The new obscurantists
René Andron, Marseilles (Bouches-du-Rhône)
At a time when the content of social networks replaces general culture, reflection and debate, the risk is real that a minority of activists, practicing intellectual terrorism, undermine even the most basic common sense. This new tendency is all the more comfortable as there is nothing there which could, in the West, lead to torture, stoning, burning at the stake. The claimed honor of intellectuals has always been to be able to think freely, to accept contradiction, to provide proof. It would be an insult to the memory of those who have advanced science to go to bed out of spinelessness in front of cranks. (“The new obscurantists“, L’Express of December 22).
Putin’s cowardice
Eveline Eynard, Peyruis (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)
Putin is often presented as a man who admires strong people. Well, for me, he is simply a loser, certainly bloodthirsty, but far from the image he is supposed to give. He is the king of poisoning and only employs devious methods worthy of cowards. He is capable of slaughtering or having thousands of human beings slaughtered, but he takes good care of his own, whom he protects by sending them to Switzerland, which depends on this West that he hates. Thanks to L’Express for its quality articles. (Andreï Kurkov-Giuliano da Empoli: “Putin is the strategy of scorched earth, chaos and destruction”L’Express of December 8).
Electricity prices: no longer suffer
Paul Perret, Montmorency (Val d’Oise)
The exorbitant rise in the price of electricity has its origin in a European system for indexing the price of electricity to that of gas set up under German influence, in an anti-nuclear atmosphere. This measure has the consequence of practically canceling out the comparative advantage of France that could have been given to it by nuclear electricity production. The solution seems simple: the link between the price of gas and that of electricity must be removed. Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher, asked last month for the abolition of this link for France. It came up against the obstruction of Germany and, finally, the French government decided to provide financial aid to certain users. This is a very bad strategy, which leads to increasing our debt, which has already reached an abyssal level. France must react, speak like a great nation. Would our president have no influence in Europe? (“Electricity and gas: towards a lasting fall in prices?“, on lexpress.fr).
Macron’s clumsiness
Louis Dollot, Paris
Clumsiness upon clumsiness of our president, who, during his greetings speech, launched this sentence: “Who could have predicted […] the climate crisis this summer in our country?” From the Stockholm Summit in 1972 to the COP 22 in Marrakech, everything indicated the urgency of the climate measures to be taken. (” Emmanuel Macron, the president who wanted to prevent and (already) cure”on lexpress.fr).
Ernaux is not Proust
Bernard Fatoux, Beziers (Herault)
Fine praise from the great writer who bequeathed to us this inestimable, considerable, unsurpassable sum that is In Search of Lost Time. Yes, as Sylvain Fort points out, the year 2022 was above all the Proust year. No offense to the eternal despisers, quibblers, rhetoricians and service sophists, Marcel Proust remains indeed a “monument” of our letters; yes, “to the grimace of the world, he opposed the invention of a language that was his only” and here, we are a thousand leagues from Annie Ernaux, Michel Houellebecq, Virginie Despentes… are we still a hundred years from now? With Proust, it is the assurance that “humanity can still be saved from itself and first of all by literature” (beyond and beyond pandemics, wars, systemic crises, the declinism, nihilism). May the Proust year continue in 2023! (” One hundred years later, where is our Proust? “, by Sylvain Fort, L’Express of December 22).
2022, a good year for L’Express
Sales of L’Express to newsagents held up well in 2022. In a market where a number of titles are experiencing negative trends, L’Express may post stable sales over the year and up 1% over the second half, with in particular the success of the issues devoted to “We, the Ukrainians”, “Can Putin lose?” and “Elon Musk’s Crazy Plans”. This good reception at newsstands is recognition of the work of our editorial staff, committed to providing you with reliable, demanding and different information. And as we have never stopped innovating, L’Express will further enrich its pages this year with numerous thematic files. On the other hand, our production costs continue to increase. Also, to continue to serve you better, the selling price per issue will drop to 6.90 euros in 2023.