THE GUARDIAN: Le Pen fille says she'll lead the Front National into the battle for republican values in FranceMarine Le Pen surveys the mountain of letters on her desk, complaining she's run out of autographed photos to send to fans. Although Le Pen fires handguns at shooting ranges for a hobby, Sarah Palin isn't an idol. Instead, she gestures out of the office window to a statue of Joan of Arc, the mascot of the Front National, which for decades under Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie, was the most successful far-right, xenophobic party in western Europe. Under the new leadership of "Le Pen, Fille", the party headquarters on a grey suburban street in Nanterre has been decorated with national symbols: a towering fibreglass French cockerel stands guard over a rockery.
But on her office wall, to emphasise Le Pen's plea that she is not antisemitic, is an abstract painting by an Israeli artist and friend. "It's called the top of the world because that's where she said I was aiming ... well maybe not that high! Ha!" Le Pen throws her head back and delivers her trademark Sid James laugh.
Le Pen, or simply "Marine" as the nation casually calls her, has sparked the biggest political panic attack France has seen for a decade. The "Marine effect" on Monday brought a historic 15% for the Front National in the first round of local elections, striking fear into both left and right for this week's second round. The 42-year-old, twice-divorced, mother-of-three is so popular that several polls show her topping next year's French presidential first round and sailing through to the final round run-off. She is on a crusade to "soften" her party and strip away the old overtones of racist, antisemitic extremists while defending the core of her father's nationalism, and courting a new white-collar electorate fearful of crime, immigration, Muslims and losing their jobs.
She is the youngest of three blonde daughters who for decades were wheeled out by their father to symbolise the true French nation, and who were teased at school that "papa" was a "fascist". At eight, Le Pen survived a bomb attack on the family as they slept in their beds. Later, her parents' gruesome public divorce battle saw her mother pose in Playboy for revenge. All three Le Pen daughters publicly "lived and breathed the party", married and divorced Front National party workers, in Marine's case twice.
Trained as a lawyer, she has worked for the party machine for 25 years, and has now taken to the campaign trail with her partner, Louis Aliot, on the party's executive. "It's true that there's almost an intimacy between me and the French public. They feel a particular link to me because I'm not part of that self-proclaimed elite running France today," she said. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Monday, March 21, 2011
