Philosophers are guest editing a national paper today - not here in the UK, but in France. Libération has turned its front cover over to the debate of the day, national identity, and is selling itself - yes selling itself - on the contribution of sixty sages. This isn't just a one off experiment in halting declining sales. It's the third year running the paper's done it.

It's true that David Cameron gave a speech the other day in which he listed a bunch of academics who've conjured up ideas about reducing the size of the state, though it seems they were so favoured because their ideas fitted that message, not the other way round.

What's doubly arresting about the philosophers in France is that I suspect you'd be hard pressed to find sixty British philosophers who could be tempted to comment beyond their specialisms, even if offered the space. Then again, they might be sensible in that: given the tail spin the French left is in, I wonder what les philosophes have to say.