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Hit by nationwide strikes, France is transfixed by Sarkozy divorce
International Herald Tribune ^ | October 18, 2007 | Elaine Sciolino

Posted on 10/18/2007 1:50:07 PM PDT by Cincinna

For President Nicolas Sarkozy, a day does not get much darker than this.

On Thursday, the 52-year-old French leader was struck hard on two different domestic fronts: a wave of strikes that swept through France and an official announcement that his 11-year marriage had come to an end.

Shortly after the presidential spokesman, David Martinon, said at a hastily called news conference that he had absolutely no comment about his boss's marriage, the Élysée Palace dropped the bombshell that Sarkozy and his wife, Cécilia, "announce their separation by mutual consent."

The Élysée later clarified that the duo "had divorced."

(snip)

The announcement coincided with a transport strike in the public sector - the first in Sarkozy's five-month presidency - to protest the conservative government's plan to eliminate special retirement privileges. But the news gripping France was not the strike - the French are used to strikes - but the announcement that the Sarkozys were ending their marriage.

(snip) It was unclear whether Sarkozy timed the announcement of the divorce to coincide with the strike, perhaps in an attempt to mute its news impact.

"The Élysée has chosen this Thursday, a day of strong social mobilization, to make the information official," Annick Lepetit, the Socialist Party's national secretary, said in a statement. "It's the right of the French people to judge if it's only a simple coincidence."

(snip) With the Sarkozy divorce finally out in the open, the finger-pointing began. Patrick Balkany, a close friend of the couple and the mayor of the Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret, called the separation "inescapable" because "Cécilia was in this state of mind."

"She no longer wanted to participate in the life of the president, in public life," Balkany said on RTL radio, adding that the president was "very serene" and "had tuned the page."

(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cecilia; divorce; france; sarkozy
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1 posted on 10/18/2007 1:50:12 PM PDT by Cincinna
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To: Cincinna

Why do they care about Sarkozy? Aren’t the French about the least religious country on the planet?


2 posted on 10/18/2007 1:57:58 PM PDT by Nevermore
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To: nctexan; MassachusettsGOP; paudio; ronnie raygun; Minette; fieldmarshaldj; BillyBoy; untenured; ...

The news is final, and falls on a day when Sarko’s first real confrontation with the Left should have been on the Front Page of every paper.

Coincidence? Or another brilliant play by Sarko to take the air out of the Communist strike.?

This is a personal tragedy for their family. Cecilia’s daughters just lost their biological father two weeks ago. She doesn’t strike me as the sharp[est couteau in the drawer, a narcissistic, jet setter type, who loves the perks of power, but not the responsibility.

I hope there is a confidentiality clause in their divorce. Rumors in France are flying around about mistresses, lovers, and illigitimate children.

This is news? What a country... you can go before a Judge on a Monday, and be divorced by Wednesday.

This is France, and they are French.

Pray for Sarko and for France. He is a strong, pro-American. conservative leader and needs our prayers.

If, God forbid, Hillary and her HINO get back in the White House, Sarko will be the Leader of the Free World.


3 posted on 10/18/2007 1:59:07 PM PDT by Cincinna (HILLARY & HER HINO :: Keep the Arkansas Grifters out of the White house.)
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To: All

THE PHOTO: A SEA OF COMMIE RED



THE HEADLINE : SARKOZY DIVORCE

SARKO WINS AGAIN!


4 posted on 10/18/2007 2:05:32 PM PDT by Cincinna (HILLARY & HER HINO :: Keep the Arkansas Grifters out of the White house.)
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To: Cincinna
Honorable samurai used to divorce their wife and leave their family (with sufficient resources to take care of them, of course) before going out to battle with the enemy. This was done to protect them in case of an adverse result. When the battle was won and the enemy vanquished, they would get back together again.

My bet is that Sarko is doing the same thing here.

5 posted on 10/18/2007 2:07:33 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: Cincinna

Who cares??

This is the day Sarkozy and other European leaders sign away yet more of the freedoms of their countrymen. The EU treaty (”constitution”) that was rejected by the French and Dutch voters in 2005 is now being agreed upon in Lisabon. Apart from the Irish no one else will probably be allowed to hold a referendum. The peoples will have no say. In essence the alternative is either to accept or to vote for some extremist parties in any upcoming election.

So who cares if Sarkozy cannot keep his wife content?


6 posted on 10/18/2007 2:08:28 PM PDT by ScaniaBoy (Part of the Right Wing Research & Attack Machine)
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To: Cincinna
I remember during Monicagate during 1998-1999, when the French intellectual class were laughing at the naive, back-water American Puritans who are always obsessed with sex, etc. If Clinton was getting blow jobs in the Oval Office by a wide-mouthed intern, that was between Clinton and his wife, yada, yada. These things happen, y'know.

So why are the French so intrigued now with their own tawdry little soap opera starring Sarko and his wife? Hey, I thought these things just happened and like the story about Mitterand and his long-time mistress + daughter, the French media would be mature enough to ignore it.

7 posted on 10/18/2007 2:16:52 PM PDT by xJones
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To: Cincinna

Nicolas Sarkozy confirms split with Cécilia

8 posted on 10/18/2007 2:17:26 PM PDT by blam (Secure the border and enforce the law)
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To: ScaniaBoy
The EU treaty (”constitution”) that was rejected by the French and Dutch voters in 2005 is now being agreed upon in Lisabon

That's really putting things in their proper perspective. These little side shows make for a cheap and easy distraction.

9 posted on 10/18/2007 2:21:07 PM PDT by xJones
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To: Cincinna
For all his good judgment on public issues, Sarko has shown poor judgment in women.

Character counts, especially in choosing a life partner.

10 posted on 10/18/2007 2:27:11 PM PDT by iowamark (FDT: Some think the way to beat the Democrats in November is to be more like them.)
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To: Cincinna

You could see this one comming a mile away, Sarko IMO is far to ambitious for such narcisstic poof as she was, he’ll either have a longtime mistress on his arm in a month, or some Couture model soon enough.


11 posted on 10/18/2007 2:46:09 PM PDT by padre35 (Conservative in Exile/ No more miller brewing products, pass it on....)
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To: ScaniaBoy

So the EU is simply being shoved down the people’s throats in Europe? Doesn’t the treaty have to be ratified by the countries involved?

If Ireland turns down the EU Constitution would that end the process or would that only isolate Ireland?


12 posted on 10/18/2007 2:50:41 PM PDT by padre35 (Conservative in Exile/ No more miller brewing products, pass it on....)
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To: xJones; Cincinna
That's really putting things in their proper perspective. These little side shows make for a cheap and easy distraction.

Exactly.

13 posted on 10/18/2007 2:52:14 PM PDT by ScaniaBoy (Part of the Right Wing Research & Attack Machine)
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To: padre35
So the EU is simply being shoved down the people’s throats in Europe?

Yes!

Doesn’t the treaty have to be ratified by the countries involved?

Yes it does. However, except for Ireland where the constitution demands a referendum in all other countries the politicians are doing their utmost to aviod referenda. The treaty is a treaty for the politicians not for the people(s). Therefore, as long as most parties, and especially the big parties are for the treaty and against referendum it will be almost impossible to stop the passing of the ratification in the various parliaments.

If Ireland turns down the EU Constitution would that end the process or would that only isolate Ireland?

In principle an Irish no would stop the process. However, in the EU a no is never a no. In all likelihood they will be asked to vote again, and to vote "right" next time around.

Democracy? No way - what we are seeing is a slow motion coup d'êtat.

14 posted on 10/18/2007 3:03:42 PM PDT by ScaniaBoy (Part of the Right Wing Research & Attack Machine)
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To: ScaniaBoy

LOL ScaniaBoy, the same thing happened in the US’s “ratification” of our “Constitution” there was a Convention called and manned by people who just said “we’re delegates from our States..let’s write something and vote on it”

There was no referendum, only votes in the State’s Congresses.

Sounds familiar, too bad we didn’t copyright and patent how to run a Coup by ballot and closed vote...


15 posted on 10/18/2007 3:21:39 PM PDT by padre35 (Conservative in Exile/ No more miller brewing products, pass it on....)
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To: padre35; xJones; knighthawk; ovrtaxt
Our EU elite tried to copy the US constitution but no Hamiltons or Jeffersons there and thus they came up with some several hundreds of pages of grabage.

Here is another little gem. This is happening now in Europe. How to buidl your own KGB:

What would the EU do with one of these?

So this happens while the French are mesmerized by Sarkozy's marriage difficulties and the rest of us are being distracted by the events in Lisbon.

16 posted on 10/18/2007 3:29:05 PM PDT by ScaniaBoy (Part of the Right Wing Research & Attack Machine)
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To: ScaniaBoy

Ironically ScaniaBoy, Thomas Jefferson had no part in writing the Constitution, he was the US Ambassador to.....France when it was written....

And I must point out that AFAIK, there is no concept of “Inalienable Rights Endowed by Man’s Creator” in Europe, only the warm milk of “Human Rights” so there is no adherence to a larger then oneself standard, no absolutes to be found in the EU.


17 posted on 10/18/2007 3:47:46 PM PDT by padre35 (Conservative in Exile/ No more miller brewing products, pass it on....)
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To: ScaniaBoy

Wow, so they watched a demonstration of the “New’ (but it actually rather old in Euroland) Paramilitary police force where they didn’t practice suppressing “Youth Riots” (see islamofascists)..ohh no, that would be to germane to today’s Euroland.

They practiced their trade on “Nationalistic Bretons”..

Nice, I’ll sponsor you ScaniaBoy.../s


18 posted on 10/18/2007 3:52:05 PM PDT by padre35 (Conservative in Exile/ No more miller brewing products, pass it on....)
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To: ScaniaBoy
Doesn’t the treaty have to be ratified by the countries involved?

Yes it does. However, except for Ireland where the constitution demands a referendum in all other countries the politicians are doing their utmost to aviod referenda. The treaty is a treaty for the politicians not for the people(s). Therefore, as long as most parties, and especially the big parties are for the treaty and against referendum it will be almost impossible to stop the passing of the ratification in the various parliaments.

Okay, forgive me for a being a little slow here, but I need to clearly understand. When the EU Constitution was voted on the first time, first the Dutch dumped it, and then Chirac was humiliated when the French public also voted it down. And the vote has to be unanimous among all the EU member countries, right? So how can the various parliaments simply pass over another public vote, and just dictate their own desired results? Won't at least a few EU countries have non-brain dead populations that will insist on a public vote?

19 posted on 10/18/2007 4:45:40 PM PDT by xJones
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To: blam

Thanks for posting the linkto The Telegraph UK.

One can always count on the trashy London Tabloids for all the gory details and latest gossipy rumors.


20 posted on 10/18/2007 5:36:27 PM PDT by Cincinna (HILLARY & HER HINO :: Keep the Arkansas Grifters out of the White house.)
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