France, as seen from the deck of the Titanic

Imagine a country. No prime minister has been as unpopular in sixty years. The alliance of the four parties supporting him is torn apart by the ambitions of its leaders and accounts for just 36% of the votes in the National Assembly. The fiscal situation is disastrous, unlike that of neighbouring European countries. The opposition parties want to roll back one of the few reforms made recently by lowering the retirement age. They reject any serious reduction in social spending but are in favour of taxing billionaires. If you have ideas to prevent a political or fiscal crisis, write forthwith to François Bayrou, Hôtel de Matignon, 75007 Paris. Please cc me.