Something is changing.
If a woman born in Dakar in Senegal. Mother of 4 children without being married. Cohabiting for 25 years, A woman who declares that French teachers have to work full time and not just 17 hours.
With a scandal for the Trades Unions and the French Left. Who has introduced the day-after pill free to all High Schools. Who has arranged for paternity leave for the birth of children. Who is defined as populist, summary antiparliamentarian, Mao’s Red Guard. But also French Zapatera.
If a beautiful lady aged 53 who proposes popular juries chosen at random with fixed termination dates to judge the work of the politicians. Who wants to reduce to two terms of office for every politician or public service official. Who asks for the elimination of the use of the amnesty for politicians. Who thinks that the revolt in the suburbs of Paris were fruit also of the corruption of politicians. If an elegant French socialist who believes in the renewal of the State from the bottom. From realities and from local movements. Who thinks of citizens in terms of collective intelligence.
Who talks to people on her blog. Who doesn’t give a fig for the bureaucracy.
If a woman like that wins the socialist primaries for the race to become President of France, something is changing. Then I look at Prodi, Bertinotti, Berlusconi. Golden seventy year olds. And Fini, Casini and D’Alema. Lead fifty year olds. And my discomfort returns.
Let us liberalise European politics. Free circulation of parliamentarians. Let’s propose an exchange three for one with the French. Bindi, Turco and Santanchè for Ségolène Royal. And a lump sum payment of a couple of thousand of million Euro to be paid by the Italians. They would all pay, willingly and straight away.