The French are about to elect a strong law and order conservative, while the Brits act like quivering wimps in the face of Iranian thugery. What the $%^# is going on here?
It sounds like they're trying to keep that Sarkozy person from being elected - he's too non-Sharia law-and-order.
It is sort of funny to hear them call these rioters "youths", as if that makes it somehow better.
Interesting the very explicit calls of the mobs to defeat Sarkozy. This has the strong scent of semi-organized action to it.
Royal has leapt to the forefront, criticizing Sarkozy for it.
Now, this could go either way, but I think it will improve Le Pen's numbers whilst Sarkozy stays stable and Royal does not benefit, nor Bayrou.
There is something too obvious about the "Vote down Sarkozy or we will riot" aspect of this that I think is going to really irritate French people, and cause them to lean law-and-order (and racist too, hence the move towards Le Pen).
I have been wrong on many things before, and I will not even attempt to call the French election at this point, but my sense is that Sarkozy is not going to be the loser in this public relations battle. We shall have to watch the new polls. I think Le Pen may gain, at the expense of other right wing candidates. I think Sarkozy will not plunge, and may even gain a bit.