The Talking France podcast is back, this week discussing the ‘sacred’ May 1st public holiday, why France’s most unique region wants independence, and how the country is set to lose 1.7 million children over the next decade.
Host Ben McPartland is joined by The Local France’s Emma Pearson, Emma Albright and John Lichfield to look at all the news and talking points from France this week.
You can find the Talking France podcast on Spotify, Apple or the French platform Deezer and via our friends at World Radio Paris. You can download it here or listen on the link below.
Starting with May 1st, a public holiday in France, also known as ‘la fête du travail’. We discuss the proposed new law introduced to parliament that aims to make it easier for employees to work on this day and how the politicians – and unions – are reacting to it.
Then we turn to a feature published this week in Paris Match (France’s equivalent of Hello! magazine), which is soft-launching far-right figure Jordan Bardella’s new relationship. We discuss why we think this is a hint at him possibly running in the 2027 French presidential election.
We then turn to what’s happening in Alsace, and why there are calls for it to break away from the Grand Est. Looking at its long history and strong German cultural influences, we explore what makes Alsace so distinct from the rest of France.
Next, we take a look at a recent study by the government’s demographic institute that projects a particular decline in the number of children in French schools by 2035. What is the cause of this? And what does this mean for schools in the future?
And finally, we discuss French expressions that include hair – and some are real head-scratchers.
Talking France is a free podcast made possible by the support of paying members of The Local – you can find out more about becoming a member here. Members can also help us to spread by leaving a nice review on their podcast platform, sharing episodes on social media or just telling a friend about us.
