The Hangover

Most people I know are rather down today but none have threatened to leave the country; speaking for myself there is an irony in the fact that I will live in France under Sarkozy rather than in Ireland under a possible non-Fianna Fáil-PD government - it reminds me of what Beckett said about preferring to live in France at war than in Ireland at peace. Le p'tit Nicolas said last night that he represents all French people (no reference of course to the millions of non-native French living and working here) and he has called upon all of France to unite behind him. Nico of course knows that this is bullshit and he now has the historical ignominy of being a President of the Republic who cannot travel to many parts of the national territory without 'packing heat' as they used to say in the old hard-boiled films noirs. As with his counterpart in Washington there is a large number of French voters that will never be won over by him; the 'pas mon Président' T-shirts are already being printed up and the battle is about to begin.