Although I had to rely on translations of the concession and victory speeches by outgoing President Sarkozy and President-elect Hollande, both struck me as having made pretty respectable jobs of them.
And 'respect' was definitely le mot du jour, with loser and winner both calling for it to be conferred on the other.
Nor does it seem likely that either of them had in mind the contrived acronym on which the British political party of the said name is supposed to be based - Respect, Equality, Socialism, Peace, Environmentalism, Community and Trade Unionism - which I don't think quite works as an acronym in French...
Putin, Pomp & Circumcision
We Brits sometimes boast that we're rather good at organising formal state occasions. On this evidence, the Russians don't do a bad job at it either.
I was intrigued to see that this particular clip on YouTube (HERE) cuts just as he gets his speech out of his pocket.
And was it just a coincidence that the timing of this historic event coincided with the election of a new President of the French Republic?
I look forward to looking more closely at his speech - but I haven't forgotten (and hope others won't forget) the putrid prose that President Putin has been known to peddle in the past...
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