British newspaper The Economist asks the question in an article headline. My answer would be that he acts as a socialist due to conservatism’s lack of direction. In other words, the French president is no Marxist, but as conservatism is more an attitude than a political theory, his politics derives from France’s socialist mindset. Being conservative in France is to talk and behave like a Marxist much in the same way being a conservative in America is to talk and behave like a devout Christian. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to Edmund Burke’s thoughts on evolutionary history per se, but I do think the lack of ideological direction is a problem for conservatism. That is why conservatives must always be judge by their friends. Conservative politicians need some libertarian entourage.