August 28 French Socialist rivals face off

The first French socialist gave the only chair in the room to the other man, preferring to stand. This second man, another French socialist took his purse and handed over half the notes to the first man, nodded, produced a bottle of brown liquor, took a slug and offered it to the first. He looked at the notes and the chair and then drank the remainder of the bottle, after a minute studying his seated acquaintance the first man removed his Italian shoes and swapped them for the tatty pair of espadrillos his opponent had kicked off. This surprised the other man but he shrugged his shoulders and held his legs out straight in front of him to appraise his new footwear. The first man waited. And waited. And waited. Eventually the seated man rose to his feet, shook his trousers a little as if to facilitate a gas escape and left the room.

The first French socialist was alone, in crappy shoes in a room that smelt of burnt puppies. This is the lesson we must never forget.