The front page of le Parisien is focusing on preparations for a swine flu epidemic in France. The paper explains that banks are getting ready for the possibility of an outbreak. Société Générale has designated a crisis manager – the focus is on maintaining a normal level of business through providing masks. A stock has been prepared and would be distributed to staff and customers in the event of an outbreak. At the Postal Service, hand deliveries would be cancelled; masks have also been made available for staff dealing with the public. Seeing as children are more likely to catch and pass on the disease, schools are also preparing.

“You love it or leave it,” this is the message that Martine Aubry, the Socialist Party leader, sent in a letter to maverick MP Manuel Valls, according to Libération. He has been a vocal critic of the party, calling for a full overhaul and even a change of its name. Valls has now responded saying he has no intention of remaining silent as she would wish. Keeping silent is the equivalent of being blind to the problems of the party, he told Aubry in an open letter. He said her letter was misinformed and at worst insulting. Rue89 explains why this standoff is going to continue. Valls wants to be a presidential candidate in 2012. The online website says is the Sarkozy of the Socialist Party. Le Figaro quotes a Socialist MEP, Henri Weber. The crisis between Valls and Aubry is part of a broader crisis. This includes a leadership crisis, a crisis in the social democratic movement as a whole in Europe (which swung decisively to the right in the recent European elections) and an ideological crisis in socialism generally which has seen many of its ideas internalised by right-leaning parties, thus neutralising its message.

Libération covers the passing of a bill to introduce Sunday work in the National Assembly yesterday. It says the bill must still be approved by the Senate and the Constitutional Council. However, the government is determined to see it pass before the end of the summer. For the Communist paper l’Humanité, the drive to get the bill passed during the summer months when half the country is on holidays is despicable.

The Tour de France is sinking into monotony, says le Figaro. The 11th stage, according to the paper, would even have bored the sunflowers which line the route. Mark Cavendish won his fourth stage. The domination of the teams who have the largest budget is being blamed for the boring nature of the tour – there is also a lot of criticism of the ban on earpieces which of course affects the teams strategies.