After reading the FT piece I'm not at all convinced it shows Royal as a Blairite. It's the journalist who's giving his article "teeth" by saying that. I'd note that the first thing she says to back up her polite assertion of admiration for Blair is that he has upped public spending (not a thing Blair likes to have said about him...) As for the CPE, she speaks against it.

The article in Le Monde quotes members of the PS who were no doubt happy to line her up with Tony Blair and shoot at her. It also quotes, lower down, clear occasions on which she has shown non-Blairite attitudes (again, on precarious job contracts, for example).

All in all, the two newspaper articles seem to me to spin her more Blairite than she is (for reasons proper to each paper, no doubt).

The other points you make about Royal, Agnes, seem to be:

1. énarque : undoubtedly true, and I would expect of Royal that (if elected) she would fit the French admin class mould in her basic views and assumptions.

2. champagne left : more than any other PS leader bar perhaps Aubry or Jospin? In fact I think she's got a more BCBG (bon chic, bon genre) image as someone who comes from a solid, traditional family background (image that helps her pull in support from the centre).

3. celebrity : she has gone in lately for photo-ops. But Sarkozy and Villepin do this, (plus go on TV when they like), and if she's going to run, they're the men to beat (polls are out for the first time showing she could do it). Otherwise, is she a celeb because she's a good-looking woman in politics? Does that mean she should put on fifteen kilos and stomp around like Godzilla to be taken seriously?

My feeling is this: I don't think for a minute she has a Blairite agenda. I expect, however, she's more centrist than I am. It will still take some time to be sure her current polls are going to hold up. But if they confirm over time that she's the best candidate the PS can field, she should run.

And wouldn't it be nice to have a (good-looking or not) woman president of this damn macho country?