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Emma Pearson

@emmapearson.bsky.social
4.6K followers 466 following 2K posts

Editor of The Local France, co-host of Talking France podcast. Paris resident, Yorkshire born, Castres Olympique 🏉 fan - emma.pearson@thelocal.com

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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 15h
I seem to be getting an increasing number of emails/comments saying 'How dare you refer to Marine Le Pen's party as far right' - so for the avoidance of doubt, here is The Local's policy on naming French political parties
text reads - We refer to two French political parties as far right - Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National and Eric Zemmour's Reconquête, because these are the two parties furthest to the right of the political spectrum in France.

The rest of the parties we refer to as, variously, right-wing, centre right, centrist, centre-left, far left, hard left.

The reason that we include the indicator of where on the political spectrum each party sits is that the majority of our readers are not French and are therefore not as familiar with the names of the parties and what they represent. French media tend to merely refer to the parties by names or initials - eg RN, PS, LFI - or sometimes even by nicknames such as les insoumises or macronist/lepennist. 

They're aiming at a French readership who are much more familiar with these parties, but for our readers we believe it is helpful to add a short indicator of where the party sits on the political spectrum, as well as its name.
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 18h
Kids are out this morning blockading the local lycée, with Thursday declared 'act 2' of student mobilisation
Group of teenagers in front of the entrance to a school - bins are piled up to create a blockade
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Here in the Paris suburbs we're apparently writing poems about AI . . . which is least wastes less water
A poem written on a billboard. It reads 

I work in a bullshit job 
I consume to fill the void 
I waste, my children will have nothing 
I don't think AI works for me 
Pursuit of profit or pursuit of life?
Generative AI or regenerative collective intelligence?
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Being a Paris resident visiting other French towns is mainly waiting at the pedestrian crossing to see if cars will stop for you and being amazed that 100% of the time, they do
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Simply impossible to dislike a town that creates an enormous and beautiful mechanical elephant to walk around spraying water at people ❤️
Two storey high wooden elephant, with people riding on 2 observation decks, with a mechanic propulsion
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Reposted by Emma Pearson
Rim-Sarah Alouane, Ph.D. @rim-sarah.eurosky.social · 24/09/2026
I shared insights for @thelocalfrance.bsky.social podcast about what the French election campaign, the the far-right and what could it means for immigrants and minority communities in France. shows.acast.com/62220755dea7...
shows.acast.com
French fuel prices risk autumn unrest and the real danger posed by Le Pen | Talking France
Plus will competition result in cheaper train tickets in France?
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Nantes history museum is an outstanding example of how to engage with the less savoury parts of one's history (like having been France's biggest slave trading port). Alongside historic artefacts and descriptions of the 🇫🇷 slave trade are works from modern artists dealing with postcolonial themes
Historic woman's silk gown, likely bought with the profits of the slave trade. In the background is a piece of modern art showing an enslaved woman Portrait of a Nantes ship captain with a young black boy, likely a slave Omar Victor Diop portrait of a black man in a white robe and turban, holding a football Omar Victor Diop - exhibited in Nantes
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Do I have any followers who are more au fait than me with aristo guide etiquette? 👇
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
And the winner is . . . Brets! Naturally. In fact, 3 of the top 5 are Brets, as is logical and correct 🇫🇷🥔
theguardian.com
‘They smell of urinal cakes!’: 100 unusual crisp flavours, ranked – from truly awful to totally scoffable
Move over ready salted, salt and vinegar and cheese and onion. Gourmet crisps are everywhere, but which are actually worth trying?
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Was last here 2 years ago during the Paris Olympics, this week part of the Athletes' Village relaunched as the Cité du Cinema, a very cool film, music and entertainment space
Building with the Paris Olympics logo and an avenue of flags The same building with the logo and flags gone, but reopened for business
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I've walked past the incredible Oscar Niemeyer building that houses the French Communist Party so many times, but today (thanks to #JournéesduPatrimoine) I got to see the inside - it did not disappoint
Exterior building. A large white dome with a wave shaped building made of glass behind Modern piece of art, colour blocks in yellow and brown Interior of the dome - crystal ceiling Interior windows, white shaped like a spaceship with green velvet walls
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This week I saw in the wild (in a news headline) a 'Poudre de Perlimpinpin', so obviously I am listening again to the 2017 Emmanuel Macron rap
youtube.com
LA POUDRE DE PERLIMPINPIN (REMIX) - VERSION FINALE
YouTube video by Khaled Freak
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
New podcast episode! 🇫🇷 What Le Pen's 'French preference' policy really means for foreigners in France, and is it even legal? 🇫🇷 The mystery saboteurs who derailed the Normandy train 🇫🇷 Why French schools do so badly on international rankings 🇫🇷 France's Oscar picks
pod.fo
Talking France: Could France really favour the French over foreigners and who derailed the Normandy train?
This week we dig into one of Marine Le Pen's contentious proposals and find out whether the far right leader would actually be able to favour French citizens over foreign national residents if she ...
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Reposted by Emma Pearson
John Walton @thatjohn.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
a) hurray for multilingualism, for language learning, and for people willing to have a go in languages they are learning! 2) for those mocking, his french is about the same level as the UK's last ambassador to france
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Just realised that the issue date on my new carte de séjour is the exact date that I emailed to say (in very polite and formal French, obvs) 'where the HELL is my card, I gave you fingerprints 6 months ago, how long can it take to press print??'. Guess they did read it, after all
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Well well, that is an interesting spelling mistake in a post on X allegedly by French Gilet Jaune organisers. The town is supposed to be Besançon, but that doesn't seem to me to be a mistake that any French speaker would make . .
Close up of one place name spelled 'Besnbicon' - there is no such town in FranceScreenshot of a call to Gilet Jaune demonstrations, with a list of French towns
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
It's a beautiful evening and I have collected the first conkers of the season 😁
Photo of a large horse chestnut tree, a clear and sunny blue sky
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Very terrifying experience this weekend . . . was at a dinner with a woman talking about how she uses ChatGPT; she refers to it as 'he', it has a nickname that they 'decided together' and apparently it's now making jokes in between sharing recipes and politics tips. Dystopian nightmare much?
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The dog (Robot) now has a street named after him in Lascaux
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Outside @thelocalfrance.bsky.social offices this afternoon is a giant Céline Dion karaoke event - city hall says they expect 10,000 people 🤯
Fenced off area with a sign advertising 'Paris chante Céline'
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Immigrants like me (white, with papers) often believe that a far-right government would have only a limited impact on their lives - I believe that is dangerously naive . . .
thelocal.fr
What would a Le Pen presidency mean for foreigners in France?
From residency permits to citizenship and access to healthcare and jobs, what would a 'President Marine Le Pen' mean for the daily lives of foreigners in France? With the far-right party ahead in the ...
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New podcast episode 🇫🇷 Jordan Bardella's English adventure and the deepening rifts within the French far right 🇫🇷 How a VIP Eiffel Tower visit caused an unholy row 🇫🇷 And why a new 'tipping culture' is driving the French mad
pod.fo
Talking France: New tipping culture drives the French mad and far-right fractures deepen
On the show this week we'll delve into the almighty squabble that ended with the Eiffel Tower closing this week after angry staff walked out.We’ll also look at the growing split in the French far...
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Was watching this video after a reference to Jordan Bardella's 'Inspector Clouseau' accent while speaking English - and I just want to share it because it's very good . . .
youtube.com
The ultimate Inspector Clouseau compilation
YouTube video by Werner Fraanje
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Beautiful morning for a visit to the 'black spaceship' aka Seine-Saint-Denis' Bobigny préfecture (And they gave me my new carte de séjour 🥳)
Early morning sunshine over the striking modernist building of the Seine-Saint-Denis préfecture
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
As an immigrant in France, I had to sign a contract respecting equality between men and women (which obviously I do!) as one of the 'core values of the 🇫🇷 Republic'. In case you're wondering why this is causing such a furore 👇
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Just the 222 days to go until the French presidential election 😬
Text from a French news site reading '222 days until the first round of the French presidential election' at the start of their daily politics live blog
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
"Heat is a political crisis that demands bold political action" 👇
theguardian.com
We’re the mayors of Paris, Milan and Phoenix. The heat crisis has us all facing the same question | Emmanuel Grégoire, Giuseppe Sala and Kate Gallego
Our three cities are learning from each other about how to protect residents. These climate policies are also public health measures
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The right to vote is indeed très hot #franglais
Graffiti on a wall, reading 'le vote, c'est hot'
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Note the Rassemblement National logo in the background - a real pan European gathering of financially dodgy far-right shysters . . .
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Never a bad view to have . . .
Cafe terrace table with a glass of white wine
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
If you're following French presidential election news, here's your one-stop-shop for what happens, when, who's who, how the voting works and what the latest polls say 👇
thelocal.fr
Latest polls and key dates - France's 2027 presidential election guide
From the latest polls to the primaries, via the key dates over the next eight months, how voting works and who is the favourite to win - here's what you need to know about France's presidential electi...
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
While French national politics continues to be, ahem, tricky - here's a lovely rentrée letter from the mayor saying that all local kids now get free stationery and goûter (snack) as part of their mission that "scholarly success must never depend on the finances of the family". 🇫🇷 local mayors rock!
Long letter to all residents from the Mayor of Bagnolet
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
New podcast episode! 🇫🇷 Hijab ban - why the issue of the Muslim headscarf acts as a 'bat signal for lunatics' in France 🇫🇷 Do the French really hate Parisians? 🇫🇷 Why French cheese may taste different this autumn 🇫🇷 And why September is the best month of the year in France
pod.fo
Talking France: Le Pen's 'vile' election pledge and why French cheese could lose its taste
This week we look ahead to the 2027 presidential election which is edging closer. A new poll this week suggested there's only one winner, but could Marine Le Pen trip herself up before she gets ove...
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
While the ChatGPT bit is obviously v funny, you would struggle to get a 🇫🇷 visa as a content creator, unless you had a really strong business plan and could show that you would make enough 💰 to support yourself. Even if you have private wealth, that's not enough if your business isn't profit making
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The use of pictures like this is very disingenuous - the RN's proposal is not to ban face coverings, veils, burqas, niqab or similar (these are already banned in France) - the proposal is to ban the hijab, the headscarf
Headline about Marine Le Pen's proposed hijab ban together with a picture of a woman wearing a long black robe with a head covering and a veil covering the lower half of her face
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
"Maybe I’m clutching at straws. Maybe the election is already won and lost. But if anyone can defeat Marine Le Pen next year, it is Marine Le Pen," writes John Lichfield
thelocal.fr
OPINION: Le Pen looks unbeatable, but her own arrogance and laziness may be her undoing
As the 2027 French presidential election campaign gets underway in earnest, polls show Marine Le Pen with a commanding lead - John Lichfield looks at whether a far right victory is really a foregone c...
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Reposted by Emma Pearson
Rim-Sarah Alouane, Ph.D. @rim-sarah.eurosky.social · 01/09/2026
The RN (French main far-right party) is not stupid. They know perfectly well that their proposal to ban the hijab (Islamic headscarf) in public would face serious constitutional and legal obstacles. But the current legal debate, necessary as it is, risks missing the bigger picture.
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Rock en Seine has great bands - but it also has clean toilets, short queues at the bar and a Metro home at the end of the night which makes it, in my old-person opinion, the best festival of all
the logo for the Rock en Seine festival
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Reposted by Emma Pearson
The Local France @thelocalfrance.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Big news from The Local France offices - we just shut the window because we were . . . drumroll . . . too cold! First time that's happened since April. Bonne rentrée à tous
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Franglais language wars reach the vehicle hire sector 😂
A white Rent-a-Car van with the following text on the side, in French: 'But why write Rent A Car [in English]on your van when it means 'rent a car'? Because it's a semantic aberration and we'd made a bet with the marketing team to write 'semantic' on our vans. They owe us €5
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Shit just got real with this climate crisis - France is being forced to change the rules on AOP cheeses which require cattle to be grass fed (because there is no grass left after the summer of heatwaves and drought)
thelocal.fr
France to relax cheese-making rules due to record heatwaves and drought
Widespread drought and record-breaking heatwaves have forced France to relax some of its famously strict rules on cheese production, with authorities announcing on Wednesday special measures for abond...
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The podcast is back! 🇫🇷 How the extreme summer is affecting life in France 🇫🇷 Can France's part-time firefighters cope with increasingly severe wildfires? 🇫🇷 The big challenges facing the government in la rentrée 🇫🇷 And why French people love to correct your grammar
pod.fo
Talking France: Food prices, strikes: How the hellish summer has hit life in France
Summer is thankfully almost over and September is upon us, which means it's time for a new series of Talking France.Thanks to you all for tuning in to this podcast, which is produced by the team at...
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Trailer for the new Dix Pour Cent/Call My Agent film . . . This looks fun!
youtu.be
Call My Agent! The Movie | Official Trailer | Netflix
YouTube video by Netflix
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
"This is the unspoken rule of European food culture: London for curry, Amsterdam for rijsttafel, Paris for couscous. It is the equation of soft multiculturalism that governs the continent – first you go over and colonise them, then they migrate here, then you get good food" Wonderful piece 👇
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Perhaps my favourite French word of all 'entarteur' - person who throws custard pies at people 😂😍 From the verb 'entarter' - to throw a pie at someone. See also 'enfariner' - to throw flour at someone. It's a mystery to me why English does not have these useful constructions
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Reposted by Emma Pearson
Scheenagh @scheens.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Sodding France Info said I don't need to do this. @thelocalfrance.bsky.social got it right. If you're like me and wanted to avoid e-billing, don't rely on French news... www.thelocal.fr/20260820/exp...
thelocal.fr
Explained: Electronic billing for 'micro-entrepreneurs' in France
If you work in France under the 'micro-entrepreneur' (formerly auto entrepreneur) status, here's what you need to know about the new rules on electronic billing that come into effect from September 1s...
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I'm going to be using this a lot! "Unfortunately I am under a bad moon, so I am unable to answer your stupid question/respond to your trivial complaint/ resend the documents I already sent." www.thelocal.fr/20260819/fre...
chalkboard showing the French phrase 'être mal luné' - to be under a bad moon
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Yes, almost 500 people have been arrested over 🇫🇷 wildfires BUT - Not all are for arson & many are released after questioning - The underlying cause is climate change; longer, hotter, dryer summers mean tinderbox conditions that allow 🔥to spread
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
At swimming this morning were 2 girls nervous about getting in, kept asking if it was safe, clean. It ended with a Greek-style chorus of swimmers calling 'La Seine est propre! Oui, la Seine est propre maintenant' #ViveLaSeinePropre
The River Seine swimming area in Paris
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Emma Pearson @emmapearson.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
That's *Comte* Tête-de-Poubelle to you, Le Monde 🗑
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