L'ATTITUDE DE ROYAL IRRITE L'ENTOURAGE DE FABIUS
[ROYAL ATTITUDE IRRITATES THE FABIUS ENTOURAGE]

PARIS 13 octobre 2006 (Reuters) - En annonçant qu'elle pourrait ne pas participer à tous les débats entre prétendants socialistes à l'investiture, Ségolène Royal a provoqué l'irritation des partisans de Laurent Fabius, l'entourage de Dominique Strauss-Kahn se disant simplement "troublé".

"L'argumentaire avancé (par Ségolène Royal) est une véritable offense à des militants socialistes", a déclaré à Reuters Claude Bartolone, bras droit de Laurent Fabius.

In announcing she would not take part in all the debates between the Socialist aspirants for the nomination, Ségolène Royal has irritated the Laurent Fabius camp, the Domenica Strauss-Kahn camp simply said it was "disturbed".

Claude Bartolone, Laurent Fabius's right-hand man, told Reuters, "The shinola advanced (by Ségolène Royal) is a veritable insult to the Socialist militants.*"

SÉGOLÈNE 'RUNNING SCARED' OVER DEBATES

PARIS October 14, 2006 (Telegraph) - Party rivals accused the French Left's most popular presidential hopeful, Ségolène Royal, of running scared yesterday after she said she might pull out of a series of head-to-head debates before next month's Socialist primaries.

... Claude Bartolone, the chief adviser to Mr Fabius, called on her to have "the courage of her opinions" and take part in the six debates.

"Could the champion of participatory democracy be refusing to participate in democracy?" quipped Christophe Cambdélis, Mr Strauss-Kahn's lieutenant.

Miss Royal caused dismay, even among her own camp, on Thursday, by saying that she reserved the right not to show up to the debates if she deemed them not "useful" or if any attempt was made to change the rules or location.

Mlle. Royal gave this sensible if politically lame excuse:

"What would people say if I had the supreme responsibility [of president] and people had seen me 'knocked about' in debates that do not correspond to the political questions posed? I speak to France and the French." she said.

OK. But that is only a secondary excuse. The reason Mlle. Royal isn't keen to debate is because, on the numbers, she doesn't need to debate. She has nothing to gain and the nomination to lose. To beat Mlle. Royal her rivals must demolish her, leaving nothing of her appeal intact. Even if Mlle. Royal were to do extremely well in the debates, what would it gain her? 2, 3, 5 points tops? Already some 20 points ahead of her nearest rival, she has more than enough. But were she do do poorly or even hold her own, it could cost her 10 to 15 points. Mlle. Royal has simply done her arithmetic.

Without the debates -- or some massive gaff by the Royal camp or some dark hidden secret brought to light -- MM. DSK et Fabius have no means to gain on her.

But it is hard to imagine a French candidate with serious appeal who won't mix it up with the wannabees. The prissy M. Fabius will be as nothing compared to Sarko. The electorate has seen her thighs and applauded, but it will want to see her wit and claws before voting.

* Militants = the cute way the Socialist Party refers to its dues-paying Socialists.

PFFT (What is this?): Tripping up the elephants 3 | Rayonnement français 0