As is our duty on this podcast we bring you the main news and talking points from the week in France including of course updates about strikes and protests, what’s coming next and whether the strikes are going to hit the winter holiday period. We also examine why retirement in France is so sacred and why the country is such a popular place for foreigners to retire to. The French are known to cherish food, fraternité and pharmacies but they also have a less well known love for comic books. We exp...
Jan 26, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 3
You join us at a really crucial moment, for France, for President Emmanuel Macron, for the French trade unions and of course for anyone living in the country or visiting. That’s because what’s been billed as the ‘mother of all battles’ - is about to begin between unions and striking workers on one side and the French government on the other. At the centre of it all is the government's controversial plans to reform pensions. Will France be brought to a standstill? Who and where will be worst hit ...
Jan 18, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 2
It’s the start of a new year, there’s a lot going on in France to catch up with so we have a jam-packed episode featuring the president Emmanuel Macron finally opening up about his love life, a look ahead to the ski season in the Alps - will there be any snow to ski on and why folk in south west France will be paying more property taxes. And the battle lines have been drawn between the French government and the unions over pension reform which means, strikes. Of course. We have all the latest. W...
Jan 12, 2023•35 min•Season 5Ep. 1
This episode of Talking France is dedicated to looking ahead and what’s in store for France and everyone living here in 2023. Will there be surprise elections, will there be street protests? There will certainly be price rises and we’ll explain just exactly what will cost you more in France in 2023. And perhaps what could cost less - including property. There will also be big changes for travel, especially for non-EU arrivals in France and we’ll find out whether 2023 will be a good year for publ...
Dec 28, 2022•18 min•Season 4Ep. 8
It's another jam-packed episode on Talking France featuring the aftermath of the World Cup final including why French president Emmanuel Macron was accused of being “offside”. Article: ‘Offside’?: Macron’s World Cup final support divides opinion We tell you how your finances could change in France now that the budget has finally passed and introduce you to the World’s richest man - yep he’s a Frenchman and we’ll also hear about a Frenchwoman who is perhaps the most stereotypical Parisian ever on...
Dec 20, 2022•29 min•Season 4Ep. 7
On this week’s episode of Talking France we find out why certain Paris cafés are banning customers from getting out their laptops. Are they really “squatters who don’t pay their way” as one café owner told us, or just a modern, hi-tech version of a traditional Paris café goer? We hear from both sides of the row. Article : ‘They are squatters’: Are Paris cafés right to clamp down on laptop users? This week France’s traditional centre-right party has elected a new leader who isn’t traditionally ce...
Dec 15, 2022•27 min•Season 4Ep. 6
On this week's show we hear about the real chances of there being blackouts in France this winter and why the French government can't simply blame Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine. OPINION: France faces the real possibility of power cuts this winter and it can’t blame Putin We hear about the Frenchman taking on Elon Musk and we also get into the thorny subject of what the French and the English really think of each other including the views of Britain’s ambassador to France. The French phra...
Dec 08, 2022•32 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In this week's show we bring listeners up to date with some of the biggest news and talking points in France including President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the United States. We look at the ups and downs in Franco-American relations over the years and find out why Macron is far from happy with his US counterpart Joe Biden. We also find out a little bit more about the thousands of American citizens who have made home in France. We learn about one of France's most influential women in histor...
Dec 01, 2022•34 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this week's episode of Talking France we find out why people in the country could be facing a "tsunami" of rising prices in the months ahead. The mayor of Paris is considering a ban on electric scooter rental schemes. Are they just too dangerous or do they offer a vital, environmentally friendly and exciting way to get around the City of Light? We hear both sides of the argument. We also learn about a French philosopher known as BHL and find out why he's always in war zones... with his shirt ...
Nov 24, 2022•31 min•Season 4Ep. 3
It’s Beaujolais Nouveau day, when the 2022 batch of Beaujolais wines hits the shelves. We’ll explain why it’s such a big event – but why it was even bigger in the 1980s. Does Beaujolais Nouveau wine deserve its bad reputation? This week we also discuss bullfighting, yes bullfighting exists in France, well at least in certain parts of the country. But for how much longer? The controversial blood-sport is in the line of fire of lawmakers and animal rights groups. EXPLAINED: Could bullfighting fina...
Nov 17, 2022•30 min•Season 4Ep. 2
As usual this week we will be talking about the main news in France and also digging into some interesting subjects that really help explain the country and its culture to you, our listeners. Up first we'll bring you the main talking points from the week including a look at the new president of the French far right. He's only 27 years old. Also will there be Christmas lights in French cities and towns this year and why is Miss France in hot water? We'll also bring you up to date on France's new ...
Nov 10, 2022•32 min
This week we head into rural France. Listeners will no doubt know that you absolutely need a car if you're in the French countryside but can President Emmanuel Macron convince drivers to go electric with his new offer? And what about pubic transport? Does the French government have any plans to improve trains and buses for those living in la France Profonde. We get the latest on the fuel blockades and look at whether this week's nationwide strike in France will give Macron and his ministers reas...
Oct 20, 2022•33 min
In this week's episode we'll discuss the ongoing and worsening fuel crisis in the country. With drivers having to queue for hours to fill up their cars and the French government taking the bold step of forcing strikers back to work tensions are high. Are we heading for a winter of discontent? We'll also hear about the changing eating habits of the French. In the country of Boeuf Bourguignon and steak frites is meat now becoming too hard to digest for a younger, more environmentally conscious gen...
Oct 13, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In the new episode of Talking France, we'll be discussing why storm clouds are gathering over the French parliament and why the next few weeks and months look set to be tempestuous for President Emmanuel Macron and his government. We'll lay out the battles that lie ahead and what's likely to happen. And we'll also hear about yet more of Macron's ministers and advisors landing in hot water and what it could all mean for the president. We'll hear about why French towns are boycotting the world's b...
Oct 06, 2022•37 min
In today's episode we'll look at whether France is heading for another wave of strikes and protests prompted by yet another pension reform. Yes, nothing riles France's unions more than a proposal to make people work for longer in life but that's what President Emmanuel Macron wants to do. We'll find out why and what's likely to happen. We'll also discuss why wearing a roll-neck jumper is the latest energy saving measure recommended by the French government. We'll examine what's gone wrong with t...
Sep 29, 2022•35 min•Ep. 4
In our latest episode of Talking France - a podcast in which our team at The Local, including French politics expert John Lichfield, discuss all things French, we look at the main talking points in France this week. We explain the new French government website ministers want us to sign up to and why it might help avoid power cuts this winter. We'll examine how skiing in the Alps or Pyrenees might be different for winter holidaymakers this year and whether all the money the French government is p...
Sep 23, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 3
On this week's episode we'll discuss everything from France's love for the British queen, problems with French nuclear power, the long-awaited return of Dijon mustard to supermarket shelves and what the devastating wildfires could mean for France's fine wines. We'll also look at why the thorny issue of euthanasia and assisted dying is back in the news in France and how President Emmanuel Macron is hoping to settle the country's law on the right to die once and for all . But is a referendum reall...
Sep 15, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In this new episode of Talking France, our team Emma Pearson, Gen Mansfield and John Lichfield, along with host Ben McPartland explore how the energy crisis will impact life in France and whether President Emmanuel Macron and his government have a plan to get France through the winter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 08, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 1
This is our final episode of Talking France before we, like the rest of France, take a summer break. There is a lot to discuss as we look into what the next few weeks have in store for France. From the return of Covid-19 to the summer get away and from the political chaos to the threat of strikes we will explore what could happen over the next few weeks. We'll also learn a thing or three about the French Constitution and discover whether the French really do eat frogs legs, snails and horse as t...
Jun 30, 2022•32 min
SURVEY: Share your feedback on Talking France ___ In a very dramatic week for France, The Local's Talking France podcast is back, digesting the political crisis, as well as discussing the summer sales, the expanding train network and whether people in France really work just 35 hours a week. Host Ben McPartland is joined by Local France editor Emma Pearson, reporter Genevieve Mansfield and political expert John Lichfield to dissect the aftermath of the parliamentary election that has plunged Fra...
Jun 23, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 5
SURVEY: Share your feedback on Talking France ___ As France bakes under an unusually early heatwave, the latest edition of Talking France examines how French cities are adapting to the new reality of hotter summers, as well as discussing French regional rivalries, the latest strike action and the reality of driving in France. Host Ben McPartland is joined by Local France editor Emma Pearson and reporter Genevieve Mansfield to discuss all the latest talking points in France – from the neck-and-ne...
Jun 17, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 4
SURVEY: Share your feedback on Talking France ___ In this episode of Talking France we'll be looking at the upcoming parliamentary elections - which are struggling to attract interest of voters despite being crucial for what happens over the next five years - French inheritance law, celebrity love affairs and France's best music festival. Ben McPartland is joined by France editor Emma Pearson, reporter Genevieve Mansfield and veteran political correspondent John Lichfield to examine the big news...
Jun 10, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 3
SURVEY: Share your feedback on Talking France __ The Local's Talking France podcast is back with a look at the burning issues in France this week - from policing to farm animals, workers shortages to paperwork traps. Host Ben McPartland is joined by Local France editor Emma Pearson and reporter Genevieve Mansfield to discuss the big issues in France this week - from the controversy raging around the Interior Minister to problems with the French police and their often heavy-handed crowd-control t...
Jun 03, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this week's Talking France we'll look at what's new in France, which Frenchman is dominating all the headlines and why now is great time to head to Provence. And for our main topic of discussion we'll look at the climate crisis. How will it impact France, which regions will most affected and is President Emmanuel Macron really prepared to do what needs to be done? It is of course a long weekend for many because of Ascension day on Thursday so we'll give three things you need to know about tho...
May 25, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 1
With the results in and Emmanuel Macron having secured a second term as French president, The Local's Talking France podcast breaks down the results and looks ahead at the next few days, the parliamentary elections and the five years of Macron's second term. As the results came in, Ben McPartland was joined by The Local’s France editor Emma Pearson and veteran political columnist John Lichfield to try and work our what it all means. Macron was re-elected with a 17 point lead, the first French pr...
Apr 25, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 8
France will choose its next president on Sunday and the choice for voters is simple: re-elect the incumbent centrist Emmanuel Macron or opt for his longstanding rival on the far right Marine Le Pen. Some 15.6 million French voters tuned in to watch Wednesday night's almost-three hour clash to see if either candidate could land any knockout blows on their opponent just days before the crucial vote. We speak to John Lichfield to get his take on the clash, whether there was a clear winner and loser...
Apr 21, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Emmanuel Macron and his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen will face each other once again in the second round run off vote in the race for the Elysée. Host Ben McPartland is joined by The Local France's editor Emma Pearson and political commentator John Lichfield to discuss what's likely to happen when voters go to the polls again on April 24th. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 11, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 6
French voters will head to the polls for the first round of voting on Sunday and the election race has suddenly become very interesting. On this week's episode host Ben McPartland runs through the latest polls, news and talking points with The Local France's editor Emma Pearson. We'll also look at what actually happens on polling day and why people in France will be glued to their TV screens at 8pm. Our political columnist John Lichfield is again with us. John has long believed that Emmanuel Mac...
Apr 05, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In the latest episode of the Talking France podcast, The Local team plus commentators John Lichfield and Rim-Sarah Alouane look at what the election candidates plan for foreigners in France, how the idea of the secular French state has been 'weaponised', and which political party is selling election-special condoms. Ben McPartland is joined by Local France editor Emma Pearson, reporter Sam Bradpiece and columnist John Lichfield to talk about the latest from the French election trail – from the b...
Mar 29, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 4
With three weeks to go until the first round of the French election, The Local France team plus guest experts John Lichfield and Adam Plowright discuss abstention levels, Macron's legacy for France and which candidate would make the best drinking buddy. The Local’s Talking France aims to make sense of France, its politics and in particular its 2022 presidential election. This week host Ben McPartland and The Local France editor Emma Pearson are joined by veteran columnist John Lichfield, plus Ma...
Mar 22, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 3
