Scandal and the French right-wing!

The French presidential elections are coming up next April but other than seeing the main candidates' faces plastered all over the magazine racks, I haven't been keeping up or learning as much about French politics as I could.

Today, however, something piqued my interest. Maybe it's because I used to watch soap operas, or that I am finally confronting my penchant for sensationalism, or maybe that I've always had an unhealthy interest in learning about Conservative right-wing politics and politicians - I guess it's kind of like the curiosity I had about serial killers. Anyway...

Scandal has rocked the French right-wing!
The sons of a French Conservative politician, by the name of Philippe de Villiers, are involved in some sort of legal affair after the younger son, Laurent, accused his older brother, Guillaume, of raping him, bringing up charges that span over fifteen years. And in loving father fashion, papa Villiers has denounced these charges as part of a "conspiracy to commit political sabotage". Villiers offers a few "clues" as to why he believes that his younger son's claims can't be validated and concludes that the entire affair has something to do with a "network of secret agents" and revenge against Guillaume, who, pater familias Villier says, provided him with evidence of the presence of purported "islamic terrorists" at Charles de Gaulle airport.

Villiers is leader of Mouvement pour la France - a traditionalist, nationalist party strongly opposed to deeper integration in the EU and outsourcing of jobs to Eastern Europe, favouring a more protectionist stance for the French economy. Villiers is also, as any self-respecting Conservative should be, pro-family values based on Christian standards. And in keeping up with more recent events, Villiers has also expressed his concern over a rapid "Islamisation" of France and in response to the riots in the suburbs in 2005, he used the slogan (apparently inspired by another right-wing idol, Reagan) "France, love it or leave it".

Whatever the truth may be, I just can't help but feel that hard right-wing conservatives always seem to respond to situations in ways that make me think that I won't possibly ever hear of anything more incredulous, but then another one of them comes along and finds a way.

Vive la famille!