Sarko the sex dwarf

Why is Nicolas Sarkozy so mysteriously appealing? asks Lucy Wadham, author of the forthcoming The Secret Life of France (Faber), in her article for this month's Prospect. It's because the French secretly want to be dominated by a strong, libidinous male, she says—and this desire has taken the political left by surprise, leaving it in disarray. Sideshows like Sarkozy's lightning conquest of Carla Bruni (known as "the predator" for her voracious sexual appetite) have only boosted his magnetism, something Wadham can testify to first-hand after seeing him in the flesh. "Sitting in Sarkozy's line of vision for two hours was among the most erotically charged experiences I have had," she confesses.

Wadham says she is not alone in this sentiment: despite its many powerful women, France really wants to be controlled by a man. Is this really so? Weigh in here.