France
In praise of a solidly, wonderfully French hotel
Nothing in the beach hotel was made of plastic. It wasn’t advertised as being a plastic-free hotel, but we noticed…
Don’t bet against Emmanuel Macron
It’s nice to be back on the old continent again, especially after getting within a couple of hundred yards of…
Boris is falling into the Macron trap
You can’t blame Boris Johnson for jetting off to Kyiv last week for another meet-and-greet session with Volodymyr Zelensky. He…
Could Macron lose his majority?
Last night was a poor one for the President. His Ensemble coalition appear neck and neck with La Nouvelle Union Populaire Écologique…
Macron vs the deep state
French diplomats are on strike today. But will anyone notice? Not to be immodest, I am especially well qualified to…
Blair is wrong: the future of Britain shouldn’t involve Macron
Tony Blair believes the way forward for Britain is to seek guidance from Emmanuel Macron. The former British prime minister…
How far will house prices fall?
‘Forecasting is a mug’s game’ is a truism attributed to everyone from fantasy author Douglas Adams to former Bank of…
Operation Chariot succeeded because it was unthinkable
Eighty years ago, just after midnight on 28 March 1942, the British destroyer HMS Campbeltown crept up the estuary of…
How not to fish
After two nights at Le Grau-du-Roi (the King’s Pond) and a night spent within the medieval walls of Aigues-Mortes (Stagnant…
The madness of France’s burkini bust-up
To burkini, or not to burkini? This is the question that divides France in the run-up to the first round…
The French right is hopelessly divided
Here we go again. Exhausted by a presidential campaign that ultimately produced the same choice as in 2017 (and the…
How a May Day car-boot sale gave me back my optimism
So that’s it. Is a third world war possible? It’s already begun, opined a retired US general in the newspaper.…
Can anyone stop Emmanuel Macron?
If they weren’t insufficiently weary of politicians, the French will be invited to vote all over again for the Assemblée…
The call of opium-based analgesics and introspection
On the morning of my last day in England, I drew back a curtain and there in the garden, browsing…
Can Mélenchon unite the French left?
Can Mélenchon unite the French left?
Portrait of the week: Twitter takeover, late nights for pubs and a row over leg-crossing
Home Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said Britain assessed that 15,000 Russians had been killed in the war against Ukraine…
The relentless march of Europe’s zombie centrists
Journalists rarely had it so easy as when it came to writing up the final result of the French presidential…
France is eternally divided
A lot happened in France last night. After a lacklustre performance, long disillusioned supporters were unable to summon any enthusiasm…
Where does Macron go from here?
The French do not want Emmanuel Macron’s party to win in the National Assembly, at least according to polls taken at…
Forget Le Pen 2027
If Emmanuel Macron has any sense he will be back in the office this morning. Sunday night’s celebratory shindig was…
Apres Macron, the radical left?
Bof! That useful French word – an older and slightly less irritating version of the American-English ‘meh’ – is how…
The French have voted for the lesser of two evils
Few scenes of jubilation as Emmanuel Macron was re-elected President. French voters held their noses and voted without evident enthusiasm…
Is this the end of Marine Le Pen?
Today’s election in France is likely to be a joyless, miserable affair for the electors who will dutifully turn out.…
Will Russia sink Le Pen?
Paris, France Marine Le Pen has changed her image. Five years ago, the veteran far-right leader lost her second bid…
Narcissist vs fantasist: France’s gruesome choice
France faces a gruesome choice
