I have been on the verge of crying, for much of the afternoon and evening, watching the results come in from the French presidential elections.

This is a horrible day. The only happy note is the breakthrough for two radical-left candidates — Olivier Besancenot of the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire and Arlette Laguiller of Lutte Ouvrière — who together took more than 10 per cent of the vote.

Emotion plays some role in politics. I wish I had been more aware of this through the years. The French strike and social movement in 1995 was a turning point for me. Though many describe me as “cynical,” I have in fact been surfing on the hope and excitement of those days in Paris — but also on the seriousness and the clarity of purpose of the people with whom I found myself throughout that time. 1995 led to the defeat of the right in 1997, giving the left a wonderful chance, a wonderful opening