Fear and gloom in the French pleasure garden

Earth has little to show more fair. In Provence, since Roman times, human ingenuity has harvested nature’s bounty. Agriculture, viniculture, an endless supply of charming towns and serious art: this is a pleasure garden. Yet in the midst of plenty, there is gloom. Even when they are partaking of a good bottle, a surprising number of locals come close to weeping in their glass. There are fears of endless racial and religious conflict and equally endless political failure.

When De Gaulle established the Fifth Republic, he envisioned a long succession of quasi-monarchical presidents: formidable men who would guide the French to prosperity, stability and

That all seemed plausible while he was in charge. But shortly after him, began. In the Elysée, weakness prevailed. proved illusory, and no attempt was made to deal with France’s structural economic weakness. That could have been tackled; under strong leadership a Thatcherite agenda might have worked. Not under Sarkozy or Hollande, who have competed to bring incompetence to new depths. Yet it is not inconceivable that Sarko could return to power – or at least to office. The Fifth Republic is no longer a system of government, it is merely a mausoleum for Charles De Gaulle.

Bad as it is, the economy is not the worst difficulty. That bad eminence is occupied by terrorism. There, it is much harder to identify a promising agenda. As a result, just below the surface, just behind the sunshine, there is tension. All this has one benefit. As a French friend pointed out, the traffic cops have disappeared. Every is engaged in patrolling the cities, heavily armed. Very depressing.

Fortunately, we visitors can afford to take a more superficial view. We can console ourselves with some lesser distraction: a Roman amphitheatre, perhaps, followed by a jolly lunch.