A telling tale of two Mitterrands

Commentary feature. The French presidential election of 2012 is shaping up as a contest of the Mitterrands. François Hollande is offering the voters the newly-minted president of 1981: a confident socialist certain that France could make its own way in a hostile world. Nicolas Sarkozy prefers to summon up Mitterrand in his subsequent guise: the hard-bitten realist forced by events to embrace the German way of economics.

Writer says: Does France want to keep running to keep up with Germany; or does it want to lead a rebellion against economic orthodoxy? Choose it must.

ESO: Background information: French presidential election, 2012 http://www.europeansources.info/record/french-presidential-election-2012/

ESO: Background information: Sarkozy to bring in German-style reforms http://www.europeansources.info/record/merkel-to-join-sarkozy-on-campaign-trail-sarkozy-to-bring-in-german-style-reforms/

ESO: Background information: Hollande vows to raise taxes for rich and banks http://www.europeansources.info/record/hollande-vows-to-raise-taxes-for-rich-and-banks/

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