Can the Internet save poiltical debate in France?

Jean-Noël Cuénod considers the French presidential campaign and the recurrent complaints of François Bayrou (UDF, centre-right) who criticises the media for speaking exclusively about Ségolène Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy. "By its very nature, a presidential election by universal suffrage infers this type of duel. And then how can one possibly rival such placarding of the nasty little runt versus the pretty mummy; the dynamic right against the maternal left? ... Is Bayrou thus condemned to playing in the media's second division? In any case, he has found an interesting parade: the Internet. According to RGTI, a company specialising in the 'political blogosphere', Bayrou's party, the UDF, has been shown to be the second best represented political organisation on the Web ... . The presidential election, with its two marketing candidates, offers a stereotypical image of politics that are full of ideas... empty ideas! Is the Internet to become the instrument that will restore political debate in all its entirety?"

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