I promise I'll be back to fannish stuff in the next entry

[selenak]

You may or many not have heard in recent days about former conservative French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrested over the € 50 m he got from Gaddafi for his election campaign. I prefer to think of this as another case of a European film which will get the inevitable American remake for a global audience.

Meanwhile, in terms of "once as a tragedy, once as a farce" Brexit news, those blue pass ports (which as Guy Verhoefstadt has pointed out Britain could have had at any point they wanted - maroon as a colour for European pass ports is optional, which is why two member states picked another color instead) of the future UK will be printed in France. Because of course they will.

On a more serious note, Patrick Stewart reflects on Europe, Britain and the cost of Brexit. Oh Captain my Captain, I knew I could rely on you to be sensible about this.

Now, in Germany, we have had our own share of facepalm inducing political shenanigans in recent months (and those just from the normal parties, excluding the awful bunch who made it back into parliament in the last elections for the first time since 1945, more or less), but endless negotiations do not flashy international headlines make, so I thought those of you interested in German politics but without knowledge about much of same might enjoy reading this article about Angela Merkel and Andrea Nahles; Der Spiegel, the English edition of which published the article, even found a feminist angle for this one ("Never before in German history have two governing parties been led by women. The country's political stability will now hinge on the relationship between Andrea Nahles and Angela Merkel"), and I (who haven't voted for either) found it a fair portrayal of both of them. (Also, descriptions of other politicians such as the one of Oscar Lafontaine - "the narcissistic leftist who once led the SPD" cracked me up because, well, so true.)

Comments

[elisi]

former conservative French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrested over the € 50 m he got from Gaddafi for his election campaign
Ooooh. I had NOT seen. Thank you. And for once it wasn't the Russians...

[selenak]

Last month I had a lengthy discussion with a German journalist (former correspondant in Paris, Washington, New York, now retired, lives in France part of the year) who mentioned the Sarkozy affair as something brewing for a while, but also said that main politicians of all parties getting campaign money from Third World dictators is practically a tradition in France, since the dictators in questions do this with an eye on maybe needing asylum if they do get overthrown at some point. It worked out for "Baby Doc" Duvalier. (I remember passing his villa, guarded by French police.) Sarkozy, however, was apparantly more blatant about it and also took larger sums than the usual.

[msilverstar]

a European film which will get the inevitable American remake for a global audience.

PLEASE PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!

[selenak]

So say we all!

[lilacsigil]

I prefer to think of this as another case of a European film which will get the inevitable American remake for a global audience.

Okay, this made me laugh enough to drop a burning hot tomato from my sandwich right onto my poor bare skin. I blame Sarkozy!

[selenak]

He can bear it. :)