The holidays are over in France and the schools will be back next week: the regular rhythm of businesses will resume; visitor numbers will decline sharply and we will all get back to our usual (tranquil for some of us) way of life. 2017 sees Presidential elections and already the major parties are lining up candidates. Both the PS and LR are arranging primaries, with as yet no emergence of a left front runner to replace Hollande - some think it might as well be him as the PS has no chance of winning. On the LR (Les Republicains) the main candidates appear to be Sarkozy and Alain Juppé, the maire of Bordeaux. Former prime minister Francois Fillon has hinted he might run, as has NKM (Nathalie Kosciusko Morizet).
No such worries for the far right (Marine le Pen) or far left (Jean Luc Melenchon) whose main candidates are without serious opposition. The current polemic about "burkinis" seems to be dominating the debates; odd in a country with over 10% unemployment and serious economic problems that bathing suits should be the main thing occupying Nicholas Sarkozy, who declared that a law is needed to ban all signs of a person's religious affiliation in this "laique" country. Still, with holidays over the beaches will soon be empty.
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