To grasp the extent of the shambles that is French politics today, take the story of the "eco-tax", reports the BBC.
It could be a case study in how to induce paroxysms of voter fury.
The eco-tax was a levy, agreed on by all France's main parties, which would charge goods vehicles for using the roads. The money raised would help fund infrastructure and encourage other, cleaner, means of transport.
But some French people decided they didn't like it. They tore down the metal bridges where cameras for road-monitoring had been installed. They threatened to march on Paris.
The socialist government, whose ministers had previously extolled its virtues, suspended the eco-tax. Then they binned it for good.
The end result is this. The private company contracted to organise the tax is claiming 1bn euros in damages from the state. It has built a nationwide grid of electronic monitors - destined now to rust - and employs hundreds of people.
At the same time, the money that would have been gathered from the tax - some 400m euros a year - is missing from the budget.
To replace it, the government has ruled that the price of diesel will go up - for all drivers. In other words, ordinary householders will foot part of a bill that was intended for the big polluters.
As for the rest of the shortfall, the government is casting about for ideas. One day, ecology minister Ségolène Royal calls for a tax on all foreign lorries that drive through France. The next, finance minister Michel Sapin scotches her proposal because it is against European law.
So there you have it - all the ingredients of a modern French mess.
A "noble" cause taken up by the Paris establishment, which then buckles with fear when confronted by the "street", reneges on its commitments and plumps yet another tax on ordinary folk - all the while publicly disagreeing about what on Earth to do next and invoking Brussels as a higher authority.
As the Hollande presidency stumbles past its half-way point, it is hard to overstate the depths of pessimism in the country.