Makeover wanted
Looking to Laurent Fabius for salvation
OUT with the haughty air, the technocratic earnestness, the cold ambition. In with jeans and T-shirts, motorbike rides and hot-dogs. Nearly 20 years since he became France's youngest-ever prime minister, at the tender age of 38, Laurent Fabius is on a mission to reinvent himself. But will his rebranding be enough to revive his own and his party's fortunes?
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Makeover wanted”
From the November 1st 2003 edition
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Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
Ursula von der Leyen has a new doctrine for handling the hard right
The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare