Follow Chirac and Farage, not angry farmers, when it comes to music as a political weapon – POLITICO

La France a besoin d’un homme
De courage, de résolution,
Votons, Jacques Chirac,
En avant, toute la Nation.

Pour tous, Jacques Chirac,
Maintenant, président,
Ensemble, maintenant,
Jacques Chirac, président.

There was also“Chirac pour Paris” by Michel Paje (1977), a jaunty little number from Chirac’s mayoral election campaign that, if it was any more French, would be wearing a beret.

You know who does love blaring music when out making a political statement? Europe’s angry farmers. Your author was recently walking through the burning hellhole that is Brussels’ Place du Luxembourg (on a weekday morning, not after a big Thursday night out) and heard the Bee Gees’ classic “Stayin’ Alive” being played loudly. Great choice. But that seems to be the exception. This week the farmers were back in Brussels and, after a detour to the Atomium (“Balls to the EU!”) they made their way to the EU Quarter and past POLITICO Towers blasting out such monstrosities as “Barbie Girl” and “Baby Shark.”

Surely there should be no changes to the Common Agricultural Policy until the farmers get some decent tunes.

One man who knows how to use campaign music to his advantage is Nigel Farage, newly installed as a candidate for the U.K. parliament and still wiping away the stains after having a milkshake thrown over him (surely we can all agree that Farage’s milkshake does not bring all the boys to the yard).