23rd April:

So, the second round of elections in France will be contested between Shorty and Smiley.

Ignoring the irony of a left-wing Socialist candidate being called 'Royal' (and being tailored by Chanel), you have to at least give credit to our continental cousins for taking their democracy seriously this time and voting en masse. Over 80% turned out yesterday - a figure unheard of in the UK or US. An indication of the strength of desire for change or a reaction against the last set of Presendential elections when first-round collective apathy (or should that be bof-fery?) allowed Jean-Marie Le Pen to sneak through into the secound round? Who can say...

One positive thing to take from the mass of interviews and vox-pops over the weekend is that the French do still have great faith in the power of democracy to change their country for the better. Heady stuff for those of us living in countries where you can barely get a cigarette paper between the parties on the left and right of the political spectrum. Ironic, though, that both candidates in France, Smiley on the left and Shorty on the right, will now have to court those voters in the centre ground in order to be victorious.