IN 2012, France elected a socialist president with an alternative to “austerity”, promising to raise taxes and increase public spending.

Ed Miliband and public sector unions hailed this as an alternative to British austerity and a blue print for a future Labour government.

So how has Le France faired under Monsieur Hollande’s brand of socialism?

Well, as promised, taxes have risen for nearly all income groups, unemployment has gone up and is now double that of the UK; young people in France are fleeing to the UK in search of job opportunities.

The French economy is in recession, business investment has collapsed, the French government had to resign last month and now it is faced with having to make massive cuts in public spending.

In short, socialism has done to France what it does to every country that flirts with it.

In the UK, economic growth is back with a vengeance, unemployment is falling rapidly and fewer young people are classified as NEETs than since records began. Taxation has been cut for the lowest earners; the wealthy are paying a larger proportion of taxes than under Labour and the gap between the richest and poorest in society, which grew so much under Labour, is now in reverse.

If you want to know in advance what the UK would look like under Miliband you don’t have to speculate; look at France, with its economy even messier than its President’s love life.

Cllr Martyn Cox Westhoughton North and Chew Moor