paca said:
II think that MD simply critized PAs behaviour (possibly not directly towards PA, but walls have ears here, so I am sure his opinion was known) and that was not taken well. I suppose PA insisted that he could do with his private life whatever he pleases and some of his advisors do not share this opinion (as many on this board) if it harms MC. Also the underlining of his good relations to PA seems to state the opposite (as it often does in politics).
As to showing her in a positive light, I think PA has missed that chance ad would be well advised not to show her for quite some time and keep his private matters private. Mainly for his own sake because he is doing severe damage to himself at present.
(Since much of this has to to with PA's leadership style, I'll repost there as well.)
I have to say I agree with Paca's interpretation. M. Deslandes is obviously the consumate politician and diplomat so his remarks can be interpreted on many different levels. I would have liked to see the article in French because I'm sure M. Deslandes chose his words carefully and I bet his choices were fraught with meaning. I have to wonder, however, if his remarks and his resignation could be taken b/c there are preps going on vis-a-vis CW? He is obviously very critical of PA's spectacle at the Olympics and with his two+ week stay in Italy and then within the month the rendez-vous in The Maldives with the trip to Switzerland and London in between. Now PA plans to be gone for most of April in either the Arctic or in South Africa; probably feels that M. Allavena is running MC, not PA.
As for his remarks regarding education, that may be directed toward not only CW but also many of PA's other gf's and friends. There seems to be a preponderance of actresses, celebutantes, rock stars, etc. and not what he believes are suitable influences (of the romantic type and otherwise). PA did mention in his July speech that he did want to focus more on higher ed and perhaps expand programs for visiting students from abroad. (I would have welcomed that in college -- let's face it, Paris in January is cold, damp, and miserable.) M. Deslandes probably feels that you have to have a certain sense of history in order to be truly forward looking -- as it is often said (I forget by whom -- I believe Churchill), those who ignore the past are destined to repeat it. He probably views many of the people in PA's circle as only caring about the moment.
I don't think he much likes Albert's management style as well. I wouldn't have thought that Rainier would have a more open management style, but apparently he did. Several presidents use the model where cabinet members are channeled through the chief of staff and rarely have face time with the president. There are pros and cons to this -- it allows for the chief executive to have information sorted through a trusted confidant so he can have pertinent information and make decisions more readily or it can let the chief of staff set the agenda and only let through what information he/she wants the chief executive to act upon. The latter format would allow the rumors to surface -- no one knows what is going on and wild speculation emerges. This could be the case particularly if PA is guarding his privacy and therefore is trying to shield himself from too many influences.
I liked the part where M. Deslandes talked about MC becoming a center for humanitarian causes. The arts and many humanitarian causes have flourished under Grace's, and now Caroline's care, but he sees an unfulfilled destiny. MC is a wealthy, small, neutral nation -- the influence it could wield on certain world affairs could be quite potent. A society will much longer be remembered for the benefits and largesse toward others. U.S. history is littered with shameful incidents, but I like to think that the work Eleanor Roosevelt did with the Committee on Human Rights and the Marshall Plan were part of our finest hour. I think M. Deslandes feels that Monaco could fill a role that many other nations (mine included) are hestiant to accept.
Whether CW forced all of this to a head, no one on the outside will ever know but I'm sure she is probably the final straw that convinced him to resign. Like many of the CP's in Europe, their choice of a wife either could either make them or break them. De Toqueville believed that the America was made on the strength of the character of its women; when considering the true partnership that Grace & Rainier had, I wonder if the same could not hold true for Monaco?
