Salut!

France, un-deux-trois (now quatre without zéro): World Cup glory and social dividends

This might be seen part two of the observations I offered after France's semi-final win against Belgium. It is reproduced with the consent of the editor of The National, for which I wrote the piece at dawn on Monday.

Le Figaro's post-final headline borrowed the second line of La Marseillaise - le jour de gloire est arrivé - and I do not think translation is necessary. But can that glory have its own translation, inspiring decent and enduring relations between all of the people who make French society today? It's a tough question - the Black-Blanc-Beur (black/white/Arab) spirit of 1998 evaporated within a few weeks of the famous un-deux-trois-zéro victory over Brazil - but we can, and must hope, 4-2 against Croatia yields better results ...

A much-travelled young Emirati friend, with a lifelong passion for top-level football, neatly captured one of the heartening truths of France’s admirable 4-2 World Cup victory over Croatia.

As the match approached the end, with Les Bleus leading in reasonable comfort, she posted a telling social media message: “Africa is about to win the World Cup.”

Le Pen, fictitious jobs and mainstream politicians rallying to aid a party they detest

As has been observed here previously, what was until recently called the Front National - a hideous far right political beast unleashed by Jean-Marie Le Pen in 1972, but oh so cuddlier now under his daughter, Marine - draws support from a wide range of French voters: from the merely disenchanted to those who, on balance, regret the outcome of the Second World War.

Now those voters are being asked to dig into their pockets to rescue the party from a self-inflicted cash crisis ... from my writing for The National , reproduced with consent ...

Black Blanc Beur. Can France's World Cup melting pot work this time?

I wrote this for The National (Abu Dhabi) after France's semi-final win and before England's exit. The final is now easy for me - an Anglo-French household will find common cause ...

When President Emmanuel Macron entered the French dressing room in St Petersburg after Les Bleus’ winning World Cup semi-final against Belgium, a moment of mutual respect offered a glimmer of hope that sport can generate a sense of unity.

“Bravo, gentlemen,” he told players representing several strands of France’s multicultural society. “France is drowning in happiness thanks to you.”

An A-Z of music from Altan to Zimmerman

Over at Salut! Live, I have been running a series comparing and contrasting different versions of the same songs. It has reached number 39 with a friend's look - below - at three interpretations of Birmingham Sunday, which tells of the horrific Ku Klux Klan killing of four girls at a Baptist church in the 1960s.

You do need to have some liking for, or interest in, folk music, roots music, the blues or vaguely related forms. Move on if not. But if that is for you, or you have a sense of musical adventure, take a tour though the archive at http://www.salutlive.com/cover-story/. And read on - it starts with an explanation of why Salut! Live has not been updated for some time ...

Image: by Appalachian Encounters (Rhiannon Giddens) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tariq Ramadan: Dreyfus-level persecution or a case of Jekyll and Hyde?

The National asked me to write about the curious case of Tariq Ramadan, the renowned Islamic scholar, academic and commentator who currently sits in a French jail held on suspicion of raping at least two women. A third French case is also the subject of inquiry and other women, in Switzerland and the US, have made allegations of sexual abuse since the first cases came to light. The National's editor kindly permits reproduction of my work here ...

The first of several women to accuse the Swiss academic Tariq Ramadan of rape says she wants neither to ruin nor humiliate him, but to spare others what she claims to have suffered.

France and Islam: a divided religion in a divided country

The mosque at Lunel, a small southern town from which up to 30 people left to join terrorist groups in Syria or Iraq, or to accompany those doing so: see this previous item

I recently completed a fairly comprehensive three-part series for The National* on France and Islam - and many of the issues of tolerance, integration and radicalisation that arise from such a broad subject. In the footnote, you will find links to each of the published items as they appeared at the newspaper's website.

For weeks, I badgered Ahmet Ogras, president the Conseil Français du Culte Musulman (the French Muslim Council, or CFCM) for an interview. Despite the demands of Ramadan, he finally agreed but, unfortunately, a little too late for inclusion in the series, though I had hoped to squeeze in a short article to accompany the last instalment.

An appearance at Salut! is modest consolation but it feels right to find space at least here for Mr Ogras's thoughts, especially with the Emmanuel Macron initiative on the organisation of the religion in France thought to be imminent ....

Lunel and jihad: a troubling case study from a sleepy French town

For those wondering why nothing new has appeared at Salut! in heaven knows how long, here is a partial answer. Work - the paid-for variety - has got in the way of most other things. I have been beavering away on a project for The National* discussing the state of islam in France, with particular reference to a major and imminent initiative from the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

The whole series - not quite complete - can be seen by checking my link as a National writer: just click this phrase.

Here, then, is just one of the pieces already published. It followed a long awayday in the small town of Lunel, which many young Muslim men - some followed by women - chose to leave and fight on foreign fields ... the pbotos are mine, too, and you can see why I decided not to offer any of them to The National's picture desk:

How Emmanuel Macron has emerged as an international statesman despite familiar domestic problems

Apologies for the lack of recent posts.It has been busy one way or the other. Here are my thoughts on Emmanuel Macron's impact on world diplomacy at the same time as habitually truculent unions make life difficult in France. It is reproduced with consent from The National ...

As French unions and students confront the government in a show of strength to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the rebellious Paris Spring, the target of their anger, President Emmanuel Macron, is enjoying remarkable success on the world stage.

Unbowed by poor poll ratings, the youngest president in French history has quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with, reminding many observers of his audacious pre-election declaration that he would rule like Jupiter, the king of ancient Roman gods.

Cuba: Obama's olive branches, Trump's stinging nettles

Here is a piece - for The National - inspired by a lovely week in Cuba. It pretty much speaks for itself. Above you see Joelle and I with our friends Lesley and Bill Taylor, plus some bloke's head appearing between the two couples.

But what is it with press officers? You lodge a straightforward question on a Tuesday and, when asked for a deadline, mention Thursday midday. The reply, which appears to have taken relatively little effort, finally comes without apology late afternoon on the Friday, more 24 hours after the article is submitted. Maybe Marks and Sparks can explain (I did still manage to reflect a little of what they said and reproduce the statement in full in a footnote*) ...

Salut!'s seasonal greetings: happy Christmas/joyeuses fêtes

There could be few more suitable images to illustrate my Christmas message to all readers of Salut! (I say "all" but my friend and Salut! contributor Bill Taylor's correctly suggests that I surely don't offer warm greetings to everyone I know).

The photo shows my great pal Pete Sixsmith winding down after another hard day's work as Santa in the North East. It is not strictly true to say he accepts the work as a means of avoiding having to watch Sunderland play, though that is certainly one of the perks.

I decided Pete's photo so brilliantly captured the spirit of the season that it should appear with my greetings at each of the Salut! sites: this one, Salut! Sunderland (footie), Salut! Live (folk music/folk-rock) and Salut! North (North-eastern nostalgia).