It is a cruel coincidence that on the same day I have to spend 45 euros on “fiscal stamps” for official documents and suchlike (hence lack of blogging), Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi gets into trouble for not knowing the price of a normal stamp. Rather, he gets in trouble for not knowing when to say he doesn’t know the price of a stamp.

See the video here:

A classic weasel gaffe. “Um, well it depends on the size and weight of the letter.” etc. etc.

The journalist played a bit of a cruel trick. Estrosi guessed 52 cents, which is pretty close to the answer of 56 cents, but the interviewer called the bluff and asked “Really? 52 cents, are you sure?”

It is obvious what the response to this trick question should have been. “Look, I’m the Minister for Industry and the Mayor of Nice among other things. It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a letter and if you think I have time to go to the post office to buy a few stamps you’re dead wrong!”

He could then have gone further and said “I don’t know how much a stamp costs, but as Minister for Industry, does it matter? It’s surely much more important that I know how many jobs are going to be lost when a firm closes, and how many we can save…”

Sadly, he couldn’t admit that he didn’t know the answer.

It’s not a serious scandal, just very humiliating because the post office is part of his mandate.

As such, the press officer of the Parti Socialiste, Xaier Garcia, has sent him a “don’t get ripped off” style book, “Combien ca coute?” (How much is it?), in the post.