© UMP PhotosLuc Ferry
Already, another minister has been accused of sexual harrassment and forced to resign, perhaps the first time we can remember of a sex scandal adversely affecting a French politician's career.
But an even more stunning situation is the media firestorm surrounding Luc Ferry, a philosopher and former government heavyweight.
On a live evening talk-show, when asked about whether politician sex scandals are hush-hushed, Luc Ferry said that, as government minister, he was told of another, former government minister who was caught in Morocco in an orgy with "little boys," and that the affair was hushed up. He was told, Ferry says, by "authorities at the highest level of the State, including the prime minister."
When asked the name of the minister, Ferry demurred saying, correctly, that if he gave a name without evidence, he would be immediately sued for defamation and lose. In France, the penalty for defamation carries a 45,000 euro fine and one year in prison, and "culpable intention" is presumed.
Crucially, he said -- almost certainly rightly, in this writer's experience -- that all of the journalists on stage with him on the talk-show also know exactly to which episode he refers and who the minister in question is but that, like him, they cannot write anything about him. Le Figaro wrote a short article on similar allegations but refused to name the minister for the same reason.
In the ensuing media firestorm -- a government minister was caught in a pedophiliac orgy?! Who?! -- another thing was noted: not denouncing crimes on which one has information is also a penal offense, carrying heavy penalties.
Why did Ferry not call the cops when he heard of the orgy?
In other words: damned if you do, damned if you don't. If Ferry tells the name of the minister, he gets sued for defamation. If he doesn't, he's potentially liable for not denouncing a crime of which he had knowledge.
The only way Ferry would have avoided the media and potential legal firestorm is if he'd shut the hell up.
So there you go.
Welcome to France.
"Power corrupts" was offered by Lord Acton in the late 1800's as a justification for the moral standards of the most powerful. It has held firm as such down through all these years, and was probably a tacit agreement about how things had to be long before anyone bothered to give it words.
But is it true? Has there never been a very powerful man, or woman, who was morally sound? And what about all those who are not powerful who commit crimes?
I think this idea is nothing more than the justification that it seems to be. What is probably closer to the truth is this: Power attracts criminals, and criminals are already corrupt.
It is thinking like that written by Lord Acton and displayed by the French press that is allowing this planet to be taken over by personalities that number less than 4 percent of the population. If we could get over this and conceive that it might be possible to elevate public service to a highly moral activity and keep it that way, then this planet might have a chance.