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As the French presidential runoff election draws near, current president Nicolas Sarkozy and challenger François Hollande face embarrassment in the wake of separate scandals. View transcript >>
ALSO SEE
• Nicolas Sarkozy faces renewed claim Gaddafi agreed to fund 2007 campaign (The Guardian)
• French Socialists shun Dominique Strauss-Kahn after conspiracy claim (The Guardian)
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This cartoon by Paul Thomas from The Daily Express relates to news that new EU rules will force British government departments to fly the EU flag all year round. This is a dramatic scaling up of rules which already force the Communities and Local Government Department in Whitehall to fly the flag for a week a year from Europe Day on May 9. Full story >>
The scene is the Palace of Westminster in London (the London Eye can be seen in the background). An EU flag is flying from an unseen building (a government department we can assume). A figure standing on top of the Palace remarks, "At least flying it reminds Britain how petty EU regulations can be ..."
COMMENT
It should be noted that The Express is famously anti-EU and has been running a 'crusade' to get Britain out of Europe since 2010.
VOCABULARY
You can use petty to describe things such as problems, rules, or arguments which you think are unimportant or relate to unimportant things.
ALSO SEE
• EU accused of 'brainwashing schoolchildren across Britain (The Express)
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France's presidential election enters final week with Socialist candidate Hollande firmly ahead as President Sarkozy fights for second term. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: Down to the wire in France. France's presidential election race enters its final week with Socialist candidate Francois Hollande increasingly confident of victory on May 6th President Nicolas Sarkozy is under pressure trailing in the polls and trying to hold on to his job. Throughout the campaign, Sarkozy has hammered home the message that thanks to him, France has emerged less damaged than other countries from the worst financial crisis in decades. But all the evidence points to the fact that his point has fallen on deaf ears.
CHRISTOPHER BICKERTON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT SCIENCES PO: "Objectively Hollande feels that there's an anti-Sarkozy move in French society that could carry him all the way to the Elysee Palace and I think it's a reasonable assessment."
REPORTER: On a European front, while big players like Germany may be wary of a Hollande victory, the candidate himself feels that leaders across Europe are awaiting his election to back away from German-inspired austerity.
CHRISTOPHER BICKERTON: "Austerity politics is generating larger rather than smaller debt levels and people are realizing that growth is the key. And so there's been a bit of luck I think for the Socialists in that respect."
REPORTER: There could be a last-minute comeback by Sarkozy. But pollsters say that it would be unprecedented for someone to come back from so far so late in the race. Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.
ALSO SEE
• Hollande promises new era for France as Sarkozy hopes to close gap (Reuters video)
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The Daily Express reports that the monsoon conditions which have already seen nearly two-and-a-half inches of rain fall in just a few days and are set to last all week. Full story >>
VOCABULARY
Chaos (pronounced kay-oss) is a state of complete confusion and lack of order. • Heavy snow has caused total chaos on the roads.
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This cartoon by Schrank from The Independent on Sunday shows three leading members of the UK government (PM David Cameron, Deputy PM Nick Clegg and Chancellor George Osborne) in a mini which has crashed through a fence and ended up in a pool of water. A road sign warns of a "double dip", a reference to the double-dip recession, which the UK has just entered. The car crash is, therefore, an obvious metaphor for the government's failed economic policies (Osborne is reading a book called "A to Z Economics").
When Cameron comments, "At least it's a distraction from the real shambles," he is referring to the controversy surrounding Jeremy Hunt, the culture minister, who stands accused of misleading Parliament over his dealings with the Murdoch empire. (In the background we can see a fox with the head of Jeremy Hunt being chased by a pack of dogs—it's a fox hunt!)
LANGUAGE NOTES
1. The expression "the hunt is on" can mean that an actual hunt has started or that a search has begun. • The hunt is on for Mitt Romney's No. 2.
2. If you describe an event or situation as a shambles, you mean that is badly organized or in disorder. • The economy is in a shambles. The term ominishambles was recently used by Labour leader Ed Miliband to describe the government's latest budget.
ALSO SEE
• Hunt on the brink as he is accused of misleading Parliament (Independent on Sunday)
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London toy store Hamleys puts the first William and Kate dolls on sale ahead of the royal couple's first wedding anniversary on April 29th. Hayley Platt reports.
TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: It's a year since the wedding of the decade and London toy store Hamleys is celebrating. It's taken delivery of a set of William & Kate dolls. They're made by Mattel - the world's biggest toy maker - and have already sold out in America and on some online websites. Head buyer at Hamleys, Laura Olver, says they're expecting a lot of interest.
LAURA OLVER, HEAD BUYER, HAMLEYS: "Straight after the engagement another manufacturer bought out a Catherine doll in the blue engagement dress which took us by surprise. We sold about 30 times more than we originally forecast we would sell of that doll. And that was no question it was Hamleys' customers who are both tourists and obviously toy shop customers and that combination of the doll and the tourist element meant that we saw fantastic sales of that doll so we're really excited about the potential of this one."
REPORTER: British retailer Tesco was quick to copy Kate's designer engagement dress. Other high street shops favoured by the Duchess of Cambridge have also seen sales soar. And retail analyst Isabel Cavell says she sees no sign of her popularity waning.
ISABEL CAVELL, RETAIL ANALYST: "We're seeing the likes of Reiss perform very well over the year, we're seeing LK Bennet and we're seeing new fashion designers really spring up which she semi endorses like Issa, which are now big names in fashion, so she really does have a major impact. She looks good in what she wears and shoppers want to buy in to that."
REPORTER: At £99 the dolls don't come cheap. But Mattel says they're more of a collector's item than a toy.
RACHEL, TOURIST FROM PERTH: "They're just beautiful, they're a young couple and I think they represent like a modern marriage today and I just love the both of them, they're gorgeous."
BRITISH SHOPPER 1: "It should have been out last year it wouldn't been great but now it's Jubilee and Olympics, it's not them two any more is it."
BRITISH SHOPPER 2: "They're ghastly an absolute travesty no."
REPORTER: So not everyone likes the dolls but one year after their wedding the royal couple are still hugely popular around the globe. And that can only be good news for Britain and the brands they favour. Hayley Platt, Reuters.
COMMENT
On the Hamleys website the dolls come with a 'choking hazard' warning. If only they knew ...
ALSO SEE
• Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge turned into Barbie dolls ahead of first royal wedding anniversary (Mail Online)
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The Mail on Sunday says that a Russian banker gunned down outside his London home believes former business associates were behind the attempt on his life. Full story >>
VOCABULARY
A hit squad is a group of trained people who are sent to kill somebody. • Last year an armed neo-Nazi hit squad was found to have carried out a series of racist murders.
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his socialist opponent Francois Hollande taunt each other while appealing to their bases. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: French President Nicholas Sarkozy on Friday is putting himself forward as the ideal candidate to lead France while attacking his opponent Socialist Francois Hollande. Sarkozy has swung hard to the right in the week since National Front leader Marine Le Pen won close to 18 percent of the first round vote. On Friday he targeted the socialists frontrunner.
FRENCH PRESIDENT, NICOLAS SARKOZY: "Can you imagine, if you want to be president, and ten days from the election you don't know what your migration policy will be for the next five years? That's bad. Either you really don't know - so then it's a problem of competence, or you know - and it's a question of lack of courage and honesty,"
REPORTER: ... said the president, taking a swing at Hollande and his position on immigration. He spoke about leadership:
NICOLAS SARKOZY: "I want all the people among you to have the elements needed to make a choice, because you are going to choose the one who will lead the country for the next five years. This is the fifth country in the world, and I know this country. I know how to measure all the duties, all the responsibilities, all the difficulties. We have to be capable to take decisions, of assuming them. We have to be capable of taking them quickly. We have to be capable of standing up. "
REPORTER: Hollande, who is up in the polls ahead of a May 6 runoff, also aimed his barbs at Sarkozy, saying his efforts to woo the far right have gone too far.
FRENCH SOCIALIST CANDIDATE, FRANCOIS HOLLANDE: "He (Sarkozy) will go looking to the extreme right, that which he is missing. (Audience hissing) He advertised himself as an uninhibited candidate of the right. Now it's not just uninhibited, it's a complete transgression which he is in the process of committing. It's a big drift we can see in the vocabulary, in the themes, in the expressions, on immigration, on Islam, on security."
REPORTER: Sarkozy is the only sitting president in France ever to lose a first round ballot for re-election. If he loses again in the second round, he will be the first president voted out of office in more than 30 years. Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.
COMMENT
Why is Sarkozy given a comic French accent in the dubbed version, while Hollande's is a standard English one?
ALSO SEE
• Hollande and Sarkozy Trade Insults as Runoff Nears (New York Times)
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A suspected suicide bomber threatened to blow himself up in a busy office block in central London just 91 days away from the start of the Olympics, the Daily Mail reports. Full story >>
VOCABULARY
If you describe something as chilling, you mean it is very frightening. • Anders Behring Breivik gave a chilling account Friday of his shooting massacre on the Norwegian island of Utoeya last year.
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The Economist has given its backing to Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election—but only to keep out the 'rather dangerous' Socialist François Hollande:
This newspaper endorsed Mr Sarkozy in 2007, when he bravely told French voters that they had no alternative but to change. He was unlucky to be hit by the global economic crisis a year later. He has also chalked up some achievements: softening the Socialists’ 35-hour week, freeing universities, raising the retirement age. Yet Mr Sarkozy’s policies have proved as unpredictable and unreliable as the man himself. The protectionist, anti-immigrant and increasingly anti-European tone he has recently adopted may be meant for National Front voters, but he seems to believe too much of it. For all that, if we had a vote on May 6th, we would give it to Mr Sarkozy—but not on his merits, so much as to keep out Mr Hollande.
Why you may wonder, is the mild-mannered M. Hollande so dangerous? Well, according to The Economist:
Mr Hollande evinces a deep anti-business attitude. He will also be hamstrung by his own unreformed Socialist Party and steered by an electorate that has not yet heard the case for reform, least of all from him. Nothing in the past few months, or in his long career as a party fixer, suggests that Mr Hollande is brave enough to rip up his manifesto and change France (see article). And France is in a much more fragile state than when Mitterand conducted his Socialist experiment in 1981-83. This time the response of the markets could be brutal—and hurt France’s neighbours too.
You can read the full article here.
COMMENT
It will likely take more than an endorsement from The Economist to secure a second term for Sarkozy—the latest polls show him trailing the Socialist challenger by all of nine percentage points.
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Sunday marks the first anniversary of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding (already a year!). In this cartoon by Paul Thomas from The Daily Express, William is giving his wife an anniversary present (I wonder what it could be!). But why is he giving her an umbrella? Well, April has a reputation for being a month for showers, and this April has been particularly rainy in the UK. And of course, the joke is that although the present is wrapped, it's obvious from its shape that it's an umbrella (did I really need to explain that?).
COMMENT
Actually, Kate already has an umbrella, but perhaps William's gift will be a more feminine model.
ALSO SEE
• William and Kate's royal wedding: the first anniversary (The Telegraph)
• Royal Anniversary: Will And Kate Likely Won't Celebrate First Year Of Marriage (Huffington Post)
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Pepsi is in the midst of a big transition to boost its business and better compete with Coca Cola, and there are signs the changes are starting to pay off. Bobbi Rebell reports.
TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: The sparkle may be coming back to the top contenders in the cola wars. That comes despite data from Beverage Digest showing 7 years of decline in carbonated soft drinks. Pepsi turned in better-than-expected quarterly results, on the heels of strong numbers from rival Coca-Cola. When Coke released its figures mid-April, it said consumers were eating out and traveling more; for its part, Pepsi said it expects business to strengthen as the year progresses. But PepsiCo remains a distant second to rival Coca Cola- which holds a commanding 42 percent of the market compared to Pepsi's 29 percent, according to Beverage Digest. Pepsi is in the midst of a transition- spending more money on advertising and creating new products. Jonathan Feeney, Senior Beverage Analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott:
JONATHAN FEENEY: "They don't need to move up and supplant Coca Cola as the #1. If they want to improve their market share broadly they should do so by growing the category and they are going to grow the category through spending behind good innovations."
REPORTER: Pepsi's marquee drink is third on the list behind Coke and Diet Coke, when it comes to the top five soda brands. But new comer Pepsi Next- a mid-calorie cola- could be the next shot in the cola wars.
JONATHAN FEENEY: "I think maybe a Pepsi drinker might be a bit more amenable to get the same sweetness at a reduced calorie you know profile than maybe Coca Cola was with C2 so I hold out some hope. I mean any innovation is good for the carbonated soft drink category."
REPORTER: And consumers appear ready to buy into that innovation. Pepsi was able to raise prices last quarter, boosting revenues by four percent. Bobbi Rebell, Reuters.
LESSON IDEA
• Comparing Coke and Pepsi (advertising, marketing, results, etc.) is always a rich source of teaching material. I got my students to do a blind tasting with Coke and Pepsi and used the results as the basis for a lesson on presenting figures.
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The Guardian devotes much of its front page to Rupert Murdoch, who admitted to the Leveson Inquiry that the News Of The World phone-hacking affair has left a 'serious blot on my reputation'. Full story >>
VOCABULARY
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrong-doing, error, incompetence or other embarrassing information. • EcoWatch reveals shocking information of a BP cover-up of a blow-out prior to the deadly Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf.
ALSO SEE
• Steve Bell cartoon (The Guardian)
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Q1 figures show the UK has fallen back into recession, the first double-dip recession there since the 1970s. View transcript >>
ALSO SEE
• Cartoon: The Double Dipper (The English Blog)
• Words in the News: Recession (The English Blog)
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This cartoon by Andy Davey from The Sun relates to yesterday's shock revelation that Britain's economy has slipped into its first double-dip recession since 1975. A double-dip recession refers to a recession followed by a short-lived recovery, followed by another recession. Read more >>
The cartoon shows UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne on a big dipper, a fairground ride that carries people up and down steep slopes on a narrow railway at high speed. Some big dippers go through shallow troughs of water but the "Double Dipper" (an obvious reference to the double-dip recession) is completely submerged.
METAPHORS GALORE
The torrential rain, being underwater, the out-of-control ride could all be considered as metaphors for the parlous state of the UK economy.
VOCABULARY
1. If something dips, it makes a downward movement, usually quite quickly.
2. Another word for big dipper is rollercoaster.
ALSO SEE
• Double-dip recession figures mark another bad day for George Osborne (The Guardian)
• UK economy in double-dip recession (BBC News)
• Adams cartoon (The Telegraph)
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