This is the great title of The cross. “ The Quai d’Orsay in the midst of an existential crisis notes the Catholic daily. ” Diplomats are called to strike this Thursday to protest against the abolition of the diplomatic corps. A movement that reflects the broader deterioration of working conditions and the reduction in the means of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for thirty years. (…) It’s a French story, tells the newspaper, a reform imposed from above, which ended in a ‘social movement’ in a ministry, the Quai d’Orsay, more accustomed to bowing down than challenging authority. »
The movement was launched by a collective bringing together nearly 600 diplomats who signed a platform a few days ago in The world : “ We are facing the risk of the disappearance of our professional diplomacy “, can we read there. “ Many personalities have warned of the risks of such a decision which will allow appointments of convenience to the detriment of competence and will result in the destructuring of careers, a loss of expertise and a crisis in vocations. The jobs at the Quai d’Orsay are learned over a long period of time, the diplomats who signed this rostrum say, through the multiplication of experiences, particularly abroad and in difficult positions, and the transmission of knowledge and experiences between agents. »
Contempt and ignorance?
” The cry of the diplomatic corps exclaims Release. In effect, “ very upset against the reform of the senior civil service, the diplomats, on strike this Thursday, point to the contempt for them and the ignorance shown by the executive. »
Release who cites in particular this remark by Gérard Araud, former French ambassador to Washington and to the UN: I still can’t get over the absurdity of the decision to abolish the French diplomatic corps he says. As war returns, as politics takes precedence over economics and as the world is more dangerous than ever. »
Diplomacy: an “art” that must evolve?
We come back to The cross who believes that an evolution of the profession of diplomat is necessary despite everything…
” The concern of diplomats is not illegitimate: diplomacy is partly a trade – an art – of negotiation which is learned over the course of a career. Nevertheless, the world is changing so fast that changes are necessary, affirms The cross. States negotiate on subjects such as the climate, cybersecurity, cryptocurrencies, taxation… Extremely technical skills are therefore necessary. The international scene also includes a growing number of non-state actors (coalition of NGOs, local authorities, scientists, etc.) whose codes and dynamics must be integrated. (…) The Quai d’Orsay, which has already undergone overhauls, therefore needs this reform, hammer again The cross. But also more means to assume its essential role of coordination between the State services facing the outside. »
Elizabeth II: out of time…
Also on the front page, Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee…
” 70 years of reign: hat “, spear The Parisian on the front page, with this photo of the sovereign wearing one of these colorful headgear that she likes. “ Elizabeth stands out as the eternal queen par excellence », comments The Parisian. She is ” out of time. (…) During this reign, which began on television in mondovision in 1953, she knew how to remain unmoved in the face of family insults and the convulsions of the world! Imperturbable, unwavering, impassive. »
Indeed, agree The Latest News from Alsace“ Elizabeth is the symbol of an eternal England that she embodies to the point of caricature with her corgis, her dusty ceremonial and her extreme old age which contrasts with the trepidations of the time. »
Are you rich?
Finally, “ are you rich? » Question asked on the front page of Release. ” It is a small bomb that launched yesterday the Observatory of inequalities in its last ‘Report on the rich in France’ “, with the setting of a threshold of wealth: ” 7,700 euros per month for a couple with two children, 3,673 euros for a single person. For some, it seems very little, yet it is not, exclaims Liberation: 93% of the population receives less than that. »
Wealth thresholds, estimates the newspaper which “ ask about redistribution and tax increases. »