Sego's failure with older voters meant she was (French) toast

Labour deputy leadership candidates may be keen to promote youth politics, but how's this for more evidence that any centre-left campaign is doomed if it fails to be electorally competitive with older voters.

Analysis of the results of the 2007 Presidential election in France by IPOS shows the gaping differences in the voting preferences of the youngest and oldest French voters. Nicholas Sarkozy’s victory was built upon very high levels of support from older voters, Sarkozy won 61% of the vote from voters aged 60-69 and 68% from voters aged 70 and above. In contrast 58% of voters aged 18-24 preferred his socialist rival Segolene Royal. Faced with these levels of support for Sarkozy from older voters Royal faced an impossible task of finding compensating leads amongst voters of other age groups or sociological category - sego was, how do you say, (French) toast.