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In a very dramatic week for France, The Local's Talking France podcast is back, digesting the political crisis, as well as discussing the summer sales, the expanding train network and whether people in France really work just 35 hours a week.

Host Ben McPartland is joined by Local France editor Emma Pearson, reporter Genevieve Mansfield and political expert John Lichfield to dissect the aftermath of the parliamentary election that has plunged France into a political crisis.

We look at what happened, what Emmanuel Macron’s options are for the months ahead and how the far-right ended up with so many seats in parliament.

John Lichfield told us: “We are in an unknown situation for this generation of politicians – they are not used to this type of haggling, trying to form majorities on different issues or alliances. This is not something that has been happening in France for half a century or more.

“In the 1940s and early 1950s there were frequent French parliaments that had no majority, revolving door governments, prime ministers who lasted only a few weeks – that’s not really happened since the system was changed by Charles de Gaulle.”

Stepping away from politics, we’re getting on the train – the latest travel trend is for swapping planes for trains and France is great place to do this thanks to the high-speed TGV network. The country also has some exciting plans for more night-trains and international travel to and from France is also under expansion.

As the summer sales begin, Gen explains how les soldes came about and why it is that the French government so strictly regulates them.

And we’re looking at one of the big questions about France – does everyone here really only work 35 hours a week?

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