When Abbas started photographing French politics in 1986, he had a revelation: “I discovered a world totally unknown to me, a bit like a Zulu tribe. There were handshakes, republican meals, tours of bistros and markets. And, frankly, I found it exciting. I wanted my perspective to be at once caustic and offbeat, but also very respectful; because I thought, and it’s still true, that politics is a very demanding, difficult business. Today, handshakes are replaced by selfies and politicians are drowning in a sea of cameras. We can’t approach them anymore. Everything is controlled, measured, planned....