THE victims of Soviet communism would find it hard to understand, but a giant yellow banner was unfurled in the centre of Paris last week, bearing portraits of Lenin and Stalin. “Only socialism can save the world” it proclaimed in black ink.

Welcome to the annual May Day rally in Paris, always a festive affair. Salsa music blared from the back of a lorry and an aroma of barbecued Merguez sausages filled the air. Trotskyite militants handed out leaflets denouncing the capitalist system.

The march, which attracted 60,000 people under flags emblazoned with the hammer and sickle, was a reminder of how different France is to other European countries with its lingering affection for ideas jettisoned long ago elsewhere in the world.

It was also a warning to Nicolas Sarkozy, the reform-minded conservative candidate for the presidency, of the trouble that may lie in wait for him if he wins the presidential election today and embarks on ambitious plans for modernising a country badly in need of renewal and disillusioned with its ruling elite.