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| French 'old boys' network' far worse than Britain's, book claims | French 'old boys' network' far worse than Britain's, book claims |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Left, right or centre, France's politicians are a ruling elite that resembles an ancien regime desperately clinging to its privilege and power, according to a new book by a Paris-based British author. | |
| If you thought David Cameron and his Eton and Oxbridge clique were posh toffs out of touch with the real world, take a look over the Channel at the "tiny number of brilliant and charming men and women" who constitute the Gallic ruling class, says university lecturer Peter Gumbel. | If you thought David Cameron and his Eton and Oxbridge clique were posh toffs out of touch with the real world, take a look over the Channel at the "tiny number of brilliant and charming men and women" who constitute the Gallic ruling class, says university lecturer Peter Gumbel. |
| In his new book, France's Got Talent: the Woeful Consequences of French Elitism, published on Wednesday, Gumbel takes a hard swipe at France's new nobility: the fewer than 500 graduates of elite schools that dominate the highest echelons of business and politics. | In his new book, France's Got Talent: the Woeful Consequences of French Elitism, published on Wednesday, Gumbel takes a hard swipe at France's new nobility: the fewer than 500 graduates of elite schools that dominate the highest echelons of business and politics. |
| Often arrogant, untouchable, unaccountable – and almost certainly unsackable – Gumbel says France is still controlled by an "old boys' network", that makes the British government and business Britain appear a model of social diversity. | Often arrogant, untouchable, unaccountable – and almost certainly unsackable – Gumbel says France is still controlled by an "old boys' network", that makes the British government and business Britain appear a model of social diversity. |
| Just three years after he rattled the French establishment with a scathing indictment of the country's highly selective education system, Gumbel has turned his attention to the Gallic corridors of power and business. | Just three years after he rattled the French establishment with a scathing indictment of the country's highly selective education system, Gumbel has turned his attention to the Gallic corridors of power and business. |
| "Since the Revolution, France has had this mythology that it is a meritocracy, that anyone can rise to the highest positions in society by virtue of their intellectual brilliance," Gumbel told the Guardian. | "Since the Revolution, France has had this mythology that it is a meritocracy, that anyone can rise to the highest positions in society by virtue of their intellectual brilliance," Gumbel told the Guardian. |
| "The idea is the brightest kids in the class can go on to run the country, but it doesn't work. Those in this elite come from much the same upper middle-class background and they are not running the country well. | "The idea is the brightest kids in the class can go on to run the country, but it doesn't work. Those in this elite come from much the same upper middle-class background and they are not running the country well. |
| "They may be smart and swots and get grammar and maths but they don't have experience or, necessarily, ability." | "They may be smart and swots and get grammar and maths but they don't have experience or, necessarily, ability." |
| Gumbel added: "David Cameron gets a hard time for surrounding himself with old Etonian buddies and being out of touch, but compared with François Hollande, who has surrounded himself with his old classmates, Cameron seems harmless. In France it's still a system of jobs-for-the-boys that was prevalent in Britain back in the 1950s." | Gumbel added: "David Cameron gets a hard time for surrounding himself with old Etonian buddies and being out of touch, but compared with François Hollande, who has surrounded himself with his old classmates, Cameron seems harmless. In France it's still a system of jobs-for-the-boys that was prevalent in Britain back in the 1950s." |
| Gumbel says the book is aimed at the disillusioned French public, which is fed up with Hollande and turning to the extreme right and left in increasing numbers, but which "may not be aware of the extent to which the elitist culture it endures is anything but normal by international standards". | Gumbel says the book is aimed at the disillusioned French public, which is fed up with Hollande and turning to the extreme right and left in increasing numbers, but which "may not be aware of the extent to which the elitist culture it endures is anything but normal by international standards". |
| He said: "It's not so much a glass ceiling as a concrete one. And with a tiny number of people coming up to run everything, everyone else feels frustrated and left behind." | He said: "It's not so much a glass ceiling as a concrete one. And with a tiny number of people coming up to run everything, everyone else feels frustrated and left behind." |
| Gumbel's previous book, They Shoot School Kids, Don't They?, detailed how only about 5% of France's top students get into classe préparatoire [preparatory classes], the "military-style boot camps" that provide intense grounding for the country's 200 elite grandes écoles. | Gumbel's previous book, They Shoot School Kids, Don't They?, detailed how only about 5% of France's top students get into classe préparatoire [preparatory classes], the "military-style boot camps" that provide intense grounding for the country's 200 elite grandes écoles. |
| The book was widely reviewed in France and prompted an invitation to the Élysée Palace to talk about education reforms. | The book was widely reviewed in France and prompted an invitation to the Élysée Palace to talk about education reforms. |
| "Ever since I arrived in Paris in 2002 … I have been surprised by the pervasive culture of elitism in France. If this country were a TV show, it would be France's Got Talent, a fiercely competitive contest to show off how clever you are," Gumbel writes. | "Ever since I arrived in Paris in 2002 … I have been surprised by the pervasive culture of elitism in France. If this country were a TV show, it would be France's Got Talent, a fiercely competitive contest to show off how clever you are," Gumbel writes. |
| However, Gumbel says the entire contest is flawed. "Those chosen aren't always the best suited for the roles they are given, while the losers are marked for life." | However, Gumbel says the entire contest is flawed. "Those chosen aren't always the best suited for the roles they are given, while the losers are marked for life." |
| Britain, the US, Germany and many other countries have broadened their leadership to better reflect their diverse societies, he says. "France is bucking this trend. Here, the demands, if anything, are becoming more elitist." | Britain, the US, Germany and many other countries have broadened their leadership to better reflect their diverse societies, he says. "France is bucking this trend. Here, the demands, if anything, are becoming more elitist." |
| France has barely opened up, he says, since a 1900 parliamentary report by Alexandre Ribot noted: "A system that classifies men at the age of 20 based on the diplomas they have received deprives the state of the right to choose those who are outstanding, self-made professionals". The report said the system gave those who succeeded "the illusion they simply have to stand in line in order to receive a government post". | France has barely opened up, he says, since a 1900 parliamentary report by Alexandre Ribot noted: "A system that classifies men at the age of 20 based on the diplomas they have received deprives the state of the right to choose those who are outstanding, self-made professionals". The report said the system gave those who succeeded "the illusion they simply have to stand in line in order to receive a government post". |
| And once in the top job, there is little incentive to change anything: mandarins, says Gumbel, "can't be fired … at worst they're 'put in a cupboard', meaning shunted off to a low-profile job or a comfortable sinecure". | And once in the top job, there is little incentive to change anything: mandarins, says Gumbel, "can't be fired … at worst they're 'put in a cupboard', meaning shunted off to a low-profile job or a comfortable sinecure". |
| As a civil servant told him: "It's like an elevator. You step in and move up." | As a civil servant told him: "It's like an elevator. You step in and move up." |
| Gumbel, who lectures at one of France's most elite educational establishments, the Institute d'Études Politiques, better known as Sciences Po and which has educated five of the Fifth Republic's seven presidents, adds: "France needs elites, but it needs better ones. It needs people who are good at drafting reports, but even better at implementing their recommendations. | Gumbel, who lectures at one of France's most elite educational establishments, the Institute d'Études Politiques, better known as Sciences Po and which has educated five of the Fifth Republic's seven presidents, adds: "France needs elites, but it needs better ones. It needs people who are good at drafting reports, but even better at implementing their recommendations. |
| "To paraphrase General de Gaulle, how is it possible that in a nation that has 365 varieties of cheese, there are so few paths to the top?" | "To paraphrase General de Gaulle, how is it possible that in a nation that has 365 varieties of cheese, there are so few paths to the top?" |
| Facts and figures from Gumbel's book | Facts and figures from Gumbel's book |
| • The École Nationale d'Administration (ENA) and the École Polytechnique, the most elite of France's top schools, admit just 480 students a year – 0.057% of their age group and "a proportion so minuscule it could be a statistical error". | • The École Nationale d'Administration (ENA) and the École Polytechnique, the most elite of France's top schools, admit just 480 students a year – 0.057% of their age group and "a proportion so minuscule it could be a statistical error". |
| • In 1980 an American study of managerial practices found 80% of the top executives of France's largest companies came from five grandes écoles. | • In 1980 an American study of managerial practices found 80% of the top executives of France's largest companies came from five grandes écoles. |
| • A study by Luc Rouban of CEVIPOF, Science Po's political research centre, found that Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the 1970s president, had 61% of his entourage from Polytechnique and ENA; Sarkozy, 55% of immediate staff; Hollande is back to Giscard's levels. | • A study by Luc Rouban of CEVIPOF, Science Po's political research centre, found that Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the 1970s president, had 61% of his entourage from Polytechnique and ENA; Sarkozy, 55% of immediate staff; Hollande is back to Giscard's levels. |
| • Only 12% of ENA students are from what could be described as working or lower-middle class families, according to the social trend monitoring agency, the Observatoire des Inégalités. And just 11% of Polytechnique students qualify for financial grants. | • Only 12% of ENA students are from what could be described as working or lower-middle class families, according to the social trend monitoring agency, the Observatoire des Inégalités. And just 11% of Polytechnique students qualify for financial grants. |
| • ENA and Polytechnique take 480 admissions a year; Oxford and Cambridge take 3,400; US Ivy League universities (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth College, Cornell, Pennsylvania, Brown) take 24,000. | • ENA and Polytechnique take 480 admissions a year; Oxford and Cambridge take 3,400; US Ivy League universities (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth College, Cornell, Pennsylvania, Brown) take 24,000. |
| • Every year around 75 graduates of ENA and Polytechnique join the grands corps de l'État (grand state corps), for fast-track civil service careers and jobs for life. Britain's civil service fast-track scheme chose 390 candidates in 2011 (26% of whom were from Oxbridge). | • Every year around 75 graduates of ENA and Polytechnique join the grands corps de l'État (grand state corps), for fast-track civil service careers and jobs for life. Britain's civil service fast-track scheme chose 390 candidates in 2011 (26% of whom were from Oxbridge). |
| • Every year 830,000 pupils start secondary school. Of those, 570,000 pass the baccalaureate, but only 280,000 take the "general" bac as opposed to the professional and technical alternatives considered inferior. Of these just 40,000 – around 5% – will go to prep classes and 1,500 will be accepted at Science Po. Of the 260,000 who don't obtain any bac, the majority are from poor or modest backgrounds. | • Every year 830,000 pupils start secondary school. Of those, 570,000 pass the baccalaureate, but only 280,000 take the "general" bac as opposed to the professional and technical alternatives considered inferior. Of these just 40,000 – around 5% – will go to prep classes and 1,500 will be accepted at Science Po. Of the 260,000 who don't obtain any bac, the majority are from poor or modest backgrounds. |
| • A 2003 European Central Bank report on the efficiency of the public sector in 23 countries ranked France 20th. | • A 2003 European Central Bank report on the efficiency of the public sector in 23 countries ranked France 20th. |
| UK elite v French crème | UK elite v French crème |
| Annual student intake | Annual student intake |
| Oxford and Cambridge (undergraduates): 7,000 | Oxford and Cambridge (undergraduates): 7,000 |
| ENA and Polytechnique: 480 | ENA and Polytechnique: 480 |
| (Source: the schools) | (Source: the schools) |
| Alumni constitute | Alumni constitute |
| Oxbridge: 21% of FTSE-100 CEOs and 42% of senior civil service. | Oxbridge: 21% of FTSE-100 CEOs and 42% of senior civil service. |
| ENA and Polytechnique : 40% of CAC-40 CEOs and 60% of senior civil service. | ENA and Polytechnique : 40% of CAC-40 CEOs and 60% of senior civil service. |
| (Sources: The Sutton Trust (UK), Robert Half recruiting agency; Sociologies Pratiques 2010-12, François-Xavier Dudouet et Hervé Joly, Luc Rouban, CEVIPOF, Revue Française d'administration publique 2012-12) | (Sources: The Sutton Trust (UK), Robert Half recruiting agency; Sociologies Pratiques 2010-12, François-Xavier Dudouet et Hervé Joly, Luc Rouban, CEVIPOF, Revue Française d'administration publique 2012-12) |
| 'Fast-stream' civil service career track | 'Fast-stream' civil service career track |
| Oxbridge graduates: 26% of successful candidates | Oxbridge graduates: 26% of successful candidates |
| ENA and Polytechnique graduates: 100% | ENA and Polytechnique graduates: 100% |
| (Source: UK Cabinet Office) | (Source: UK Cabinet Office) |
| Lifelong-job guarantee | Lifelong-job guarantee |
| Top Oxbridge graduates: none | Top Oxbridge graduates: none |
| Top 15 ENA and top 60 Polytechnique graduates: guaranteed | Top 15 ENA and top 60 Polytechnique graduates: guaranteed |
| Universities: first year drop-out rate | Universities: first year drop-out rate |
| UK: 7.5% | UK: 7.5% |
| France: 26% | France: 26% |
| (Source: UK HEFCE; France – ministry of education) | (Source: UK HEFCE; France – ministry of education) |
| Number of companies judged by employees as great places to work | Number of companies judged by employees as great places to work |
| UK: 141 | UK: 141 |
| France: 58 | France: 58 |
| (Source: Great Place to Work Institute) | (Source: Great Place to Work Institute) |
| Percentage of employees who say they are stressed by work | Percentage of employees who say they are stressed by work |
| UK: 59% | UK: 59% |
| France: 71% | France: 71% |
| (Source: European Working Conditions Survey, 2005) | (Source: European Working Conditions Survey, 2005) |
| International ranking of quality of relations between employees and employers | International ranking of quality of relations between employees and employers |
| UK: 14th out of 32 | UK: 14th out of 32 |
| France: 32nd out of 32 | France: 32nd out of 32 |
| (Source: ISSP international Social Survey Programme, 2005) | (Source: ISSP international Social Survey Programme, 2005) |
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