A fifth of French people live in the countryside and it remains an important part of French identity. But with the farming crisis, high unemployment, and dwindling social services, people in rural areas are increasingly disillusioned with politics. Polls suggest many are tempted by an anti-system vote for the far-right, or will abstain altogether in the upcoming elections. RFI left Paris for Mayenne in the west of France to find out how ordinary people in "France profonde" are feeling.
Others episodes
-
Podcast: France-Russia relations, hair discrimination, tax history
How France's new hardline position on Russia marks a major shift away from decades of pro-Russia policies. The fight to make hair discrimination illegal. And why VAT – a tax introduced 70 years ago – is so important to French finances, despite being deeply unequal.28/03/202430:18 -
Podcast: Covid obedience, vasectomies in France, was Rosa Bonheur a lesbian?
Four years after the start of the first Covid lockdown in France, what has been the impact? What's stopping more men getting vasectomies in France. And why not everyone wants to accept that Rosa Bonheur, the most famous female painter of the 19th century, was a lesbian.14/03/202428:55 -
Podcast: #MeToo hits French cinema, mobile movie theatre, leap year paper
How a wave of #MeToo allegations against French directors is shaking up the cinema industry; the Cinémobile movie theatre bringing culture to the countryside; and the satirical news rag that appears just once every four years, on 29 February.01/03/202425:37 -
Podcast: French farmers protest, battling the mathematics gender gap
No quick fix for French farmers who have been protesting by laying siege to Paris. And it's just the latest in a long string of farmers' demonstrations over the last 100 years. Plus, why French girls are faring worse at maths than boys, and what to do about it.01/02/202431:46 -
Podcast: Fixing France, opposing immigration reforms, Françoise Giroud
A critique that highlights the gap between France and its ideals. Protests to try and block the new "racist" immigration reforms. And the story of Françoise Giroud, journalist-turned-minister in the 1970s.18/01/202431:47