Turkey, a NATO member, about to get drawn into this conflict as well as Iran. Then what? Then what? A complete and utter failure of American and Western diplomacy and foreign policy stretching back decades. A nightmare.

Tax issue is especislly tricky as there are deputées in Macron’s own party who threaten to rebel over any concessions to the NFP. On va voir.

Thinking is he’ll have to make concessions to the left (NFP) on tax and climate issues, and to the right (RN) on immigration, in order to thread the needle. Squeaky bum time.

Barnier facing his first test in front of the Assemblée Nationale today, announcing his <<politique générale>>. And according to what I can gather from the papers here, it’s going to be a very close call whether his government can actually survive.

“[Human] Language is like a broken kettle on which we bang out tunes for bears to dance to, when we wish to move the stars to tears.” - Flaubert, Madame Bovary

“La parole humaine est comme un chaudron fêlé où nous battons des mélodies à faire danser les ours, quand on voudrait attendrir les étoiles.”

‘The understsnding is that they’re not going to do another Gaza.’ I am not a complete innocent; but this particular formation of words gives off a cynicism so deep it feels depraved.

Something very satisfying about reading coverage of our royal family purely through the fromt pages of French gossip magazines:

‘Quand l’ennemi fait un faux mouvement, il faut se garder de l’interrompre.’

Like a football team who have just been thrashed 12-0 at home and the manager says: the reason we lost is because we just didn’t believe in our 1–2-7 formation enough. Keep digging, lads. See you in 15 years.