Le Siècle (think tank)
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Le Siècle is an elite transpartisan social club in France that meets once a month for dinner at the French Automobile Club in Paris's Place de la Concorde.[1][2][3] Membership in Le Siècle "symbolizes the French nomenklatura" and includes France's top intellectuals, politicians, chief executives, journalists, and artists; since the 1970s, one-third to half of all French government ministers were members of Le Siècle, regardless of political affiliation or party membership.[4]
History[edit]
Le Siècle was founded in 1944 by Georges Bérard-Quélin, a journalist and Freemason.[3] The small group of the 1940s and 1950s eventually expanded to include major politicians across the political spectrum, from François Mitterrand, who was close associate of Bérard-Quélin, to Georges Pompidou via Pierre Mendès France.[5] When a similar think tank called the Saint-Simon Foundation dissolved in 1999, many of its former members joined Le Siècle.[6] Former CFDT Secretary General Nicole Notat has served as president of Le Siècle; not only is she the first woman to serve as president, she was also the first woman to lead a trade union in France.[1]
Membership[edit]
Membership in Le Siècle "symbolizes the French nomenklatura" and includes France's top intellectuals, politicians, chief executives, journalists, and artists.[4] In fact, between one-third and a half of all French government ministers were members of Le Siècle since the 1970s, regardless of political affiliation or party membership. That percentage peaked at 72% under Prime Minister Édouard Balladur (1993–95).[7] French journalist and writer Emmanuel Ratier wrote in 1996 that the club's membership controls 90% of French GDP.[8]
According to a 2011 article in Le Monde diplomatique, the members of Le Siècle are predominantly:[9]
- Male (85%)
- Over 55 years old (80%)
- The sons of captains of industry, high-ranking public servants, or senior liberal professionals (55%)
- Graduates of Institute of Political Studies (50%) and École nationale d'administration (40%)
- From families with highly qualified engineers and links to significant business interests (25%)
There are 580 members, subject to change every year, and 160 guests.[3]
List of members[edit]
- Claude Bébéar, former CEO of AXA.[3]
- Thierry Breton, CEO of Atos, former minister of economy, finance, and industry (2005–2007).[3]
- Emmanuel Chain, former TV presenter on M6.[3]
- Jean-Marie Colombani, former editor-in-chief of Le Monde (1994–2007).[3]
- Jean-François Copé, president of the Union for a Popular Movement; member of the French National Assembly (2002-incumbent); Mayor of Meaux (1995–2002; 2005-incumbent); former Minister of the Budget (2005–2007).[3]
- Michèle Cotta, first female member in 1983; political journalist.[3]
- Anne-Marie Couderc, CEO of Presstalis.[3]
- Rachida Dati, Member of the European Parliament and mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris; former Minister of justice (2007–2009).[2]
- Renaud Denoix de Saint Marc, member of the Constitutional Council of France (2007-incumbent).[3]
- Olivier Duhamel, vice-president of Le Siècle (2010-incumbent); professor at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris; former Socialist Member of the European Parliament (1997–2004).[1]
- Laurent Fabius, former prime minister (1984–1986).[3]
- François Fillon, prime minister (2007–2012); former minister of National Education (2004–2005); former minister of social affairs (2002–2004).[3]
- Claude Imbert, founding editor of Le Point.[3]
- Odile Jacob, publisher.[3]
- Denis Jeambar, journalist.[3]
- Laurent Joffrin former editor-in-chief of Libération (2006–2011).[3]
- Lionel Jospin, former prime minister (1997–2002), former minister of National Education (1988–1992); former minister of sport (1988–1991).[3]
- Serge July, founding editor of Libération.[3]
- Denis Kessler, CEO of Scor, former president of Le Siècle (2007–2010).[1]
- Étienne Lacour, secretary general of Le Siècle; editor-in-chief of the Société Générale de Presse.[1]
- Maurice Lévy, CEO of Publicis.[3]
- Henri Loyrette, vice-president of Le Siècle (2010-incumbent); director of the Louvre Museum (2001-incumbent).[1]
- Nicole Notat, president of Le Siècle (2010-incumbent); CEO of Vigeo; former secretary general of the CFDT.[1][3]
- Michel Pébereau, CEO of BNP Paribas.[3]
- Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, newscaster on TF1.[3]
- Alain de Pouzilhac, former CEO of Havas.[3]
- David Pujadas, TV presenter on France 2.[3]
- Jean-Pierre Raffarin, member of the French Senate; former prime minister (2002–2005).[3]
- Edouard de Rothschild.[3]
- Nicolas Sarkozy, French president (2007–2012).[3]
- Louis Schweitzer, former CEO of Renault.[3]
- Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former managing director of the International Monetary Fund (2007–2011).[3]
- Marc Tessier, treasurer of Le Siècle (2010–incumbent); former chairman of France Télévisions.[1][3]
- Philippe Villin, former chairman of Le Figaro and France Soir.[3]
- Gérard Worms, former CEO of N M Rothschild & Sons.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h AFP, '"Le Siècle": Nicole Notat présidente', in Le Figaro, 12/11/2010 [1]
- ^ a b c Rachida Dati, Fille de M'Barek et de Fatim-Zhora: Ministre de la Justice, Paris: XO Editions, 2011, pp. 197-199
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Frédéric Saliba, "Le pouvoir à la table du Siècle", Stratégies, issue 1365, April 14, 2005, p. 49.
- ^ a b Ferguson, Niall (2017). The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook. Penguin Press. p. 319. ISBN 978-0735222915.
- ^ Dicko, Saidatou (2017). Réseaux de relations sociales, connexions et élitisme: Quels enjeux pour les organisations?. Editions JFD. p. 50. ISBN 9782924651254.
- ^ Windle, Joel A. (2016). Making Sense of School Choice: Politics, Policies, and Practice under Conditions of Cultural Diversity. Springer. p. 123. ISBN 9781137483539. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ Brigitte Granville; Jaume Martorell Cruz; Martha Prevezer (2015). "Elites, Thickets and Institutions: French Resistance Versus German Adaptation to Economic Change, 1945-2015" (PDF). CGR Working Paper No. 63. Queen Mary University of London: Centre for Globalization Research: 6. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ Ratier, Emmanuel (1996). Au coeur du pouvoir : Enquête sur le club le plus puissant de France. Paris: Facta. ISBN 9782950831835. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ François Denord; Paul Lagneau-Ymonet; Sylvain Thine (February 2011). "Aux dîners du Siècle, l'élite du pouvoir se restaure". Le Monde diplomatique. pp. 22–23. Retrieved 27 January 2018.