The deal-making is nice for the egos of those concerned, but won't shift many votes :

• Emmanuel Valls is not even centre-left, he's centre-right. He has already given his support to Hollande for the second round, and it's something of a poisoned gift.

• Montebourg's support is in large part, probably more than half, from people who won't vote for the PS candidate in the first round of the presidential election : Greens, Communists, and a handful from the far left. The biggest danger for Aubry will be that they may not all turn out for her next weekend. Virtually none will go to Hollande.

• Baylet's faithful few, the rural rump of the Left Radicals, will go to Hollande, who, now that I think about it, has positioned himself as a sort of reincarnation of their late 19th century values.

• A possible exception : Royal's loyal rump is probably emotionally attached to her, and may be swung by her call, which she has reserved for later in the week.

BUT : Montebourg has an estimated 17%, which is huge (leaving Royal in the dust, around 7%)

If the final result is close to that, it's looking very good for Aubry for the second round.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

Holland is past master of backroom deals, but even if he, for example, promises to make Montebourg his prime minister (which would be incongruous), Montebourg can't tell people how to vote. This is a clear signal that the presidential election must be fought with a clear left wing program. This is a rare historical opportunity to win a clear mandate with a coherent program for change.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

There's all manner of controversy about windmills and radar around the world. Bremen's airport has been ringed with them for years. No big deal.

Here's a teaser for a future diary. who can guess what the building taking shape in the background is for?

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

I think that in a context where those in power seek to denigrate the idea of revolution it's important to defend the general idea of the need for radical change and that revolutions are not inherently doomed to failure, but external forces have often crushed or led to their distortion. I don't welcome bloodshed and chaos, revolution can take a variety of forms and come in many different contexts, the Arab Spring has been relatively non-violent and has to be seen in context of decades of brutal repression of those seeking a more just society. Revolutions can be long-drawn out processes, we'll have to see what happens in Egypt, etc. but I think important steps have been taken, and those who might have intervened to suppress them have had to declare their support for greater freedom and democracy - but we'll have to see; I'm well aware that those with power don't give it up easily.

But the idea of the need for radical social change needs to be defended as do examples of revolutions which have brought such change, despite the efforts of those in power to do everything to destroy and discredit them. One constantly sees media reports about repression in Cuba; but these real fruits of revolution need celebrating, they are what the US fears "the threat of a good example". I think many of the 99% of Americans Occupy Wall Street represents would be envious of this, if they were ever informed about it:

"Take health care for example. It's world-class, and Article 50 of the 1976 Constitution mandates it for all Cubans. They get free medical, hospital and dental care including prophylactic services with emphasis on public health, preventive care, health education, programs for periodic medical examinations, immunizations and other preventive measures. The Constitution also guarantees worker health and safety, help for the elderly and pregnant working women, and paid leave before and after childbirth. In addition, Cuba's Public Health Law obligates the state to assure, improve and protect the health of all citizens, including providing rehabilitation services for physical and mental disabilities.
 
Compare this to World Health Organization's (WHO) rankings for America - 37th in the world in "overall health performance," 54th in health care fairness, worst of all western countries overall, and only developed nation besides South Africa with no single-payer national health insurance system.

...
but at the same time Cuba's no paradise. Its problems are huge, and as Petras puts it, it faces new "challenges and contradictions:"

http://www.rense.com/general80/wass.htm

As Gore Vidal said, roughly, during the status quo one should be for the revolution, and during the revolution one should be critical of it.

To the barricades - or facebook pages :-)

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.