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| Hollande tours provinces as French president's popularity hits record lows | Hollande tours provinces as French president's popularity hits record lows |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| François Hollande tried today to reverse his record unpopularity by embarking on old-fashioned, lingering trips to the provinces in the style of Charles de Gaulle, whose made-to-measure bed he will pointedly be sleeping in on his first trip in Dijon. | François Hollande tried today to reverse his record unpopularity by embarking on old-fashioned, lingering trips to the provinces in the style of Charles de Gaulle, whose made-to-measure bed he will pointedly be sleeping in on his first trip in Dijon. |
| Several polls have shown Hollande's approval ratings to be the lowest of any modern French leader 10 months into a presidency. French military intervention in Mali, which the Socialists hoped would improve his presidential stature and neutralise the right's charges of dithering, produced only a slight, short-lived bounce. | Several polls have shown Hollande's approval ratings to be the lowest of any modern French leader 10 months into a presidency. French military intervention in Mali, which the Socialists hoped would improve his presidential stature and neutralise the right's charges of dithering, produced only a slight, short-lived bounce. |
| The latest TNS-Sofres poll found only 30% of French people had confidence in him to solve France's problems. An Ifop poll for Paris Match found only 37% of the French approved of his politics. | The latest TNS-Sofres poll found only 30% of French people had confidence in him to solve France's problems. An Ifop poll for Paris Match found only 37% of the French approved of his politics. |
| Hollande's unpopularity is linked to the growing economic crisis and rising unemployment. No French leader has ever managed to climb in the popularity stakes while joblessness was rising fast. French unemployment is at a 14-year high and has steadily grown for almost two years. It threatens soon to reach the 1997 record of 3.2 million without work. | Hollande's unpopularity is linked to the growing economic crisis and rising unemployment. No French leader has ever managed to climb in the popularity stakes while joblessness was rising fast. French unemployment is at a 14-year high and has steadily grown for almost two years. It threatens soon to reach the 1997 record of 3.2 million without work. |
| Hollande's vow last year that by the end of 2013 he would stop unemployment rising and reverse the curve now looks impossible to achieve and is haunting politics as a broken – or, at best, postponed – promise. The stagnating economy will show almost no growth in 2013 and the government has admitted it will have to postpone another election promise: cutting its budget deficit to Brussels' required 3% of economic output this year. | Hollande's vow last year that by the end of 2013 he would stop unemployment rising and reverse the curve now looks impossible to achieve and is haunting politics as a broken – or, at best, postponed – promise. The stagnating economy will show almost no growth in 2013 and the government has admitted it will have to postpone another election promise: cutting its budget deficit to Brussels' required 3% of economic output this year. |
| Against this backdrop, Hollande's PR team is counting on old-fashioned, presidential tours of La France Profonde (the French heartland), leaving the gilded cage of the Élysée to reconnect with the "real" France for 48-hour visits every eight weeks as an antidote to the usual quick stops for rolling news TV channels. | Against this backdrop, Hollande's PR team is counting on old-fashioned, presidential tours of La France Profonde (the French heartland), leaving the gilded cage of the Élysée to reconnect with the "real" France for 48-hour visits every eight weeks as an antidote to the usual quick stops for rolling news TV channels. |
| Despite his unpopularity, Hollande faces little threat from France's weak and divided right. Instead, he is under pressure to explain his politics to a baffled public and disgruntled local politicians. A CSA poll for Les Echos last week found 55% of French people feel the government "doesn't know where it's going" on economic and tax policy. | Despite his unpopularity, Hollande faces little threat from France's weak and divided right. Instead, he is under pressure to explain his politics to a baffled public and disgruntled local politicians. A CSA poll for Les Echos last week found 55% of French people feel the government "doesn't know where it's going" on economic and tax policy. |
| Hollande set out on Mondayfor the Socialist stronghold of Dijon, Burgundy, where he was to visit firms and deliver a major speech on Tuesday. Reverting to his election campaign image as "Mr Normal", he deliberately took the train, and, despite a legendary lack of punctuality, arrived 20 minutes early at Paris's Gare de Lyon where he queued at the newsagents to buy his own papers as voters snapped him on mobile phones. | Hollande set out on Mondayfor the Socialist stronghold of Dijon, Burgundy, where he was to visit firms and deliver a major speech on Tuesday. Reverting to his election campaign image as "Mr Normal", he deliberately took the train, and, despite a legendary lack of punctuality, arrived 20 minutes early at Paris's Gare de Lyon where he queued at the newsagents to buy his own papers as voters snapped him on mobile phones. |
| His team made comparisons with De Gaulle's trips around France, noting that Hollande would stay at the city's prefecture in the same over-sized bed as the towering post-war president. But the press warned that Hollande's provincial hand-shaking was also reminiscent of the less esteemed Jacques Chirac. | His team made comparisons with De Gaulle's trips around France, noting that Hollande would stay at the city's prefecture in the same over-sized bed as the towering post-war president. But the press warned that Hollande's provincial hand-shaking was also reminiscent of the less esteemed Jacques Chirac. |
| In an interview with Le Bien Public in Dijon, Hollande said his three big concerns for France were: "The fight against unemployment, the competitiveness of our businesses and financing our pensions." | In an interview with Le Bien Public in Dijon, Hollande said his three big concerns for France were: "The fight against unemployment, the competitiveness of our businesses and financing our pensions." |
| After the government ordered ministries to find an extra €5bn (£4.3bn) in savings last week, Hollande is trying to spell out to voters that this increased "rigour" in trimming France's public spending does not amount to a punishing regime of "austerity" that will damage public services. He insisted in Dijon on protecting hospitals and new job contracts for the young. | After the government ordered ministries to find an extra €5bn (£4.3bn) in savings last week, Hollande is trying to spell out to voters that this increased "rigour" in trimming France's public spending does not amount to a punishing regime of "austerity" that will damage public services. He insisted in Dijon on protecting hospitals and new job contracts for the young. |
| Hollande is also expected to make a major television appearance this month to explain his economic policy. | Hollande is also expected to make a major television appearance this month to explain his economic policy. |
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