José Bové has confirmed that he is “still available to be a candidate” in the French presidential elections. So am I. There has not been much interest though this could change. He says that Olivier Besancenot of the LCR and the PCF national secretary Marie-George Buffet “have to have the courage to consider a non-party candidature”. He seems to think that there is sufficient basis for an agreement but that if it does not happen before September it will be too late.

On the day when 50 000 plus were marching in London the anti war movement in Le Puy consisted of one man at a stall with the front page of Le Monde and a petition. I’m afraid that he didn’t seem to be doing much business and I was struck by just how amateurish an operation it was. There was no evidence of nationally produced posters or leaflets or any sign of a real campaign.

But it does seem that the French attempt to present themselves as the more elegant imperialists has misfired. Le Monde this morning was a bit disgruntled that the Lebanese government has rejected the US French deal, saying that it was rewarding the Israelis for not being able to defeat Hezbollah.