APRES MOI, LES DELUDES :

The tragedy of the French Left (Laurent Bouvet, 7 August 2002, Open Democracy)

On 21 April, the French Left experienced one of the darkest moments in its history. If the emotional blow was due to the presence of the Far-Right at the heart of an advanced democracy, the real political shock was the collapse of the Left, and particularly the PS. In the history of the Fifth Republic, this may not be the first time its leader has been knocked out in the first round (this also happened in 1969) nor its first great defeat (recall the failures of June 1968 or March 1993). Nevertheless, the magnitude of Lionel Jospin?s defeat (albeit very narrow) to Jean-Marie Le Pen is highly revealing.

The results of the first round were both improbable and incongruous: firstly because the victorious French Far-Right leader has been on the scene for a quarter of a century; and secondly because defeat occurred after a five-year period of governance widely recognised (despite the "erosion effect of cohabitation") as one of the best in the Fifth Republic's history - both for its economic and social achievements, and for the effective leadership of its prime minister.

Wow, so the France of today represents the peak achievement of the French Left? They must be so proud. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 9, 2002 8:35 PM