Polls have been tightening in France ahead of next year’s Presidential elections. The expected second round showdown is between France’s current leader Emmanuel Macron, and the perennial far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. The rematch between France’s two best known politicians has created something of a buzz in Western media outside of Paris – in part because it is seen as just the latest battle in the ongoing culture war that has engulfed Europe and the Americas. There is also something of a morbid fascination behind the media’s coverage of the elections – the Le Pen family have for many years been the archetypal bogeyman of the rise of the populist right in Europe. Now into the second generation, it is hard to argue that the family hasn’t made some, albeit limited, inroads in French politics. In the last elections Madam Le Pen managed to secure a record 33% of the popular vote – the previous best for the far-right in France was only 17%. This rise in support is what fascinates the wo...