Will too many cooks spoil the UMP broth?

You know the expression about "too many cooks spoiling the broth" don't you?

The idea that there are too many people trying to take charge and the likely outcome is...well programmed chaos.

Sadly it's a proverb the opposition centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire, (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) seems to have forgotten in its efforts to put the debacle that was the leadership contest behind it and start afresh - daggered hand-in-hand

A truce - of sorts - between François Fillon and Jean-François Copé, the two main protagonists in the story that "gripped a nation"  has been reached.

Fillon has disbanded his breakaway R-UMP (much to the annoyance probably of political journalists who could have continued to have had a field day with the acronym) a timetable has been agreed for new elections and Copé has happily installed himself as president.

There again, once Copé had declared himself the "winner" there was never going to be any going back.

And just to ensure parity between the two previously warring factions, all the leading posts - well nearly all of them - have been shared or rather doubled to ensure that supporters of both men are given a fair say in what happens next.

The result?

The party is awash with vice presidents.

Just take a look at the organisational chart - or organigramme in French - released by the party this week and the number of vice presidents needed to run the political machine that is the UMP.

(screenshot from La Matinale, Canal +, Wednesday 16 January, 2013)

And even better, here's a photo of all the "leaders" together at the "meet the press" session.

(screenshot from La Matinale, Canal +, Wednesday 16 January, 2013)

Bodes well for the future doesn't it?