INTERNAL DISAGREEMENTS IN THE SOCIALIST PARTY

PARIS January 17, 2007 (AFP) - On the defensive after the weekend acclamation of her rival Nicolas Sarkozy, France's Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal sought to quash rumours Wednesday of growing discord within the ranks of her own party.

... "Cordial misunderstanding" headlined the left-wing daily Liberation, which said that there are growing problems of coordination between Royal's presidential team and the party hierarchy under Hollande.

François Hollande, titular head of the PS, had called on a Royal presidency to raise taxes on people earning more than €4,000 (USD $5,170) a month. But M. Hollande, who is also Mlle. Royal's pillow-pal and co-progenitor, did not bother to coordinate policy or announcement with the Royal campaign. The Royal camp, caught by surprise, was in the embarrassing position of disavowing its own party's proposal.

Commentators said that PS traditionalists want to wage a classic fight based on standard left-wing themes like taxation and public services and with strong attacks on Sarkozy, while Royal fears this will backfire and wants close personal control over the campaign.

... The Socialist candidate has been forced onto the back foot for the first time [or second or third or fourth] since she won November's primary, with a new poll this week showing that her ratings have fallen to 48 percent compared to 52 percent for Sarkozy.

The tax botch gave rise to an additional distraction -- charges of tax evasion (see above post) -- further stealing time and steam from the Royal campaign and clueing the proles that the Hollande-Royal household pays wealth tax.

... There was more pressure on Royal Wednesday when she and Hollande -- who have been a couple for more than 25 years and have four children -- denied claims circulating on the Internet that they had used a legal device to avoid paying wealth tax.

On top of all this, humorlessness has descended on the Royal camp.

ROYAL SUSPENDS SPOKESMAN FOR SLIGHTING PARTNER

PARIS January 18, 2007 (AFP) - Segolene Royal, the Socialist frontrunner for France's April presidential election, Thursday suspended one of her spokesman after he slighted her partner with a joke.

Arnaud Montebourg** "is suspended from his functions, he will not be speaking in my name for a month," Royal told AFP.

Montebourg, responding to a presenter on a light-hearted television show Wednesday who asked what Royal's weaknesses were, said: "Segolene Royal has only one weak point -- her companion."

... Although Montebourg quickly told the TV presenter he was "having a laugh" with his answer, on Thursday he was forced to offer his resignation over a comment he said he been "unfortunately badly interpreted."

Royal, while saying that Montebourg's answer was "uncalled for", declined to accept the resignation but decided on the suspension.

"I want my spokesman to focus on serious issues," she said.

Ouch! Touchy, touchy. C'est une blague !

* Mess + plenitude = mess-itude. For context, see here.

** We know M. Montebourg best for his telling assessment of contemporary French aspirations.

PFFT (What is this?): Push-me pull-me socialism 3¾ | Rayonnement français 0