Have been following the French Presidential race with muted but ever growing interest.Its twist and turns will make a brilliant backdrop for a political drama. The main dramatis personae being the controversial UMP candidate Nicolas Sarzoky and the gaffe prone but sexy (yes,it has to be said) Segolene Royal representing the PS.Of course there is Francois Bayrou of the Centrist Party. Jean Le penn is still there kicking too. Only recently shot a salvo at Mr Sarkozy labelling him as not being French enough to be the French President.A reference to the fact that Sarkozy is the son of a Hungarian immigrant and a French mother of Jewish and Greek extraction.

Also recently,Nicolas is alleged to have made a pact with Chirac to let the him off the hook with regards to allegations of financial irregularities(fraud in short) if he wins the elections.In return he gets Chirac`s support for the fight for the presidential seat. A suppport that Sarkozy could undoubtedly do with.Even though all indications are that Mr Sarkozy is in the pole position at the moment Ms Royal can not be written off just yet.Come April 22 and finally May 6 all will be revealed.

The Levy Re-Arrest

It wasn`t so shocking the re-arrest of Lord Levy yesterday in connection with the cash-for peerage investigation.Yes it was not indeed. The Police investigators warned us they were making bold and fruitful steps in untangling the web under which the whole saga is buried and warned meddlers like David Blunket et al to keep their mouths shut, steer clear of the investigation and let the Police do the task they have been charged with the way they deemed fit.

One does not have to be Einstein to decipher what really happened here. I know one is presumed innocent until proven otherwise but ummm i can say without a doubt that the parties are guilty as suspected. Of course proving who said what to who,when and where would be a very tasking if not impossible job for the investigators.So if the trail of information can not be pieced together in a manner admissible in the courts where is the case? The Police probably found this out and are now changing tactics and toeing a different line of investigation:Obstructing and perverting the course of justice.

Something is clear though at this juncture-things may get nasty indeed. When Angus Mcneil the SNP parliamentarian first raised the issue early 2006 no one would have imagined it would still be raging on till today talk less of snowballing into something that could define and /or defile a political heritage. That of Tony Blair in particular and the other principal characters involved in the investigation. For if charges were brought,a custodial sentence couldnt be ruled out and if this were to happen then the Prime Minister`s position,more than ever before would be untenable. Even a pachydermatous character like Tony Blair would have no choice but to bow out under those circumstances. As it is,some might argue that the whole episode has vitiated the ofice of the Prime Minister.We have a situation where the incumbent Prime Minister is interviewed almost every other week (well) by the Police in connection with crime. I know Tony Blair likes to break records but to break his own record? Downing Street has to keep issuing statements to assure us that the Prime Minister was interviewed by the Police but not under caution. Fair enough.Hope it does not get to that.Or worse!

Is Lord Levy`s arrest the endgame or just another chapter in the unfolding saga we have to wait and see.