Fillon, Reformer

To win the top spot in the UMP, François Fillon has proposed a number of bold  familiar reforms: end the 35-hour week, increase the working hours of civil servants, and fuse regions and départements. The first two no doubt enjoy the support of nearly everyone in the UMP, including Copé. The third is the one to watch: Raffarin and his cronies (the Fourth Republican rump in the UMP) didn't like Sarkozy's territorial reform proposal, and chances are they won't like this one either, sensible though it is.