Russian television: France and Germany plot out the future

Austerity, the Euro Crisis and the US

Some more on French election

Those Revolting Europeans - NYTimes.com

Those Revolting Europeans - NYTimes.com:

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The French are revolting. The Greeks, too. And it’s about time.

Both countries held elections Sunday that were in effect referendums on the current European economic strategy, and in both countries voters turned two thumbs down. It’s far from clear how soon the votes will lead to changes in actual policy, but time is clearly running out for the strategy of recovery through austerity — and that’s a good thing.

Needless to say, that’s not what you heard from the usual suspects in the run-up to the elections. It was actually kind of funny to see the apostles of orthodoxy trying to portray the cautious, mild-mannered François Hollande as a figure of menace. He is “rather dangerous,” declared The Economist, which observed that he “genuinely believes in the need to create a fairer society.” Quelle horreur!

What is true is that Mr. Hollande’s victory means the end of “Merkozy,” the Franco-German axis that has enforced the austerity regime of the past two years. This would be a “dangerous” development if that strategy were working, or even had a reasonable chance of working. But it isn’t and doesn’t; it’s time to move on. Europe’s voters, it turns out, are wiser than the Continent’s best and brightest.

Right wing on the rise in Europe. Elections put euro union to test

Francois Hollande elected as French president

France Elections: Hollande Beats Sarkozy To Become France President

France Elections: Hollande Beats Sarkozy To Become France President:

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PARIS (AP) -- Socialist Francois Hollande defeated conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday to become France's next president, heralding a change in how Europe tackles its debt crisis and how France flexes its military and diplomatic muscle around the world.

Sarkozy conceded defeat minutes after the polls closed, saying he had called Hollande to wish him "good luck" as the country's new leader.

One half of the ruling European elite is now gone

The French Elections: Off With King Sarko's Head | Common Dreams

The French Elections: Off With King Sarko's Head | Common Dreams:

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He posed in spectacular grandeur as the neo-imperial Liberator of Libya - only a few years after Colonel Muammar Gaddafi helped finance his 2007 election campaign with a cool US$65 million.French president Nicolas Sarkozy (Photograph: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty images)

Profiting from a mysterious alliance between the Holy Ghost and an African chambermaid in New York, he got rid of the unstoppable challenger to his re-election, former International Monetary Fund director general and international sex fiend, Dominique Strauss-Khan.

And still, this Sunday, French voters - in a Facebook-style remix of the fall of the Bastille - are bound to yell "Off with his head".

Why? Hubris. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, aka neo-Napoleonic King Sarko, former king of bling bling, "Chouchou" to [Italian] First Lady Carla Bruni, may be his own worst enemy.

France Elections: Sarkozy Expected To Lose Barring 'Completely Unforeseen Catastrophe'

France Elections: Sarkozy Expected To Lose Barring 'Completely Unforeseen Catastrophe':

'via Blog this'

PARIS -- Socialist candidate Francois Hollande appeared to solidify his chances at winning France's presidency Thursday after voters welcomed his strong showing in a debate against beleaguered incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy.

Hollande also won the support of a prominent centrist who came in fourth in the first round of presidential elections.

The conservative Sarkozy has trailed Hollande throughout the campaign in the polls and needed a knockout performance in Wednesday night's debate. Pollsters said the mild-mannered Hollande was surprisingly resilient in the bitter back-and-forths with his longtime rival.

The French Election and the Eurocrisis