Clout

Parliamentary maturity

Political confrontation, especially when it is taking place in Parliament, is not hand-to-hand combat.

The "I'm not going anywhere" we heard on Wednesday in reaction to the ejection of two lawmakers from the special parliamentary committee investigating the handling of the Novartis case cannot be allowed to express a party that claims to be democratic.

The performance at Versailles

The mini-summit of European Union leaders at Versailles on Monday had all the hallmarks of a French initiative: an imposing setting and grandiose rhetoric aimed at confirming France's role as a leader, when the fact is that Berlin's has complete dominance over "united" Europe.