The political spectrum in France is so distorted that a candidate who calls for new taxes, tax harmonization, expanded trade barriers, and restrictions on capital flows is the supposed conservative candidate. The UK‐​based Times reports on the anti‐​market views of Nicolas Sarkozy:

At his first EU summit, in Brussels in June, a President Sarkozy would push hard for a new tariff on imports from outside the European Union to protect jobs and discourage firms from moving production outside the area, he said. …Mr Sarkozy said that he would also press for harmonised business taxes — a project long rejected by Britain and other states. It was time to reduce the power of the national veto in such areas, he said. His proposal for a protective “European preference” in trade is also opposed by Britain and conflicts with the Union’s free‐​trade policies.