Aubry and royal ‘not speaking’

NEW SOCIALIST LEADER MARTINE AUBRY DOES NOT “SPEAK DIRECTLY” TO FORMER RIVAL, SHE ADMITS, BUT ONLY TO HER “FRIENDS.” SOCIALIST leader Martine Aubry is not on speaking terms with her former

rival Ségolène Royal. “We do not speak to each other directly,” said Aubry, interviewed on the radio station RTL. However the recently-elected première secrétaire added that she worked daily

with “friends of Ségolène” who she said had a “rather special kind of status” in the party. She added: “The French people are suffering and are not interested in these controversies.” The

comments come as Royal has put out a DVD called “A Campaign for the Future,” which is described as “half an hour of memories, amusement, music and also reflection and seriousness.” It

focuses on reminiscences of Royal’s 2007 presidential campaign, when she was at the forefront of the party. Nonetheless, Royal and her supporters are said to be taking a less combative

attitude towards Aubry this year, after having contested her win in last year’s leadership election and their sidelining from key party posts. “It is not our job to cause trouble for the

current leadership,” Royal said. “We’ve been left out, but we are still at home in the house we all share – the Socialist Party.” Aubry’s supporters have insisted there are still

possibilities for “Royalists” to be accepted in posts in the ruling secrétariat national. Jean-Pierre Mignard, president of Royal’s faction Désirs d’Avenir (Future Desires) has ruled out any

idea of breaking away. “We are a complementary movement to the Socialist Party,” he said. Photo:Afp/Guillaume Baptiste