Sarkozy Party's Singalong Video Prompts Mockery, Parodies (VIDEO)

It was devised as a video that would show Sarkozy's ruling Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) party ministers as young, fun loving sorts before regional elections in March.

Instead, the video of French parliamentarians singing the 1976 French pop hit Tous Ceux Qui Veulent Changer Le Monde (Everyone Who Wants To Change The World) has become an absurd internet meme, ridiculed by the Francophone online world and facing the wrath of Sarkozy himself.

The bizarre sight of the middle age politicians lip-synching and dancing with the party's youth wing has prompted a variety of reactions, reports The Telegraph:

The former education minister, Luc Ferry, said the clip "oozes idiocy" and made him "want to vomit". Yves Jego, the former minister for French overseas territories, said: "Honestly, I think that this was a mistake."

Sarkozy himself is reported to be furious.

However the response from most viewers has usually taken a more satiric edge. The Independent reports how the song has provoked a huge response from Facebook users, in particular of the performances by Finance minister Christine Lagarde and Sports minister Rama Yade:

A Facebook group has been formed to call for the song, and the singers, to be the French entry for next year's Eurovision song contest. The spoof "fan" group declares the glamorous Ms Yade to be the "next Chantal Goya" and the school-teacherly Ms Lagarde to be "more sexy than Vanessa Paradis". In the space of five days, 26,664 people have joined. A Facebook "fan page" supporting the video had 331 adherents last night.

The bizarre video has also resulted in a number of internet parodies. One, seen below, turns the song into a rap, whilst mocking the apparently racist comment caught on film by another UMP politician, the interior minister, Brice Hortefeux. He was seen saying of a young North African UMP member: "One of them is all right. It is when there are a lot that it causes a problem".

LIP DAUBE (ump lip dub parodie mozinor )
by mozinor

As if that wasn't bad enough, the video did not clear the rights to use the song in the video. Another embarrassment for Sarkozy, who has been championing copyright laws in France.

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Comments

[Truidz]

05:49 AM on 12/22/2009

For Americans, now is an appropriate time to look in the mirror.

Election campaigns are run by ad agencies. Last year, Obama's campaign won TWO Cannes Lion ad awards.

Listen to the percussion sounds in A National Guard ad. Listen to the violins in the campaign ads. That is not just music, it is vulgar propaganda and it erodes our political processes.

It may be easy to see it in another country, but the US is one of the most indoctrinated countries and has a very efficient propaganda model.

[seattleblue]

09:28 AM on 12/21/2009

What stood out to me most about this video is the lack of graffiti on French trains. The song is catchy, the finger-pointing-arm-in-a-circle move works, and it's better than Tom Delay on Dancing With the Stars.

[Keith Mayass]

12:20 PM on 12/20/2009

the party of the "nain de jardin "

[RACVC]

10:49 AM on 12/19/2009

Whoops I meant singing not signing, although either would be cool.

[brettrobbins]

05:50 AM on 12/19/2009

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there women in this video wearing trousers? Quel scandale!

cf. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/fashionnews/6583074/Women-banned-from-wearing-trousers-in-Paris.html

I'm sorry but European pop culture is, for the most part, 80's-America-M.C.-Hammer-We-Are-The_World corny.

[LazyLearner]

05:40 AM on 12/19/2009

I am starting to believe we are next to the end of the world now

[flossophy]

03:31 PM on 12/18/2009

Haha... I love how the girl takes off the red Socialist Party T-shirt to reveal the pink UMP (right-wing) T-shirt.

No wonder the left is making fun of this vid. Whiners. The Socialist party in France is fading because they don't know how to manage a government or grow an economy.

[totalliberal]

03:04 AM on 12/21/2009

Admit it. You have no idea what is right, left, or center in France. In general you are basically full of ka-ka. Get over your failed attempts at self-education.

[jymfrancais]

03:10 PM on 12/18/2009

ok. today i'm not french

[gavrielle]

01:34 PM on 12/18/2009

The fact that all those "oldsters" were probably singing and dancing to that tune when it originally came out doesn't seem to have occurred to the youth oriented mockers.

[Riley74]

10:37 PM on 12/21/2009

[Riley74]

10:37 PM on 12/21/2009

Doesn't that make it more no less lame? I wonder why french youth all listen to rap now instead of this s**t...

[AdamK4rationalthought]

01:33 PM on 12/18/2009

Awkward!!!

[Arrech]

01:17 PM on 12/18/2009

Une belle chanson, avec un drôle vidéo.

L'UMP n'est pas très populaire en France maintenant.

[marre]

01:15 PM on 12/18/2009

Two things leave me open-mouthed with wonder at this clip. First of all, who was the dweeb who had the insane idea to make it, Lord Baden Powell? And secondly, how could otherwise reasonable people, if not specially ones you would vote for, ever, agree to make such asses of themselves?
Other than that, I think it's perfectly fitting for Sarkozy. Plus con tu crèves, quoi.

[thewirah]

01:08 PM on 12/18/2009

My own country keeps embarrassing me. How can we keep being arrogant with a government like this one?