But what exactly is the response among the French? I hear (well, accd. to the media here) that there is a lot of apathy re: electoral politics anyway. Do people really care about this?
And if so, is this good for Ségolène Royal? Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire
Do people really care about this?
It's not really "out there" enough yet for everyone to care, but it looks at this stage as if it might have the makings. Villepin is very rocky with 20% approval ratings. If his job is on the line, and Chirac is dragged in the mud, people will necessarily take notice.
is this good for Ségolène Royal?
She's a "clean" candidate, no murky past, an upright and honest image. She's currently polling better than Sarkozy for both rounds of a presidential election if held tomorrow. Her rival getting dragged through a bitter and muddy brawl can only help her chances, even if he looks like a victim.
A CSA poll for Le Parisien says:
This was a telephone poll taken yesterday, but it's unlikely (imo) that the pollees were aware of the latest developments at time of polling. The media are talking about these, and one would expect the high number of don't knows to go down. (Unless Chirac and Villepin strike a deal with Sarkozy to stop the blood-letting).
