1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,200 Speaker 1: In France. Catherine Field, very good morning to you. 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 2: Good morning mate. 3 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:06,359 Speaker 1: We need to look at Germany because that result was fascinating, 4 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: wasn't it. The AfD successful. Where do we go and 5 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: how shaken are the three parties that run the country. 6 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 2: Well, they are very shaken. The Greens, the Liberal Free 7 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 2: Democrats and the Social Democrats in Germany who have been 8 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 2: that federal coalition for several years now, are really shaken. 9 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 2: This whole election. You know, it was projected if I 10 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 2: knew this was going to happen, but the ruling parties 11 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 2: had hope that their efforts to just sort of convince 12 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 2: the electric in eastern Germany that these anti establishment, fiercely 13 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:43,239 Speaker 2: nationalistic parties were not the way for Germany to go. 14 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 2: They nevertheless have come through on a federal level. Make 15 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 2: It really does show how unpopular the current chancellor is. 16 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 2: His current standing in the polls, he's got about a 17 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 2: seventeen percent approval rating across the country is something like 18 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 2: seventy four percent of the Electric feels he's not handling 19 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 2: the migration crisis at all. Well, so you're a real 20 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 2: slap in the face for the federal government. Mike. Also, 21 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 2: because these parties in the east go so much against 22 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 2: what Germany has been about for the well ever since 23 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:19,839 Speaker 2: the end of the Second World War. Really, these parties 24 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 2: are very nationalistic, very Russia friendly, and they do sort 25 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 2: of question whether this sort of pro Western orientation that 26 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 2: Germany has is the right one. 27 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: You and ne Voe. Because they were regional elections, if 28 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: all the regions had had elections, would the result have 29 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: been reflected or was this region specific? 30 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 2: It's regions specific. I mean, you have to look at 31 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 2: these two regions during hur and Saxony. That counts for 32 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 2: about seven percent of the entire population. So if anything, Mike, 33 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 2: it does show that Eastern Germany, particularly in that corner 34 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 2: of Eastern Germany, that they do have a different way 35 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 2: of looking at the political scene. They have a different 36 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 2: idea of how the country should be developing. It's always 37 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 2: been that way, you know, in that eastern part of Germany. 38 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 2: It's it's a part of Germany that feels so far 39 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 2: away from the center of power. Even back in the 40 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 2: days of East and West Germany, it felt so very 41 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 2: far away from the center of many of the major 42 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 2: population centers. 43 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: Speaking of politics, he has Macron got anything sorted out here? 44 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 2: I ask, no, he hasn't figured this out, like you know, 45 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 2: you were always one going on about numbers. Twenty five 46 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 2: percent of the French electorate still say they approve of 47 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 2: having Emmanuel Macron as the president, so his ratings are 48 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 2: still up there. I'm twenty five percent isn't bad for 49 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 2: a French president, but that you know, seventy three percent 50 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 2: say this new parliament, this new government that has the 51 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 2: government that's been going to come in, isn't going to 52 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 2: be able to get anywhere. Yes, we're still waiting for 53 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 2: a prime minister. There's been lots of comings and goings today. 54 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 2: When we spoke last week, I said that people weren't 55 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 2: really that interested. Well, it's back to school time, everyone's 56 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 2: back at work now, holidays are over, and people were 57 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 2: looking to Macron to come up with some sort of 58 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 2: name today. Who knows, ma, we might get one tomorrow, 59 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 2: but it certainly seems more like a you know, a 60 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 2: very slow horse race than the sort of fast economy 61 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 2: we're all hoping France had become. 62 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,679 Speaker 1: I will be asking next Tuesday this this woman hill Dargo, 63 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: who's the Miyror of Paris, And it's it's my decision, 64 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:26,959 Speaker 1: and I've done a deal with the IOC. Is that 65 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: sort of person. How's that all going down? 66 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 2: That's exactly the sort of person she is. Mate, She's 67 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 2: one of the most divisive mayors that Paris has had. 68 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 2: She sends to believe that it's her decision, her decision 69 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 2: only to keep the Olympic rings up on the Eiffel 70 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 2: Tower once the Summer Games are over, forgetting of course 71 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 2: that it's a national monument. It is something that the 72 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 2: state actually decides what's going to happen. And I think 73 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 2: most people that you know, I've seen interviewed about have 74 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 2: been talking about saying, yeah, you know, it's a good 75 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 2: idea to have the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower, 76 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 2: but you know, we have to move on. And the 77 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 2: Olympics was really just for Paris. It made France feel good. 78 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 2: But the Olympics has been it's gone, move on, get 79 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 2: on to something else now. Of course, the other thing 80 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 2: is the particular those five rings that are on the 81 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 2: Eiffel Tower at the moment will have to come down 82 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 2: anyway because they're too heavy, not good for the infrastructure 83 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:20,039 Speaker 2: of the whole of the Eiffel Tower, So they're going 84 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:21,600 Speaker 2: to have to come down, they would need to put 85 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 2: new ones up again, which are much lighter. So the same, listen, 86 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 2: just move on, let's all feel good about the Olympics. 87 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 2: And as there's always a cased Mike, the French have 88 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 2: gone and interviewed some of the descendants of good stuff 89 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 2: Eiffel and they've all said, no, you know, it's not 90 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 2: the place. It's not really there for advertisements or anything 91 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 2: in particular permanently. That just taken away, just so as 92 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 2: everyone can see the beauty of the Eiffel Tower and 93 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 2: how it lights up at night. But of course some 94 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 2: other people are remembering that, for what more than a decade, 95 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 2: they used to have a Citron advertisement for the. 96 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: Cars up there. Exactly all right, next week, Appreciate it 97 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 1: as always, Catherine. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, 98 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: listen live to News Talks at B from six am weekdays, 99 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,039 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.