HELP! I'M A CONFUSED FRANCOPHILE

The French elections have got me confused. Reading through the potted biographies of the two candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal (two great names it has to be said) and trying to convert their political ideologies into an English situation and you appear to have two people with socialist, social conscience agendas.

I agree that some of Sarkozy's statements in the past have seemed a little too far right but a lot of his ideas would pass as socialist beliefs. He is seeking to make a clean break with the traditional ruling elite by modernising French government, he could be, I believe, the first French President to be born after World War II.

Sarkozy has a reputation for being straight talking, it has made him popular with the electorate, mainly because the French do actually like their politicians to be combative, the stereotypical image of the French as shoulder shrugging, cheese eating, surrender monkey's is not something they like to see in their leaders.

As the UMP leader he has courted controversy by adopting a tough stance on immigration. He famously described young delinquents in the Paris suburbs as racaille, or "rabble". He has sought to push through measures to curb illegal immigration and to integrate skilled migrants into French society. I'm sure most British people would welcome this sort of policy in this country, providing of course we had a well educated, well trained workforce in the first place, in the meantime I'm all for immigration if it means that society can survive without having to rely on chip fed, long arm, Sun reading morons to keep the plumbing systems of the country working.

Despite the criticism of his immigration policies, Sarkozy has also advocated positive discrimination to help reduce youth unemployment - a challenge to those wedded to the French idea of equality, funnily enough this is also something that exists in this country, the strange idea that because you've been in a job forever means it's yours for life - surely it should be yours if you are good enough. He has also called for state help for Muslims to build mosques, I can't see this sort of policy going down well with the far right in England, despite the fact that more people attend football matches in the Championship than attend the Anglican and Catholic churches combined we, us British born whites, don't like to be reminded that other faiths take their religion seriously (and I'm talking about worship here not 7/7).

Sarkozy, trained as a lawyer, he is the son of a Hungarian immigrant and a French mother of Greek Jewish origin, he was baptised a Roman Catholic and grew up in Paris. One of his main political influences is Tony Blair (and why not), he admires the way that Blair uses the media, although I'd have to say the Blair-Media honeymoon was over a long time ago, but its the way that Blair used all parts of the media to sell his beliefs that Sarkozy has copied.

Sarkozy has been described as "hyperactive, ambitious, a heavy worker, a workaholic and somebody who never rests," that makes hims sound like Madame Thatcher.

"He was a lawyer, so he seems close to the people, and he wants to show them that he understands their problems and that he will solve their problems," a French commentator said this week.

Sarkozy is seen as a pragmatist who will use any solution as long as it works, so that brings him back towards Blair. He has shown strong protectionist instincts - pouring state funds into saving the ailing French company Alstom. Yet he also promises to make the French less scared of economic success. He is often described as an Atlanticist, but he too was against the war in Iraq. He is not too keen on the old Franco-German alliance - but upset new EU members by saying those with lower taxes than old Europe should not receive EU subsidies.

As with many things the French political scene is full of contradictions, complications and differences of ideology that at first seem polarised but which on closer inspection seem to be not that far apart.

meanwhile over in the left corner...............

Ms Royal is classed as a social democrat or social progressive. Again like her rival she is an admirer of Tony Blair. Again like her rival she is seeking to break down the barriers that have often been seen as holding France back as well as insulating it from a lot of social problems other countries have to endure.

She believes that new solutions have to be adapted and adopted to reconcile social progress, the reduction of inequality and economic efficiency". She has called for a more "supple" approach to the Socialists' sacred cow, the 35-hour working week, and even praised Tony Blair in an interview with the Financial Times.

She was heavily criticised by the elder statesman in her party (known in France as the dinosaurs) for saying that she admired Blair. Again, as with all things French, political and French politics she is never far from a soundbite that seems to suggest confusion and contradiction, such as "There are things I don't agree with, such as the war in Iraq, but I recognise that he has given his country a wonderful boost."

She is seen as a young Tony Blair when it comes to her social beliefs and political convictions, "I am a socialist and at the same time clear about a certain number of values ... family values, environmental values, the value of succeeding at school, the value of merit and respect for work. To me these are not incompatible with being of the left."

I can't see a British politician coming forward and being as honest about the apparent contradictions in her beliefs, in fact if you are a socialists and believe in private health and education you are seen as some sort of class traitor. The fact that you can provide the opportunities and resources for somebody to improve their lot but you can have the resources to pay for better is seen as a denial of your belief system.

Le grande question is whether France is ready for a Royal presidency. We are after all talking about a male dominated society that only granted women got the vote only in 1944, where only 71 of the 577 MPs are women and where political parties prefer to pay fines than adhere to legal quotas for women candidates.

"It depends on her conviction, qualities, those around her ... and her courage. But the opinion polls suggest France is ready," said Ms Royal.