About a week ago, I was listening to From Our Own Correspondent and there was a lovely piece from Caroline Wyatt about rural life in France. Here’s part of the transcript…

Earlier this spring, I found myself in the small sleepy Burgundy town of Donzy at one o’clock and very much looking forward to a solid French lunch.

The pale sunshine beat down on the main square, giving the honey-coloured stone a golden tinge.

On the narrow cobbled main street was a host of cafes, their blinds shading the tables outside. For once, we had time to stop for a meal, and I could hardly wait. Until, that is, we went in to the first cafe to ask about lunch.

“Lunch? Oh no Madame, we shut for lunch,” was the reply from Claudie, the owner, who raised her finely-pencilled eyebrows in arcs of amazement that anyone might think a cafe would serve lunch at lunchtime.

Which sounds all very quaint. The thing is, the rest of Europe pays for it. And at some point, the massive EU rug is going to get pulled from under France’s feet. And the French know it.

I watched Ségolène Royal in the debate. She’s a madwoman! She came across as extremely hostile with a very short, snappy temper. But if she ever had any chance, what really blew it was when she promised that if Sarkozy won, there’d be riots.

Now, the French didn’t like that at all. And I’m not surprised. That certainly lost a few points. Thing is, it didn’t matter who one - there would have been a riot. French youths, especially the hard left, just can’t seem to stay away from a good riot. Especially when the issue is whether to make France a strong, stable and competitive country, meaning some of them might need to, you know, get a job.

But, in the end, a good decision was made. And the strange thing was, a wind of change was definitely blowing through France even before the result. People seemed far more optimisted and friendlier. And there was even less dog poo on the pavements! OK, still a game of hop-scotch to walk along, but not quite the usual thin slippery layer of shit to skate along as is usually provided by a French street.

Tags: France,french-elections
Categories: Politics