<PN ALERT> (BTW, he was first elected in 1981, not 1991... 25 years ago... local councillor of the swanky suburban town of which he is still the mayor). </PN ALERT>

On farming: farmers do want prices rather than direct subsidies. Having to fill in forms to get money from the State makes the poor dears feel like they're not real men. Those who can remember it, think back to the old CAP where prices were managed and a farmer's job was to get the highest possible yields to earn the most money (not all this sissy stuff about managing the environment). In other words, Sarko's appeal is to uncontrolled productivist agriculture.

Just one problem: prices fixed by the market would be too low compared to real costs. All the farmers would go out of business. Unless they were supported by subsidies... So Sarko is talking absolutely empty demagogy. Nothing new.