 There is excitement and in places something close to panic in France as voting begins in these unexpected elections. The National Rally, a populist, anti-immigration, Eurosceptic party, has successfully shed, some say hidden, its more toxic traits and it won a third of the vote in recent European elections. Whether the party can then take control of the French government will only be clear after a second round of voting in a week's time. But the implications for France and for Europe are huge.