With rioting breaking out this week in the streets of Amiens, in the north of France, it is clear that the honeymoon for new French President Francois Hollande is well and truly over.
When Hollande took his place in the Elysee Palace in May, he arrived on a wave of widespread disenchantment in his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy. Instead of an in-your-face "bling-bling" leader, French voters had expressed their clear preference for modesty and tradition.
Unfortunately for Hollande, after 100 days in office, a different disenchantment appears to be forming. Now, Hollande faces a country that may be in need of a different style of leadership.
Holland promised his countrymen a "normal" presidency, in line with the aloofness that had traditionally surrounded French heads of state. Instead, the country has witnessed a lack of leadership and an inability to articulate clear priorities. The return of large-scale street violence is an unhelpful reminder of the anger and desperation that lingers in French urban ghettos. With his approval ratings dropping, Hollande is even hearing criticism from leftist newspapers such as Liberation and Le Monde.
France is lurching back into recession, and, at a time like this, people want their leaders to talking about the problems they face, instead of avoiding them.
Hollande's initial flurry of initiatives, intended to distance the country from the more controversial aspects of the Sarkozy regime, have been followed by little of note. In hindsight, Hollande may have overdelivered on his promise to be a hands-off president.
Perhaps the French have become more accustomed to the leadership initiative and overall pizzazz of Sarkozy than they would care to admit!
Hollande must also keep his Socialist party unified after he controversially reversed his position on the austerity measures being imposed across the eurozone by European Union leaders in Brussels. Hollande campaigned on the promise to resist austerity and to confront German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who leads the pro-austerity camp.
Instead, he has indicated that he will still ratify the European Fiscal Compact, which requires member states to commit to balance budgets. Such a change would likely impose a significant program of debt-reduction on the French budget. With unrest on the street, it will be difficult for left-leaning Hollande to implement deep cuts in public spending without alienating many in his Socialist party.
A decision by the French Constitutional Court is expected shortly on whether the Compact can be adopted without a constitutional amendment. Hollande will be keen to avoid the intense partisan squabbling that a formal amendment process would entail. In the meantime, other Socialist leaders are making clear that they will vote their consciences and refuse to ratify the Compact, in defiance of their president.
Regardless of these pressing issues, Hollande was not too timid to take a position on the most divisive question of the day: Where should the French go on their extended summer holidays?
Willing to brave dissent and derision, Hollande argued forcefully to his Cabinet that in these difficult times, the country's leaders should not be seen traipsing to exotic locations. Instead, they should remain in France, spending their "holiday euros" at home, where it could help the lagging economy.
Interestingly, some German leaders are also trying to make a political statement with their vacation destinations. In their case, however, it is a vote of support for wavering Greece. A number of politicians have publicized plans to holiday in the Greek islands, despite fears by many Germans that if they sought to enjoy the soothing whites-and-blues of Greece's architecture and landscape, and a few stiff glasses of ouzo along the way, they might be met with anger and violence!
Yet again, Hollande is seeking to distinguish himself from jet-setting Sarkozy, who created quite a stir when he spent his first presidential vacation at a palatial mansion in the Unites States. Rather than seeking out some high-end foreign resort, where he might rub shoulders with hedge-fund managers or Hollywood elites, Hollande and his partner, Valerie Trierweiler, will spend a few weeks at Bregancon Fortress, the official summer residence of French presidents.
Like many other aspects of their lives, the French have turned their summer vacations into an art form. Whether lounging on a beach or swaying contentedly in a hammock enjoying clear alpine air, France is a country where what you do when you are not at your desk sends a powerful picture to others about who you really are.
Hollande interrupted his vacation this week to address the Amiens rioting and promised a tough response. More importantly, though, he needs to make a clear statement of his principles and priorities to the French electorate. Images of burning cars and rioting raise questions that cannot be ignored. He should not shy away from making the case for austerity.
Style is hard to ignore in politics, regardless of country. But, in time, substance inevitably triumphs, if only because style doesn't make the difficult choices any easier, or the complex consequences of ignoring them any simpler.