The fascist threat

It is a sobering — not to say frightening — thought that by Sunday night, the French presidency could be in the hands of a fascist. Marine Le Pen’s attempts to detoxify herself and her party are not so much skin deep as barely even worth bothering with.

No sooner had her successor as interim leader of the Front National, Jean-Francois Jalkh, been nominated for the job, than he resigned when his alleged Holocaust denial emerged. The Front National was, is and will always be a fascist party. That is its point. Yes, the polls indicate that Emmanuel Macron is near certain to win Sunday’s vote.

But it would be profoundly mistaken to believe that Ms Le Pen’s defeat would mean the defeat of fascism in France. Her support has grown steadily over many years, and the more the mainstream parties ignore the concerns of French voters, the more they will turn to Ms Le Pen. Some observers suggest that her sights in any case are really set on the 2022 presidential election. The opponents of fascism may win this weekend’s battle. But the war is far from over.

Burial shame

Few issues cause more anger than burial fees. Quite apart from leaving some shul members trapped because their scheme is not transferable, other bereaved spouses — such as Sharon Kalmus — are told that their payments are worthless and then confronted with huge bills.

Despite having contributed to a burial scheme for 45 years, Mrs Kalmus was offered a paltry £450 towards her husband’s funeral. Southend shul’s president says that “our community has not failed in its obligations in law, or morally”. Few will agree. Mrs Kalmus deserves far better.