I'm Jonathan Hill!
No, I'm Jonathan Hill!
No, I'm Jonathan Hill!
Hill seat blues
Brussels Airlines gets in a mix over Britons in the Commission.
At the beginning of this month, Entre Nous pointed out the rich potential for “crossing wires” flowing from the appointment of Jonathan Hill to head the private office of Tibor Navracsics, Hungary’s European commissioner, given that the UK had nominated a different Jonathan Hill to be the UK’s European commissioner.
Rarely has an Entre Nous prophecy been so swiftly and deliciously fulfilled. Last week the European commissioner-designate took a flight from Brussels to Strasbourg to attend the European Parliament plenary session that was to vote on Jean-Claude Juncker’s college. And there in his seat on the plane, he found the other Jonathan Hill, who had been assigned the same place – Brussels Airlines having decided that they were the same person. The airline was very apologetic and promised it would never happen again. Which held true until both gentlemen found themselves on the same flight back again.
At the risk of complicating a beautifully simple confusion, Entre Nous observes that these particular Britons travelling to Strasbourg might be more reluctant than most to sign up to the Parliament’s single-seat campaign.
A Volkswagen logo adorned with horns, a pitchfork and a tail is seen on a Volkswagen passenger van | Sean Gallup/Getty Images
American lawyers bank on European VW woes
Unlike their American counterparts, Volkswagen drivers face a bumpy legal ride across the Continent.
European drivers hoping to get even with Volkswagen are stuck in a legal slow-lane.
Unlike Americans, European VW owners lack the legal tools to set up a pan-EU class-action lawsuit. Not only that, Volkswagen has made it clear it has no intention of offering them the $1,000 goodwill gift it is handing to U.S. drivers affected by the emissions scandal.
Now lawyers and legal organizations across Europe are busy looking for ways to cash in on the scandal, seeing a business opportunity in the disparity between the treatment dished out to VW consumers on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
One of them is Michael Hausfeld, a Washington attorney working on the VW class action in the U.S., who said he plans to take on the German car-maker on its home turf and has lined up several clients.
“We have been retained by a number of [European] businesses to represent their interests,” said Hausfeld, who built his reputation on extracting payouts for consumers worth billions from the energy industry, pharmaceutical companies and even Swiss banks on behalf of plaintiffs who have been affected by industry decisions.
Hausfeld said he will push to get the same deals for Europeans as American VW owners and investors, starting with the $1,000 payment that VW has ruled out for car owners on this side of the Atlantic. “There is no justification for not having similar payments for European consumers because the damage they have suffered is the same,” he said in a phone interview.
Hausfeld’s law firm, which specializes in cross-border disputes, opened a Berlin office this year and announced it had built up a €30 million war-chest with the help of Burwood Capital, a global finance firm that backs lawsuits. The firm says German VW customers alone could be entitled to claim up to €2.5 billion in damages.
Hausfeld, and any consumer wanting to take action against VW in a European court, faces an uphill road. While class actions are entrenched in the U.S. legal system, they are much more difficult to put together in the many different legal jurisdictions of the EU.
“The irony is that when it comes to consumer rights, the situation is usually better in the EU than it is in the U.S.,” said Ursula Pachl, the deputy director-general of the European consumer umbrella group BEUC. “But when it comes to enforcing those rights, the EU simply doesn’t have a uniform collective redress tool.”
Pachl said the European Commission’s 2013 recommendation that EU member countries introduce what is called “collective redress,” the EU definition of class action, went largely unheeded. As a result, fewer than half of the Union’s 28 justice systems allow for anything that would enable consumers to band together.
The weakness of the recommendation, BEUC argued, left European consumers more vulnerable than their U.S. counterparts. “It is not justified that EU consumers be treated so differently because they have suffered the same damage,” Pachl said. “VW should compensate European consumers in the same way.”
The collective alternative
Since the emissions scandal broke in September 2015, VW has made it clear it has no plans to extend to European car owners the conciliatory approach it used in the U.S.
VW argues the legal chasm between the EU and the U.S. means it cannot apply a one-size-fits-all approach and the class action filed in the United States District Court in San Francisco has no bearing on Europe.
When pressed on compensation for consumers during two meetings with Elżbieta Bieńkowska, the European industry commissioner, Volkswagen said the situation in the U.S. was “not automatically comparable” to other markets.
“[The compensation scheme] cannot simply be rolled out in other markets,” Volkswagen said in a statement, prompting Bieńkowska to vow to keep up the political pressure on the company to compensate EU consumers.
Lawyers working on the issue in Brussels said European consumers are unlikely to ever file a class action lawsuit similar to the one lodged in the San Francisco federal district court in February, which accused VW, Audi and Porsche of having created a “fraudulent scheme” to sell diesel cars.
That doesn’t mean European consumers have no means of redress. Under one possible scenario, competing law firms could band together to shepherd thousands of individual claims into a coherent, manageable group.
“These are not group actions, but firms cooperating with each other to aggregate their claims,” said Laurent Geelhand, Hausfeld’s Brussels managing partner.
In Germany the legal process is accelerating, slowly. In a victory for the industry, a district court in the western German city of Bochum ruled that a VW dealership was not obliged to take back a diesel car it had sold a customer, given that the deceptive software problem could be fixed in 30 minutes.
Although marginal in its significance, this was the first of what are likely to be many cases referring to Dieselgate to make its way to a German court.
In other parts of the EU, VW customers are taking what few class action provisions they can find, although this legal route is difficult.
Italian consumer group Altroconsumo is spearheading a complex class action brought against VW in a Venetian court. That legal action ran into problems when a judge threw out the case, prompting an appeal by Altroconsumo, which has used the situation to highlight what is says are the weaknesses of Italian class action provisions.
Lawyers working on the issue in Brussels said legal action brought by car owners is only the beginning.
“This is not just the moms and dads,” said Geelhand, a lawyer who specializes in the auto industry and the former European general counsel for Michelin. “You will see fleet holders, shareholders, suppliers, suppliers of suppliers coming forward. It will be very damaging not just for VW, but the entire car industry.”
Shareholders unite
European shareholders in VW — who have seen the value of their investments fall as a result of the manufacturer’s decision to install illegal software to deceive official emissions tests — are on firmer legal ground than the average owner, although shareholders are also uncertain they will be able to take legal action as a group.
One Netherlands-based shareholder challenge, the Dutch Volkswagen Settlement Foundation, is the European chapter of a shareholder lawsuit which is being managed in the U.S. by law firm Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann (BLBG). The American lawsuit refers to U.S.-traded securities while the Dutch Foundation targets investors with shares listed in Frankfurt.
“We are in a very strong position,” said the foundation’s senior adviser, Anatoli van der Krans. “We have the backing of BLBG and their approach is not to settle in the U.S., but to achieve a global settlement. And I think it is in Volkswagen’s interests to do so.”
Van der Krans says the foundation was established in the Netherlands because it is “the only legal system in the world in which a settlement can be declared globally binding” and, therefore, provides aggrieved investors with their best chance of redress.
“We are calling on institutional and retail investors,” he said. “But regardless how many sign our petition, they will still be entitled to compensation.”
Meanwhile, for investors who hope to take action through the German court system, time could be running out. “What you have to keep in mind… is the statute of limitations,” said Jürgen Kurz, from the German private investor association Deutsche Schutzvereinigung für Wertpapierbesitz.
The worst-case scenario, Kurz said, is that the statute of limitations could kick in as soon as September 2016, meaning anyone who had not filed a lawsuit before then would be “out of the game.”
However, a German court may also rule that multiple claims could be gathered into one, which would be more cost-effective for complainants and would turn the process into a de facto class action.
Volkswagen appears determined to scupper any class action put forward by shareholders as a group. Earlier this month the auto company submitted a statement to the Braunschweig District Court challenging a shareholders’ claim its management board had violated disclosure obligations under capital markets law.
With stores in India and New
York, multiple clothing brands and a global celebrity following, fashion
designer Anita Dongre is a feminist powerhouse in a male-dominated industry.
But her true ambition is to create an environmentally sustainable company, she
says.
“Sometimes I wish I could just give up design and focus on sustainability
full-time,” the Mumbai-based Dongre tells AFP during an interview at her
factory outside India’s financial capital.
“Time is running out. Climate change is right at our doorstep and we all
have to do something,” says the 56-year-old, whose clothes have been worn by
some of the world’s most high-profile women including Hillary Clinton, Kate
Middleton, Ivanka Trump, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Beyonce.
Turning a company with an annual turnover of $105 million into a
carbon-neutral enterprise is a daunting proposition, but Dongre has never been
one to shy away from challenges.
When she started her business aged 23, armed with two sewing machines and a
staff of two male tailors perched on the balcony of the bedroom she shared
with her sisters, she was the first woman in her conservative family to work.
Today, she says that of all her accomplishments, she is proudest of her
commitment that no woman seeking work will ever be turned away from the gates
of the four-storey factory she runs.
“I see my journey reflected in theirs,” she says, emphasising her belief
that “economic empowerment is the only way a woman can assert herself”.
Besides producing five clothing lines, hand-crafted fine jewelry and
accessories, her foundation provides training and jobs to more than 250 rural
women, with plans to cover 30 villages by 2025.
Greenwashing risks
Feminist values have been at the heart of her brand: her clothing has
always been size-inclusive, going up to an XXL.
Even when she ventured into bridal wear, her advertising campaigns
challenged traditional norms and featured women sporting tattoos, enjoying
their wine, and paying for their weddings.
“It is very important for me to show a woman who is not coy or veiled —
someone bold and sassy. I was that girl. I drove a jeep. I proposed to my
husband,” she says.
“The world has never been fair to women… and I am not comfortable
promoting regressive ideas to sell clothes,” she adds.
Her decision to focus on the urban professional woman has seen the brand
reap dividends as female spending power increases in India.
“It’s so rewarding to walk into stores and meet the women who buy my
clothes. When a customer tells me, ‘I wore your blazer to my first job
interview 15 years ago and I got the job’, it’s thrilling,” she says.
She will need to rely on that goodwill to convince customers to shop in a
wholly different way than they are used to: prioritising sustainability and
slow fashion over instant gratification.
On the one hand, Dongre’s task has never been easier — when she spoke
about environmentally-friendly design more than a decade ago, few paid
attention. Today, she says drolly, “I am glad it’s finally fashionable to be
green”.
On the other hand, greenwashing remains a huge risk, she explains.
“You can’t take a sustainable fabric, cover it with plastic sequins and
still call it sustainable.”
‘Do more and more’
She is the only Indian designer to join the Sustainable Apparel Coalition
(SAC), a global alliance of retailers, brands, suppliers, campaigners and
labour groups that provides members with the tools to measure the
environmental impact of their activities.
The SAC is a non-binding organisation, meaning members are largely
responsible for their own efforts towards sustainability and transparency.
For her part, Dongre says she feels a drive “to do more and more” on the
environmental front.
At her factory, cafeteria food waste is composted or used to make biogas
while the water utilised in clothing production is recycled and pumped back
into the bathrooms.
Her lower-priced brands AND and globaldesi use fabrics such as
sustainably-produced tencel — a biodegradable fibre made of wood pulp —
while the slow fashion luxury label Grassroot showcases hand-woven,
hand-embroidered designs created by Indian artisans.
Yet this commitment to sustainability and to preserving dying crafts comes
with risks attached, as Dongre realises.
“The biggest challenge is educating the consumer to support our efforts,”
she says.
Moreover, it is hard to imagine how a huge company that employs 2,700
people and works with thousands of artisans can be environmentally responsible
without compromising on profits.
It is a price she is willing to pay.
“Companies cannot be driven only by profits… this idea of making money in
whatever way possible and then giving large sums to charity, it’s not
sustainable. Why not make a contribution to your community a focus of your
business to begin with?”
“It’s high time companies measured their success in terms of
sustainability, not just profit and loss,” she says.(AFP)
Critiques of leftism from musician Kanye West and comedian Dave Chappelle offer glimpses of a growing rejection of “woke” culture, estimated Turning Point USA’s Alex Clark, host of the daily show Poplitics. She offered her remarks in a Wednesday interview on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily with host Alex Marlow.
West and Chappelle have both criticized aspects of left-wing politics, drawing criticism from left-wing celebrities.
Rejection of “woke” culture and “political correctness,” said Clark, is not only coming from conservatives.
“It’s not necessarily all these different Hollywood stars and all these people are coming out as conservatives — some will, some won’t — it’s mostly just going to be a rejection of this poisonous leftism that’s going on,” assessed Clark. “It’s just saying, ‘I know what I am, and it’s not that.’ It’s just awake, the awake culture. That’s what it is. It’s not necessarily conservative.”
LISTEN:
Clark described leftists’ and Democrats’ hostility towards former White House spokesperson Sean Spicer’s continued advancement on reality competition TV show Dancing with the Stars as ironic, given their calls to abolish the electoral college in favor of a nationalized “popular vote” for presidential elections.
“[Sean Spicer] is still on Dancing with the Stars, and it’s because conservatives just keep voting for him, and it’s funny because before, these same people that are now complaining that Sean Spicer is getting the popular vote on Dancing with the Stars … were all for the popular vote in 2016, right?” noted Clark. “So now, all of a sudden, the tables have turned. Isn’t it funny how that happened?”
Poplitics’ goal, in part, is to introduce viewers to conservative ideas in pop culture news and commentary.
“We’re casting a wide net out there to catch people that may not even be conservative, maybe they’re apolitical, maybe they’re leftists,” said Clark. “But everyone, no matter what side of the aisle you’re on, you’re consuming pop culture, probably, and you want to hear about who’s dating who, and what’s going on in the celeb-Hollywood world and what’s going on in celeb gossip news, and so I’m just covering that, and when it calls for it, once in a while, like the Sean Spicer story, you do get a bit of a conservative hot take on something or a little funny quip that’s conservative, and then … you kind of inspire somebody to maybe think a little bit differently.”
Breitbart News Tonight broadcasts live on SiriusXM Patriot channel 125 weeknights from 9:00 p.m. to midnight Eastern or 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Pacific.
The Blaugrana captain is, at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, set to become the club’s all-time leading appearance maker in meetings with Real Madrid
Lionel Messi will make more history on Sunday when taking in a 43rd Clasico outing for Barcelona against Real Madrid, with Quique Setien hoping that there will be many more to come.
As a one-club man, a mercurial Argentine forward has faced arch-rivals on a regular basis down the years.
He has often been a thorn in Madrid’s side, with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner boasting hat-tricks and stunning solo efforts aplenty in meetings with the Blancos.
More teams
Messi is now about to become Barca’s all-time leading appearance maker in games which matter most to the Catalan giants – as he edges one clear of former team-mate Xavi – with his current coach hoping to find more inspiration from a reliable source at Santiago Bernabeu.
“We would love to see him play another 43 more,” Setien told reporters.
“It says a lot. I don’t know the statistics in terms of efficiency but he is very important for us. Hopefully, he will take advantage of a great game and can help us to win.”
A positive result in the Spanish capital would keep Barca at the top of the Liga table, with Setien fully aware of the pressure he is working under in what will be his first Clasico as a coach.
He added: “It could be an important day. A victory would give us an advantage but that would not be enough.
“The reality is that I don’t trust the dynamics. In these matches, the past is forgotten. The present is a premium.
“The points or the situation in the table are not forgotten, because it is a Clasico and the two try to win beyond the situation of each one. But it will be a disputed match settled by small margins. We will see who does it better.
“All the matches are different. For Madrid, this match is surely vital, surely more important than for us in terms of the situation and the time that may remain [in the season].
“For Madrid, it is a key and decisive match. I don’t know if it’s decisive but, very important. I don’t trust anything. It will be competitive, there will be phases [of the match] that we will master and others that we will not.
“Madrid at home and on any pitch are always dangerous.
“These feelings are forgotten when the match begins. You don’t think about the consequences but about playing and doing your best.
“Everything is in the hands of the players, of their ability to carry out the plan. That added tension that comes from the situation does not influence so much.”
Setien took in a scouting mission on Wednesday when attending Madrid’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City, with that trip to the Bernabeu presenting him with a chance to speak with former Barca boss Pep Guardiola.
“I wasn’t there to see Pep, I was there to see the game,” he said when asked if he had sought any advice from a man well versed in the demands of Clasico encounters.
“We talked about a little of everything. What City did in the Bernabeu can help us to an extent.”
Barca will have Jordi Alba back at their disposal on Sunday, while Gerard Pique has “practically overcome” the injury issues which have been troubling him of late.
Setien said of the World Cup-winning centre-half: “He has recovered well, he will not have any problems.”
Gérard Depardieu incarnera bien le rôle de Dominique Strauss-Kahn dans le film qu’Abel Ferrara s’apprête à tourner. L’acteur s’est dit intéressé par le personnage mais n’éprouve aucune empathie à son égard. Bien au contraire….
C’est la semaine politique de Gérard Depardieu. Après avoir soutenu publiquement Nicolas Sarkozy le week-end dernier lors du grand meeting de Villepinte, pour des raisons révélées depuis par Le Canard Enchaîné, l’acteur s’en prend à Dominique Strauss-Kahn, celui qui aurait pu devenir le candidat socialiste à l’élection présidentielle s’il n’y avait pas eu l’affaire du Sofitel de New York.
Ce scandale a inspiré un film à Abel Ferraraqui a choisi Gérard Depardieu pour incarner l’ancien patron du FMI. Le Français a accepté la proposition pour une raison bien particulière, et originale: «Parce que je ne l’aime pas, donc je vais le faire» a-t-il en effet déclaré lors d’un entretien à la Radio Télévision Suisse avant d’ajouter: «Il n’est pas aimable, il est un peu comme tous les Français, un peu arrogant. Je n’aime pas les Français d’ailleurs, surtout comme lui. Il est arrogant, il est suffisant, il est jouable».
Depardieu précise à propos de l’affaire du Sofitel: «Ce n’est pas ça qui ne me le rend pas sympathique, c’est ce qu’il est. Quand il marche, sa main dans la poche. On peut tous avoir des saloperies dans nos têtes». Même les images de DSK menotté ou les scènes d’audience n’ont pas touché l’acteur: «Je n’ai jamais été ému pas des gens qui n’avaient pas de dignité, non».
Voilà au moins une bonne base de travail pour Gérard Depardieu qui retrouvera pour l’occasion sa complice Isabelle Adjani, qui devrait interpréter Anne Sinclair ou un personnage s’en inspirant. L’histoire emmènera les protagonistes entre Paris, Washington et New York. Abel Ferrara se dit très excité par ce nouveau projet. «Ce sera un film sur la politique et le sexe avec Depardieu et Adjani (…) Je le trouve génial. Il pense, il sent les choses, il est là, totalement. Il est tout ce qu’un cinéaste peut attendre d’un acteur» a en effet expliqué le metteur en scène.
Impossible de passer à côté de sa gueule de cinéma, de son regard pétillant et de ses mimiques de petit vieux à qui on ne la fait pas. Pierre Gérald, de son vrai nom Haïm Cohen, ne fera plus vibrer les planches de théâtre, ni les spectateurs. A 105 ans, il tire sa révérence à la scène qu’il aimait tant.
Quand on aime, on ne compte pas. C’est ce que devait se dire Haïm Cohen, plus connu sous le nom de Pierre Gérald, acteur de théâtre, de cinéma et de télévision qui a vécu sa passion jusqu’au bout. Disparu samedi à l’âge de 105 ans, sa famille n’a communiqué son décès à la presse que jeudi soir. Une disparition émouvante pour le cinéma français qui doit se résoudre à dire adieu à son doyen. Né en mai 1906, il débute sa carrière au théâtre dans les années 1950, puis s’oriente vers la télévision et le cinéma dans les années 1980.
Révélé tardivement, Pierre Gérald doit sans doute son succès à sa longévité en tant qu’acteur, qui lui vaudra d’incarner quelques rôles dans des films cultes comme Les poupées russes (2005), dans lequel il joue le grand-père de Romain Duris, ou encore dans l’adaptation du livre d’Anna Gavalda, Ensemble c’est tout (2007). Féru de théâtre, le comédien a joué son dernier rôle en 2002 dans la Traversée de Samuel R, de Jean Michel Vier. C’était il y a dix ans, Pierre Gérald avait alors… 95 ans! Chapeau l’artiste.
Florence Foresti frappe un grand coup pour son retour sur scène avec un spectacle baptisé Foresti Party Bercy. Comme son nom l’indique, il se déroulera à Bercy et offrira «100% d’inédits» dans un spectacle original où Florence Foresti revisitera tout son univers.
Enorme défi que se lance Florence Foresti pour la rentrée prochaine avec trois dates à Bercy, les 19, 20 et 21 septembre prochain. L’humoriste vient d’annoncer qu’elle s’y produirait dans un grand spectacle, le Foresti Party Bercy. Au programme, un show 100% inédit composé de sketchs, de parodies, de numéros de music-hall façon stand-up mais aussi à travers des écrans vidéos.
Comme elle l’a confié au Parisien jeudi, elle a «envie de choses plus légères» et de s’amuser «avec tout ce qui fait notre monde actuel: la musique, la danse, le clip, la pub…». Florence Foresti promet un «spectacle de l’immaturité. Plus sociétal, mais sans gravité». Comme elle l’avait fait dans Florence Foresti & Friends, elle compte inviter des guests parmi ses amis acteurs et humoristes.
Si elle a choisi Bercy ce n’est pas selon la jeune femme, par surcroit d’ambition ou ego surdimensionné, ni pour battre Jean-Marie Bigard, le seul humoriste à avoir rempli la salle de 18000 places. Florence Foresti affirme que cette salle est le seul endroit qui lui permet d’offrir «un show plus complet», conforme à sa vision et son envie du moment, dans un endroit où ses fans peuvent entre amis ou en famille, «se lever pour aller chercher une bière, et reprendre le fil sans être perdu».
Avec ce Bercy (le spectacle se jouera également le 14 et 15 septembre à la Halle Tony Garnier de Lyon), Florence Foresti place la barre très haut d’autant qu’après son précédent spectacle Mother Fucker, elle confie: «Je ne vois pas, en toute humilité, comment je peux faire mieux (rires) ou disons plus dense». Sur son profil Facebook, elle annonce qu’elle est de retour pour se «rendre un vibrant hommage». Le ton est donné.
Ils n’avaient jamais travaillé ensemble, préférant chacun faire son chemin. Jusqu’à ce qu’une balade en Corse, côte à côte, leur donne l’idée de l’émission Flash Back. Il était temps.
Gala: Pourquoi avoir tant attendu pour travailler ensemble?
Patrick: Je crois qu’Arnaud a longtemps voulu voler de ses propres ailes. Ça fait maintenant presque quinze ans qu’il est dans la production audiovisuelle et il avait besoin de vivre sa vie.
Arnaud: J’avais envie depuis plusieurs années qu’on se retrouve, mais il fallait trouver une idée de collaboration. Je suis très fier de ce programme. Mais quelle pression! Mon père est très exigeant.
Gala: Vraiment?
Patrick: Non. J’ai toujours été ouvert. J’ai laissé à mes enfants la possibilité de faire ce qu’ils voulaient, d’aller vers leur propre destin. Les parents n’ont pas à forcer la route, elle se fait d’elle-même. Je me souviens qu’Arnaud, petit, répétait qu’il ne ferait jamais de télévision.
Arnaud: J’en étais persuadé!
Patrick: Je n’ai rien dit. Quelques années plus tard, il m’a annoncé qu’il venait d’être engagé par la chaîne Histoire. J’étais content parce qu’il avait fait son propre chemin, sans moi. Je sais que, tout petit, il détestait l’idée d’être le fils de PPDA. Il s’est débrouillé tout seul.
Gala: Jamais de piston?
Arnaud: Ah non! Surtout pas! Enfin, je l’espère…
Gala: Quel rapport avez-vous entretenu, enfant, avec votre père?
Arnaud: Quand j’étais petit, mon père était souvent absent. J’aurais aimé passer plus de temps avec lui.
Patrick: Pendant trente ans, je rentrais rarement à la maison avant 22 heures. Je n’ai pas beaucoup assisté à leur enfance. J’étais parfois envieux de ceux qui pouvaient coucher leurs enfants, leur raconter une histoire. C’était un manque.
Gala: C’est un temps que vous rattrapez aujourd’hui?
Arnaud: Oui. On se voit souvent.
Patrick: C’est tout récent, mais c’est formidable. Quand je vais au bureau, je sais que j’ai une chance sur deux de le croiser dans l’ascenseur puisque nos locaux sont voisins.
Gala: Des périodes de dispute?
Patrick: Une fois, nous nous sommes fâchés sur un court de tennis…
Arnaud: Ce jour-là, je l’ai un peu cherché. Mais je n’ai jamais eu envie de tuer mon père, même symboliquement. S’il devient immortel, je ne pourrais plus le tuer du tout (Rires.)! Depuis quelques années, j’ai arrêté de m’excuser d’être son fils. Aujourd’hui, il est journaliste, je suis producteur, chacun son rôle. Mais je l’ai toujours soutenu, défendu.
Patrick: Lors de mon éviction de TF1, il était encore plus en colère que moi!
Arnaud: Je trouvais ça incroyable. C’est comme si on décidait de faire sortir du terrain le meilleur joueur de l’équipe! Ça n’avait aucun sens. Même en connaissant les règles du jeu, j’ai trouvé ça grossier. Son départ était très émouvant.
Patrick: Ça nous a permis de nous retrouver.
Gala: De tous vos enfants, Arnaud est votre favori?
Patrick: Aucun parent ne peut choisir parmi ses enfants. Mais c’est mon premier fils, c’est capital. Cette transmission est facilitée par le fait que ce soit un petit mâle et qu’il ait choisi le même métier que moi.
Gala: Arnaud, quelle relation entretenez-vous avec François, votre petit frère?
Arnaud: J’ai mis un peu de temps à dire que j’avais un frère, c’est vrai. Aujourd’hui, nous avons une chouette relation. Je le vois réagir comme je réagissais. Avec deux parents célèbres, pour lui, c’est la double peine! Mais il n’a pas besoin de mes conseils, il a les pieds sur terre.
Patrick: Ils ont eu la même réaction sans se concerter quand ils ont été avec moi. Dans la rue, ils se promenaient à dix mètres derrière moi parce qu’ils n’aimaient pas les réactions des gens, mais ils se sont rendus compte qu’ils récupéraient leurs commentaires. Après, ils sont passés dix mètres devant.
Gala: Patrick, avez-vous souvent dit «Je t’aime» à vos enfants?
Patrick: Quand ma mère est morte, l’été dernier, Arnaud a été le premier auprès de mon père. Je lui suis très reconnaissant. Assez vite, je me suis refugié dans l’écriture. J’ai écrit L’expression des sentiments sur la nécessité d’exprimer son amour. Depuis, je crois que je le dis davantage. Mais par éducation (ma mère était pudique), je n’ai pas entendre cette expression de sa part et je n’ai pas dû la transmettre à mes enfants.
Arnaud: Je ne le dis pas tous les jours, il faut être honnête. Ce n’est pas évident. Avec mes trois fils, j’ai plus de facilité.
Gala: C’est très important la famille?
Patrick: Vous savez dans la vie, on n’a pas beaucoup de refuges capitaux, de points cardinaux. La famille en est un qui rend heureux.
Finalement, Rachida Dati ne se présentera pas aux élections législatives à Paris face à François Fillon. La maire du 7e arrondissement renonce de se lancer dans une lutte dévastatrice contre l’ancien Premier ministre, parachuté dans la circonscription qu’elle briguait. Mais elle n’a pas dit son dernier mot.
La grande bataille de Paris n’aura pas lieu: Rachida Dati n’affrontera pas François Fillon lors des prochaines élections législatives. La maire du 7e arrondissement a finalement jeté l’éponge comme elle l’a confié dans un entretien à paraître vendredi dans le Figaro Magazine. «J’aurais pu me présenter et faire battre François Fillon» a-t-elle déclaré en ajoutant «je ne serai pas de ceux qui parlent d’unité mais ne se l’appliquent pas à eux-mêmes».
Depuis quelques temps, on savait l’ex-Garde des Sceaux ulcérée par le parachutage de François Fillon dans la 2e circonscription de Paris (à cheval sur les 5e, 6e et 7e arrondissement de Paris) qu’elle briguait. Elle a longtemps fait planer la menace de se présenter malgré tout, mais entre temps, l’élection présidentielle et la défaite de Nicolas Sarkozy sont passées par là. «En responsabilité, je ne souhaite pas ajouter de la division à l’échec en me présentant dans la circonscription où je suis pourtant légitime» a lancé ironiquement Rachida Dati qui ne se présentera nulle part puisqu’elle a refusé d’autres propositions de circonscriptions «dites acquises à la droite», donc facilement gagnables, ou même de devenir suppléante de François Fillon, qui laisse aujourd’hui sa place à Jean-Marc Ayrault à Matignon.
La jeune femme se place au-dessus de la mêlée et souhaite «la refondation de la droite parisienne» qui «régresse à toutes les élections à l’exception des élections européennes». Elle ne perd pas non plus de vue son combat pour la parité. Selon Rachida Dati, «à Paris et ailleurs, les femmes ont souvent été sacrifiées pour conforter des héritiers ou pour permettre à ceux qui, menacés dans leur circonscription, voulaient un endroit plus sûr pour vivre tranquille au mépris des électeurs». Et pour ceux qui n’auraient pas compris de qui elle parlait, la maire du 7e précise sa pensée: «Pour moi, les électeurs ne doivent pas être un tremplin pour une rente ou une planque pour des politiques craignant un échec ou pour préparer d’autres ambitions», allusion aux vues qu’auraient François Fillon sur la mairie de Paris en 2014. Un poste qu’elle aussi ambitionnerait.
Une première bataille vient donc de se jouer à Paris, gagnée par François Fillon, mais la guerre n’est pas finie. Loin de là.