, me." She has tried to turn such attacks to her advantage. "It is true that I am a bit out of line with the Socialist party but I am in step with the French people," she says. Another politician who appears unnerved by her rise is her partner, Mr Hollande, who has always bristled at being described as Mr Royal. At ENA, the witty and brilliant son of a Rouen doctor was regarded as a natural leader with a glittering future. He rapidly proved himself to be a consummate party politician, vowing eternal loyalty to whomever was the leader of the day. "Mitterrandien under Mitterrand, Delorist with Delors, Jospinist under Jospin, he could even be Hollandais under Hollande or Royalist under Royal," according to one observer. As party secretary, he helped pull the Socialists together after their crushing defeat in the 2002 presidential elections when their candidate, Lionel Jospin, failed to make it into the second round. Mr Hollande spearheaded the opposition to the unpopular centre-right government and led his party to three successive victories in regional, cantonal and European elections. But his campaign to emerge as the uncontested presidential candidate of the left was dealt a blow last year when the Socialists split over the referendum on Europe's constitutional treaty and the party's passionately pro-European leader suffered a humiliating rebuff. Ever since, Mr Hollande has been fighting fratricidal battles within the party, while Ms Royal has focused her energies on the outside world. On policy (almost a side issue in the Socialist party), Mr Hollande and Ms Royal have few differences - apart from on homosexual marriages (he for, she against). The race to be the party's candidate will be determined more by their popular appeal and party support. "Whoever is the best-placed will run," in Mr Hollande's formulation. The book concludes with a fictional account of a dinner between the two to celebrate Ms Royal's 53rd birthday in September. She breaks it to her partner that she intends to stand. Over a roquefort soufflé, he replies that he will too. Thus begins a dynastic battle, the modern war of the Socialist party roses. The writer is the editor of the FT'sEuropean edition | ||||||||||
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