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The way I see it, we could say that another French wino revealed his true self while having a drink at one of Dominique Galouzeau [de Villepin (Patent pending)]'s diplomat-swapping party without caring about anybody listening. (Link via Merde in France)Of course, the (now) embarrassed ambassador is going to deny the whole thing, hoping that even though he's not the first member of "la Carrière" to show inadvertently the real face of the French diplomacy (everybody remembers the "shitty little country" I hope?), we will pretend it didn't happen.
Advice to Boaz Bissmuth for his next assignment to the Vile Pine's parties fines: get yourself one of those lovely devices. Favor the wireless sound version. And entertain us, thank you.
However, we shall ask ourselves, in the event Gerard Araud did call "paranoid" a country and a people who's been facing constant terrorist attacks for decades, and their PM a "lout", if he was just expressing a personal opinion or if he's fitting into the diplomatic suitcase and expressing imprudently his Masters' position on the first democratic state in the Middle East.
To help us answering this tricky question, I suggest a look at Léon Noël's "Conseil à un jeune français entrant dans la diplomatie" (That translates as "Advices to a young Frenchman debuting in diplomacy"):
Reason and decorum require that, when in society, you talk as little as possible about public affairs and about your job. (...) Never take the initiative of talking about politics; wait until you're being talked about it and, when you can't avoid doing so, you shall remember opportunely that (...) you are, above all, forbidden to express, whoever is in front of you, views that do not agree with those that are officially acknowledged as the Quay d'Orsay's opinion.Thinking about it, I can remember something about Dominique Galouzeau [de Villepinٙ (Patent pending)], talking about Ariel Sharon a few months ago, as a puppeteer, or something.
When you'll mingle in such conversations, you'll listen and observe as much as possible; you'll say what your chief, by way of precaution would have authorized you to say or asked you to repeat.
Therefore, you'll apply a precept devised more than three centuries ago, by Jean Hotman, in his handbook "On the mission and dignity of the Ambassador", that's still valid: "It is required that all speak of the same voice [in a diplomatic mission] and never contradict each other in order not to ruin the service of their Master."
I'd say Gérard Araud sounds consistent enough with his Master.Secondarily, even though those "Advices to a young Frenchman debuting in diplomacy" are starting to show their age (the book was published in 1948), this is quite an interesting read.
And sometimes involuntarily hilarious:
You shall carefully avert to confirm, abroad, the reputation too widely imputed to the French, for several centuries already, in the less hostile circles. They're usually considered as vainglorious and futile, garrulous and braggart, scabrous in their talks (...), not serious in the choice of their readings, preferring the most indecent novels and plays to anything else, seldom laborious, (...) valuing pleasures over comfort and still able to easily abstain from a bathroom.1948. Makes you wonder what's new under the French sun.
Apart from the rotting dead oldsters of course.
All right, all right, I shall give you some other excerpts from time to time. If you're nice to the frogman.
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