I once had a great jacket—the kind the French call a doudoune or canadienne (puffer jacket). I had bought it long ago in Norman, Oklahoma. It had one clear advantage: red on one side, white on the other, and fully reversible.
So when I went hiking in the mountains during winter to observe and photograph wildlife, I’d wear the red side while walking. Then I’d flip it to the white side to blend into the snow and go unnoticed by the animals. A perfect camouflage!
One day, I saw a French politician—Laurent Wauquiez—wearing the exact same jacket! At the time, he was a regional president, out harvesting votes.
And I immediately understood the advantage for him: he wears the red side to stand out during his political showmanship, and switches to the white side to stay under the radar—perhaps for things he’d rather not have seen?
Honestly, I’ve never had a good feeling about this guy. Still don’t. He seems like a master at flipping his jacket—always adjusting to whichever way the wind blows.
Does he have any convictions? Love him or not, it looks like his only real belief is in gaining power. Yet another one who claims to uphold the law, but loudly declares he’ll refuse to enforce certain laws in his region.
How can you claim to lead a country while openly stating you won’t apply the law of that same country, just because you don’t like it? That’s a mystery to me.
But one thing’s for sure—I wouldn’t invest a single kopeck in this guy.
Now, as of Tuesday, April 8, he’s floating the idea of “detaining” in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French overseas territory near Canada, those considered dangerous and under a French deportation order (OQTF).
A French-style Guantanamo? Odd, for a country that claims to be a state of law, guardian of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Or is it just some foul-tasting stew he’s cooking up to scrape together a few extra votes—especially to outmaneuver his rival for the leadership of the Republican party, Bruno Retailleau?
A man tall in height, yet clearly small in his gutter-level opportunism.
To read the article from Le Monde on this topic ((in French): Laurent Wauquiez wants to send foreigners under deportation orders to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
Learn more about Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
