I want to tell the French: don’t do it! But all we can do is watch the elections from the sidelines | Zoe Williams

I'd love to stop Britain's neighbour from repeating our mistakes, but advice from overseas counts for nothing - and can sometimes backfire

As France trudges towards a runoff election between a technocrat and a populist, it's natural to want to help. Don't do it!", say Americans on the socials, Please, France, this is a really bad idea." It might seem fun now," we, their neighbours, chime in, but once you're fielding a moral vacuum on the world stage, you'll see that it isn't fun at all."

It reminds me of the period just before the referendum, when Europeans begged us not to leave, with heart emojis and witty videos, and it changed my mind only insofar as it made the whole situation sadder, while not changing the minds of the leavers in any way. Or maybe that's wrong: maybe it made them more determined.