Two good articles

Emily and her mom wander through Herbignac.

I've just come across two good articles on the general sense of nervousness in France over this election, which has seen an 80% voter turnout already and looks to set the country in an uproar whichever way it goes.

First, a BBC article outlines how the French want to reform their economy, but keep their two hour lunches. It's a pleasantly thoughtful article, unlike many of the international articles on the desire here to cling to a French sense of family and culture, improving employment without "going Wal-Mart"... the majority of which seem to carry a slight (or not so slight) snide tone about having one's cake and eating it too.

Secondly, Charles Bremner's blog (always a good read) has an excellent article on his interview with Sarkozy which (thanks to copious reader replies) sheds further light on why 'Sarko' is such a controversial figure here. Personally I find the perspective hilariously jarring, hearing our French friends talk of Sarkozy as if he were the devil incarnate and fretting that he's too right wing. Being from the US, I know from right wing, and Sarkozy barely registers, for me - Across the ocean, he'd be solidly centrist. I'm not sure if this should scare me or not!