Animals, local products, farmers… and politicians. This Saturday opens the 60th edition of the Salon de l’Agriculture, Porte de Versailles in Paris. If the atmosphere is generally festive and friendly, this year, the agricultural crisis should be at the center of concerns. Emmanuel Macron is eagerly awaited by farmers, just like many other political figures.
Because the Agricultural Show remains a must for the entire political class, to interact with participants and visitors. And sometimes also get noticed, with little phrases that have become cult. Europe 1 invites you to rediscover them.
Jacques Chirac, darling of the Salon: “They’re not cattle, they’re masterpieces!”
A true darling of the Agricultural Show, Jacques Chirac has only missed one edition in nearly 40 years of political life. It was in 1979, due to a road accident in which he was seriously injured.
So many participations and little sentences from the former President, who died in 2019, which have become cult. Notably the one launched in 2005, at the sight of the cows: “these are not cattle, they are masterpieces”.
José Bové, criticizing politicians: “It is not by hitting the cows on the ass that we defend agriculture!”
In 2007, José Bové went to the Salon de l’Agriculture as a candidate for the presidential election. The former agricultural unionist, who was also a farmer, took the opportunity to launch a dig at the politicians present at the event. “It is not by going to the Salon, wandering around, and kicking the cows on the butt that we defend agriculture!”, he castigated.
Martine Aubry, a beer in hand: “You know, we in the North, we start at 7 a.m.”
In 2011, while walking the aisles of the Show, the mayor of Lille Martine Aubry agreed to taste an exhibitor’s beer. A journalist then asked him: “Isn’t it a little hard to drink beer at this time?” “Ah no”, replies the elected official straight away, “you know, we in the North, we start at 7 a.m.”. Before adding, laughing: “that’s not entirely true”.
Nicolas Sarkozy, faced with a visitor who asks him not to touch him: “Get out of it, you poor idiot”
A little phrase that has become cult. In 2008, during his first official visit as President of the Republic to the Salon de l’Agriculture, Nicolas Sarkozy, in the middle of a crowd, shook hands with the many visitors. But one of them refuses, saying “oh no, don’t touch me, you’re dirtying me”. To which the former president replies “get lost, you poor bastard!”
François Hollande: Nicolas Sarkozy? “You won’t see him anymore.”
A little joke that didn’t make its predecessor laugh too much. In 2013, François Hollande interacted with children in the aisles of the show. One of them then said to the president: “I have never seen Nicolas Sarkozy.” “Well, you won’t see him anymore,” François Hollande retorts, laughing.
Two years later, in 2015, in these same aisles, Nicolas Sarkozy returned to this little dig at his successor, before tackling him in turn by affirming that it was “another broken promise”.