I'm intrigued to hear this- care to explain?

Well, call it rigging if you want, but it's normal practice, and intended to ensure that no "extreme" candidate can win.

It kept out the communists in the early post war years and latterly the FN of Le Pen, père et fille.

Next year, however, people here are afraid that even this tactical withdrawal will not be enough, as Marine has been making gains even in the small rural communes, who are not directly affected by immigration, but feel that they are paying for it nonetheless.

This is a worrying development.

Question for you as you live out there...

I lived in France for a year, Montpellier to be precise. The segregation between the indigenous French and the Maghreban (Tunisian, Moroccan, Algerian etc) communities was stark. I actually (accidentally) lived in a more Maghreban part of town and crime was very high, employment very low. It was like a ghetto.

However, even in the centre of Montpellier the youths of that community were constantly thieving, looting, vandalising and generally being a pain in the arse.

Do you not think this kind of thing in the cities has actually lead to Le Pen's rise? I might be completely misreading the country as France is a big place and I was only there for 10 months (and that was in 2012), but the racial segregation was much more stark than anything I've seen in the UK.

From personal experience, I'm not surprised an anti-Islamic message is working (not that I agree with it).

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

I know it's normal practice in France but I do think it is an awful voting system.

It might also be potentially responsible for the FN doing so well, so often, in round 1. In areas where the mainstream left or right usually win their voters can vote for the FN in round 1 (or someone else they don't like/rate), to make sure they advance to round 2, giving the favourite an even easier ride.

Optimistic as ever

I hadn't realised until recently that Mme Fillon is Welsh.

Doubt Valls etc will make it to the second round still but might make it a little more interesting.

Hollande is doing a good job in ensuring no other politician can ever claim the "most hated" title from him. I think Petain could come back and say he would collaborate all over again and he'd still win over Hollande.

And how the hell does Hollande keep getting all these women? Royale, Trierweiler, and Gayet? It's nuts. He looks like a low-rent Sgt Bilko.

"It's almost like a moral decision. Except not really cos noone is going to find out," Jez, Peep Show