Why Sego would be better

French voters will have their own domestic reasons for voting either for Nicolas Sarkozy or for Ségolène Royal come 6th May. That the election is important is not in doubt, indeed it is attested by the extraordinarily high first round turnout of 84.5% - a figure that for most politicians in most elections is but a distant aspiration.

Whether we shall see a similar instance of Gallic indefatigability ten days hence remains to be seen. I hope so, if only, as Voltaire wrote, 'pour encourag...