That’s Fabienne Blineau, French parliamentarian and wife of Lebanese MP Simon Abi Ramia (below)
The two appeared on “Talk of the Town” an MTV Lebanon show featuring politicians and TV personalities.
While watching the program I was thinking Lebanon is one of the few places where such a marriage could work. While French MPs are probably expected to show up for work everyday– or at least every week– Lebanese MPs spend much of their time at home or traveling the world, with Parliament often closed for months or years. Of course Lebanese MPs still get paid a full salary, which is exorbitantly higher than MPs in most other countries, relatively speaking.
Thus not only do Lebanese legislators have plenty of time to spend with family, they also have plenty of money to spend. So why not subtract the amount of money earned by a Lebanese MP from the days of work missed per year when parliament is closed? That might be a great incentive to get government back in session.
Of course the host of “Talk of the Town” didn’t dare entertain such queries or pose even the obvious question of comparing parliamentary work in France with Lebanon. She simply had the two answer silly questions about their favorite foods and music, even sing some songs. And really that’s what Lebanese television does best: make MPs look like great, family folks despite the utter failures and rampant corruption of government policies or lack thereof.
