Manuel Valls, France’s new prime minister, is often compared to Tony Blair. He even describes himself, without apparent irony, as “Blairiste”. Surprisingly, this hasn’t done him much… Read more “A new Bambi or a new Speedy at the Matignon?”
Category: France
Is France being let down?
Is France going into a deflationary spiral? Some economists — a minority, admittedly, but a growing one — fear it might be. If so, the consequences for… Read more “Is France being let down?”
Thumbs up for the real digital revolution
Saint Denis was beheaded on the hill looming over northern Paris now known as Montmartre. The legend is that he picked up his own head and carried… Read more “Thumbs up for the real digital revolution”
Baudelaire and our destructive obsession with change
‘The shape of a city changes too fast, alas!, for the heart of mortal man,’ wrote Charles Baudelaire in one of his most famous poems, The Swan.… Read more “Baudelaire and our destructive obsession with change”
The strange afterlife of François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand, French president between 1981 and 1995, died 16 years ago. Well, so they said. But turn on French radio or TV, look around a bookshop,… Read more “The strange afterlife of François Mitterrand”
Who is François Hollande?
This is a stand first.
Going to extremes: the battle royal on the Pas-de-Calais
Almost as soon as you drive off the ferry at Calais there are signs for the Camp du Drap d’Or – the ‘Field of the Cloth of… Read more “Going to extremes: the battle royal on the Pas-de-Calais”
Shades of red
Far from the May Day rallies, François Hollande visits Nevers to invoke the ghosts of the French left.
Sarkozy offered Faustian pact with the far right
A leading figure in the far-right Front National (FN) has offered to endorse Nicholas Sarkozy for Sunday’s deciding second round of the presidential election, but only on… Read more “Sarkozy offered Faustian pact with the far right”
Sarko left with nowhere to go but right
Marine Le Pen grabbed the headlines in yesterday’s vote, but in politics, like football, results are everything. Le Pen will not be in the second round run-off… Read more “Sarko left with nowhere to go but right”
Craig Ryan WRITES 