Sarkozy defeated

Nicolas Sarkozy has been ousted as French president and has been replaced by Francois Hollande. It was a tight contest with Hollande winning 51.90% of the votes and Sarkozy winning 48.2% of the votes.

The question that is being asked now, is that could this been the end of the euro?

Poor old Sarko, nothing to do but shag Carla Bruni. Mind you she might force him to listen to her music.

(07-05-2012 10:15 )dan g 27 Wrote:  The question that is being asked now, is that could this been the end of the euro?

I don't see anything in the French election result to support that theory in the slightest. Hollande is a committed europhile who simply has a different political agenda. Although France has its economic woes it is not in the same mess as some of the other basket-cases that need bailing out.

The Greek election result, on the other hand, is another matter. The governing parties have lost heavily and any new government put together will be a weak coalition but with the central aim of rejecting the austerity package.

Should the Greeks go in a different direction or default on the rescue package Hollande could be caught between a rock and a hard place - he may pay lip service to Greek desires to protect jobs and public services but he knows that he will have to back Merkel if push comes to shove.

(07-05-2012 10:44 )rickhardo Wrote:  Poor old Sarko, nothing to do but shag Carla Bruni. Mind you she might force him to listen to her music.

I could think of worse ways to spend a wet Bank Holiday Monday.

For more than 30 years Hollande was shacked up with fellow socialist politician Segolene Royal, who became the first woman to compete in the final run-off but lost to Sarkozy in the 2007 Presidential election. They have four children but never married (they are quoted as saying that marriage was "too bourgeois" for them).

Shortly after Royal's defeat, they split up and he is now involved with TV journalist Valerie Trierweiler, who is 12 years younger than Royal although you wouldn't think it from these photos (Royal, appropriately, on the left):

But, I'm just wondering if Hollande and Merkel would be able to work together like Sarkozy and Merkel were able to work together. The situation in Greece with the political chaos there is a threat to the euro, but there are also dangerous situations in Spain and Italy