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French MPs could be slapped with booze ban

03 March 2023 By Louis Thomas

France’s National Assembly is considering shutting the bar at its official seat in the Palais Bourbon after recent instances of disorderly behaviour among députés.

Though France is known for its casual drinking culture, with president Emmanuel Macron claiming to enjoy two glasses of wine every day, things are sometimes far less casual in the French parliament’s lower house, where the bar remains open during sessions.

Le Point mentioned cases of members drinking ‘coupettes’ at 11am, before then switching to rum later in the day. Recently, one representative from the left-wing La France Insoumise party also reportedly vomited into a bin after drinking too much at the bar.

Things came to a head during a particularly rowdy debate on pension reforms earlier this year, which drew on into the night, with insults, boos and, allegedly, blows exchanged.

According to Le Journal du Dimanche, a meeting of the National Assembly bureau was called last month to discuss possible measures to address the problem of excessive drinking leading to hostility.

Marie Guévenoux, a representative of Macron’s Renaissance party, proposed that it might be better to shut during the peak time for drinking at the bar, from 8pm to 9.30pm.

Sébastien Chenu, National Assembly vice-president and a representative from far-right party National Rally, jokingly suggested that shutting the bar after 9.30pm could be the solution.

Appearing on C News to discuss drinking among politicians, Chenu said: “I would always prefer a Philippe Séguin [president of the National Assembly from 1993 to 1997] with a whiskey to a Macronist lesson-giver of absolute sobriety…We must not exaggerate, there are far fewer alcohol problems in the National Assembly than there were in the past. Gone are the days of large meals for deputies who boozed at lunchtime.”

A verdict on what strategy the National Assembly pursues to tackle the issue is expected in April.

The country has also seen a shift in attitudes towards drinking culture in workplace environments. Last year, a court ruled that it was illegal to fire employees for not being “fun” after a man was sacked for refusing to attend office drinks.

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