A very quick pre-work post. I’m glad that Francois Hollande beat Sarkozy and his halal obsessions but not at all glad that le Pen beat Melenchon into fourth place. Although he is the far left candidate, his politics seem nothing like those of, say, a George Galloway – the ‘populist’ tag which has been used of him seems unjustified. (Despite their differences, le Pen and Galloway are both demagogues.) There’s one thing perhaps we might all agree on – it’s heartening, at at time when so many people are cynical about all politicians, that the turnout was more than 80%..
