The Hollande-Miliband Axis

François Hollande must know the old American political adage, "Don't get mad, get even." In his own quiet way, he has paid back David Cameron for any number of snubs, both during the campaign and since Hollande's assumption of office (such as the invitation to French entrepreneurs to flee to Britain). Hollande invited Labour Party leader Ed Miliband to Paris and received him as though he were already Prime Minister. Meanwhile, Miliband may have borrowed a few ideas from Hollande about how to achieve that goal. There are similarities between the two, starting with the fact that both have been consistently underestimated. It's a bit premature to posit, as The Times does, that Hollande is already imagining himself as the leader of a reinvigorated trans-European left. But it's good to see him recognizing that cross-border alliances can take forms other than the notorious Merkozy duo.