The gormless left are coming!

This photo is one of my favourites. It features three supporters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon's 'Front de Gauche' shortly before he addressed an open-air meeting in Toulouse's Place du Capitole a few weeks ago. He was advocating a 'revolution' to seize the power from the haves, give everything to the oppressed etc etc yawn, bore, hence the ridiculous headwear our heros are sporting. What I love about it is the comfortable, middle-class faces of the two on the left of the picture - little Marcels and Claude-Didiers if ever there were any - and the apparent absence of any brain activity in the bloke on the right, who seems to have his work cut out simutaneously breathing and standing. The left, in a nutshell, basically.

This on the eve of France's probable crowning of Emperor Flanby tomorrow evening on the eight o'clock news, a president by default if ever there was one. Consider this: everyone you speak to tells you how much Sarkozy is hated, yet the 'great favourite' Hollande just beat him by just 1.5% in the first round and probably won't beat him by more than 5% in tomorrow's run-off. Hardly a candidate (or president) to inspire confidence, wouldn't you say? After all, we all know everything important is decided in Brussels, so what's the role of the president, anyway? If that's the case, then why don't we at least have someone charismatic? If he can't actually do anything, he could at least look and sound good. Flanby doesn't even do that. Let's face it; France is done for for the foreseeable future. And seeing things never really improve, long-term, that'll be done for for ever. How I hope I'm wrong, oh so wrong…