consequences of the economic crash whose impact runs through these pages, and offers

some fascinating factoids - half of all Europeans are over 50, whilst three quarters of
Algerians are under 25. There are as many people under 30 in China as in Russia, the US
and Australia combined, and in India twice as many as in China. That too is a powerful force
of global change, and will have its impact on Western politics of the future. As to what it all
means for the next French elections, I don't know. But this book provides part of the
backdrop, economic and political. It should make interesting reading for anyone involved in
that campaign. Whilst clearly still of the view Sarkozy was and is the right choice for France,
(though the polls at the time of writing indicate he is in a minority) he throws out ideas and
challenges for right and left alike. As traditional lines are drawn, careful reading might
provoke candidates and parties to see that they should always be looking to the next new
ideas, not merely repackaging the last new, let alone the old. I was in Paris recently as a
guest of the left think tank, Terra Nova,