France, as the French travel writer Sylvain Tesson once noted, “is a paradise inhabited by people who think they live in hell”. As the campaign for next year’s presidential election hits its stride with ever more wannabes declaring their candidacies, the country is in a particularly sullen mood.
If the vote were held now, the anti-immigration populist Marine Le Pen would have a strong chance of romping into the Élysée palace, riding a wave of voter disillusionment with the entire political class and a sense that “we’ve tried everything else”. But a lot can happen between now and 18 April 2027, the date of the first round. France is also a country of sudden shocks.
