Warning to French Politicians: Beware 'Les Blogueurs'

There are two things you can be certain of in life: French male politicians like to have a mistress (or several, if time permits) and the British love to tweak the French about anything they can.

These truisms came together marvelously last week when two stories in London's Daily Telegraph detailed the latest marital woes of two top French politicians: President Nicolas Sarkozy and the woman he defeated for that office, Segolene Royal.

First, Sarkozy has been kept busy denying rumors about the breakup of his marriage to his wife, Cecilia (bloggers around Europe have written extensively about alleged affairs on both sides). Then a video appeared on YouTube that appeared to show the president looking a little tipsy at a press conference during the G-8 Summit. He later explained that he was merely "out of breath."

Then came news that Royal was splitting from her longtime partner and the father of her four children, Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande, after he had an affair. But the news didn't come from the traditional French media, which has always looked the other way at these sorts of things. It was the work of "les blogueurs." The Telegraph says bloggers may undermine the country's notoriously strict privacy laws.

Pierre Dominique, a Paris-based political commentator who regularly contributes to French websites, said: "This was a clear example of how blogs are gradually eroding French privacy laws. Important issues can be raised without fear of prosecution, and this can only be a good thing for democracy. Our political leaders have a terrible record in stifling important information about what they get up to."

By the way, the bloggers' work seems only to be upsetting the politicians. The voters couldn't give a hoot. More than 80 percent said they would still vote for a candidate if he cheated on his wife. Oh, the French!

10:35 AM ET | 06-25-2007 | permalink