Forthcoming: More Post-Referendum Analysis

Did Jacques Chirac "hear the message" of the French "no" vote? If one is to judge by his choice for new Prime Minister, the answer is (another) resounding "no".

In the run-up to the French referendum, "euro-skeptical" commentators worried that French authorities would try to fiddle the vote. They did. Not enough by a long shot to change the outcome. But they did.

Our friends at EURSOC are concerned by the cheerful crowing at the extremes - the National Front and France's motley crew of Marxist-Leninist and Trotskyist outfits - over the victory of the "no". I have a more optimistic view: France's silent majority has spoken.

I'll be back starting later today (noon-ish EST) to start tackling these issues...