Socialists In Shock
Socialists in France are in shock at the revelation that the French Government's budget minister - Jerome Cahuzac (JC) - had 600,000 Euros in a secret Swiss bank account.
Sacre bleu! - as they say across the Channel.
I bet Gerard Depardieu is laughing like a drain after his much publicised tax row with French President - Francois Hollande - who is apparently about as popular these days as big helping of frogs legs at a vegetarian lunch.
After months of lying through his teeth - and denying that he had anything to hide - JC finally spilled the beans by admitting tax fraud and that he had been operating an illegal offshore bank account for years.
To make matters worse - as if he could - JC's lawyer explained that his client had held a secret Swiss bank account until 2009 at which point JC transferred his slush fund to Singapore.
Failing to disclose such arrangements is unlawful in France - which the budget minister must have been aware of - of course.
According to French opinion polls Francois Hollande has become the most unpopular president for decades - after less than 12 months in office.
So as the French economy continues to slump and as unemployment rises into double figures - much worse than the UK - the first socialist government in many a year is sadly in a very big hole.
Yet one entirely of its own making.
