My cousins in Paris – where I’ve been spending a few days – have been very pleased by the emergence of François Fillon as the presidential candidate for the centre-right (Gaullist) party. Martine has been a supporter of Monsieur Fillon for some time: she admires him as an observant Catholic who is especially concerned about Christians in the Middle East. Brendan thinks Fillon is sensible to plan economic reforms in France, which is known for its bureaucracy and rigid employment laws. And they both say he will be a robust opponent to Marine Le Pen.