The renewal of the frameworks is accelerating

Of course, it would be excessive to say that the summer schools of the political parties that take place these days mostly resemble the meetings of the third age. But those who are now leading the France or aspire to do so tomorrow take wrinkles. You're not satisfied Ask yourself what men or national politicians who are thirty. At this age, is already legitimately exercise political functions. Laurent Fabius became Prime Minister when he was in this premium youth long ago already. When he blew his forty candles, even longer ago, Jacques Chirac was already in its third ministerial portfolio, that of Agriculture. Today, most young Minister, François Baroin, a forty-one years. The only thirty years view is called Olivier Besancenot. Departmental columnists recall the fleeting State Secretary insertion professional youth, Laurent Hénart, those who are sensitive to air time, politically female, may be able to quote the MPS Valérie Pécresse or Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet. But the other...

Continue the exercise in the quadras. There is clearly out of children's heads. Tony Blair and José Luis Zapatero took their country joysticks in forty-four years, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Bill Clinton to forty-six years. So, what are those that are now emerging in France The Government, only eight Ministers were less than fifty years. Even if some are their job as Xavier Bertrand (health) or Renaud Dutreil (SMEs), neither has a portfolio of leading. On the left, it is worse. PS, single Arnaud Montebourg is visible (and Vincent Peillon for those who have good glasses). Still had the Herald of the living Republic resign to recently under the banner of a quinquagénaire. In the PC and the extreme left, it has laundered "all together" under the harness of the revolution, with the exception of the famous Besancenot. In short, really exist in French political life, to be part of the generation that it begins to be reasonable to become a grandfather.

The head of the State, the preference for seniority is even more emphasized. Jacques Chirac will celebrate its seventy-four years in November, while he presides over a country where the average age of retirement barely exceed 58 years. In a nation in crisis, the political debate sometimes focuses on the hardness of his ear, the capabilities of its eye or plan output that he concedes his wife. Of course, we're be accustomed. The France has a single former President still alive. Some are even in doubt, as the bad language that said, at the funeral of Francois Mitterrand, did not remember that the funeral of Giscard made so much noise.

But with a little setback, the French situation is frankly atypical. On the photos of the G8, Chirac is obviously the Dean. It might be the father of Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, and practically the Zapatero Spanish grandfather. Among 38 countries to more than 100 billion dollars of GDP, no head of State or Government is in power since as long as him. Only two are older: the Indian Manmohan Singh (two months) and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, eighty-two years, which is not really a happy democracy. The others are all more young people to at least six years. Half were less than 57 years. Find older brothers for the tenant of the Elysee in the smaller countries, to move towards real gérontocraties such as Cuba (Castro, eighty years) or the Vatican (Benedict XVI, seventy-nine years).

Of course, it is possible to see the good side of things. The renewal of the frameworks is accelerating. While it had passed almost half a century between the first ministerial portfolio of François Mitterrand and the end of his presidency, there will be barely forty years between the first Morocco of Jacques Chirac and his departure from the Elysee Palace (on the assumption that he is either not re-elected next year). Even more encouraging: the next President could be a boy or a girl, the youngest of the Fifth Republic after Giscard. Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP) has "only" fifty-one years and Ségolène Royal (PS) "that" fifty-two years. The arrival in power of one or the other could translate into a serious appeal of air.

But their victory is not certain. And all those awaiting a failure to compete in their place are older. Many of them found indeed wise to put an end to their professional activity. In PS, Dominique Strauss-Kahn to fifty-seven years, Laurent Fabius sixty (he is retired from the Council of State for five years), Jack Lang and sixty-six, Lionel Jospin sixty-nine. At right, François Bayrou has fifty-five, Alain Juppé, sixty-one (and retired since 2003), Jean-Marie Le Pen seventy-eight. French political parties are organized to enhance the talents for many years, as if it were of great bordeaux bottles. Keeping young people in the cellar.

It is no coincidence: in leaders, the France prefer the old. Lionel Jospin knows perfectly, him which had been vilified in 2002 for having dared say that his opponent was "aged, worn out, tired". Inexcusable fault, is were said all hair experts! When times are serious, the country still turns to a veteran. This was the case in 1958 with Charles de Gaulle, sixty-seven years. In 1940 with Marshal Pétain, to which millions of French had confidence to "save the country" despite his eighty-four spring. In 1917, there was the episode Clemenceau, seventy-six years. And in 1871, the Presidency of Thiers, seventy-four years. Later in time, the collective memory is more lenient with Louis XIV, who had the decency rule for decades until his death at the age of seventy-six, with the Napoleon Lout who seized power in thirty years before losing it permanently to forty-six years. So the flower of the age.

In politics as elsewhere, the cult of youth leads often to a shit. But in power, the "vieillisme" is not a guarantee of effectiveness. It is difficult to not bring the senescence of the French ruling class and the inability of countries to undertake reforms. It is a major handicap, especially in a world that changes increasingly faster, where "field mouse" (forgiveness, mouse) becomes an essential tool where interactivity is vital. Place for young people.