Will Sarko deliver?

One hopeful sign of the election of Nicolas Sarkozy as President of France is the expectations among many of his supporters, some of whom the BBC interviewed at a victory celebration:

Martine Vellard, 52, who runs a small carpentry company, stood atop a small vehicle bedecked with balloons and tricolour flags.

” We are happy because Sarkozy will let people keep their hard-earned money,” she said. “He will discourage people from living off benefits.”

The BBC notes that, “Mr Sarkozy’s campaign motto, ‘Work more to earn more,’ resonated with many younger voters,” and interviwed one such voter:

“This election is going to mean the end of idleness and the beginning of growth,” says Breece Suber, 20, who was wearing a 1789-style revolutionary hat.

Mr Suber – who has dual US and French citizenship – says he wants “France to become more like the US, where growth is strong because people work”.

Here’s hoping he doesn’t disappoint.