TOO BAD THEY DIDN'T FIGURE THAT OUT IN 1776:

The appointment of Mr Valls, 51, is a calculated risk by Mr Hollande who has gambled that his new prime minister's public popularity, tough reputation and strong communication skills will outweigh deep suspicion within Socialist party ranks about a highly divisive figure for the left.

In an article for the Financial Times in 2009, Mr Valls lambasted the French left for being pompous and utopian, said there was "no longer an alternative to the capitalist system and market economy", and dismissed the term "socialist" as outdated. In his presidential primary campaign in 2011, Mr Valls won just 6 per cent support from Socialist voters.

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