Veteran Socialist Jack Lang, 69, is France’s longest serving minister, the man behind the institutions of Fête de la Musique, the Journées nationales du patrimoine and is not afraid to step away from the party line. Earlier this year he was nearly expelled from the party for voting with the governing UMP to pass changes to the French Constitution. It went through by one vote - his.
As culture minister (a position he held for ten years) he organised the first ever Fête de la Musique in 1982. The festival is now celebrated on June 21 in countries around the world. He was also education minister in the 1990s.
Though he backed Ségolène Royal as the Socialist presidential candidate in 2007, (after deciding not to stand himself) he has recently been a vocal critic of her.
Are you pleased with Martine Aubry's win?
Yes, it's a good thing. At the same time I regret there are still disagreements (between supporters of Aubry and those of Royal) and the party is not capable of ensuring unity. It makes me sad.
Do you think things will be resolved soon?
The situation will resolve itself one day, but “soon” - I don't know. At some point they will realise it is very bad for the Socialists - these quarrels between personalities.
Do you think the fact the previous leader, François Hollande, announced his departure so far in advance (June 2007) added to the problems?
No, I think what he did was sensible. Also you can't go on being premier secrétaire for ever and it was normal that he planned to retire. If he had stayed there would have been other problems.
Why did you support Aubry?
If Ségolène Royal had won the party would have become an electoral machine in the service of a (presidential) candidate designated in advance - with Martine Aubry things are open to more diverse solutions.
Do you think the party is going to become stronger and offer a more credible opposition?
I'm not a spokesman for the Socialist Party, I am a free citizen, a free Socialist. I hope they will manage to transform things. As for myself, I plan to give myself a bit of freedom and focus on some international issues this year - but it is too soon to be more precise.
There have been rumours that you might be offered a government position…
I would not accept a position in the government, there is no question of that.
What do you think of the measures Sarkozy has announced for boosting the economy?
There are good aspects, notably for accommodation, but it lacks ambition, it is too timid. When I read about the things that Obama is preparing for the American economy I feel much more enthusiastic - he is launching a lot of projects - large and small - and I think he is right. Sarkozy could still do a lot more for the accommodation issue, in particular for the quartiers (disadvantaged districts in the Paris suburbs). It is not a question of money, but of the right methods. We need change in the politics of accommodation and planning, everything happens too slowly - we need more concrete change, more quickly.
What are your predictions for the year ahead?
The first year of Obama will be important for the USA and for the world - I hope to see changes in international politics - re-establishment of peace in the Middle East and closer friendship between France and America. America is once again very close to the hearts of the French people.
Jack Lang: Biography
JACK Lang’s ‘Anglo-Saxon’ spelling comes from his father - who was a big fan of the US.
He began his career in the theatre before joining the government of President François Mitterrand where he served as culture minister for ten years from 1981.
Under him, the ministry created the Zenith - the French rock stadium - at the time a breakaway from traditional jazz and music venues.
In 1984 he initiated the Journées nationales du patrimoine - a weekend where private and public monuments in France open their doors to the general public for free, with special tours and events. The idea has since been taken up across the European Union.
Lang also served as education minister twice from 1992-1993 and from 2000-2002 - making him France’s longest serving minister.
His ambitions to succeed Mitterrand as the Socialist Party presidential candidate in 1997 were thwarted by a campaign by some party members directly against him.
A well-known face among the Socialist ranks he looked set to stand as the party’s presidential candidate in 2007.
In 2005 he published a pre-election programme with a series of proposals to change the French constitution including greater powers to parliament, a presidential term of four years, an amnesty for illegal immigrants, the end of the practice of cumul des mandats (where French politicians can hold several positions at the same time) and the abolition of the senate.
Despite his ambitions, he decided not to stand against Laurent Fabius, Ségolène Royal and Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the name of party unity. Royal went on to win the nomination but not the 2007 election. That year he agreed to join a committee to draw up reforms to France’s constitution. He was criticised by the Socialist leadership and resigned his positions in the party.
His relationship with the Socialists worsened when he ignored the party line to oppose the constitutional reform bill. It went through by one vote leading to calls for him to be expelled from the party. In the party’s leadership elections last year he was a fierce critic of Ségolène Royal.
