Comment: Like most of Europe....Which is of course, the plan...
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Lorenzo Maria Pacini | Strategic Culture Foundation
Old European powers
In recent decades, Germany has been the economic engine of Europe, while France has been its political, cultural, and military heart. Political because of its balancing role and permanent seat on the UN Security Council; cultural because of its universalist vision; military because of its status as a nuclear power. Together with the United Kingdom, republican France has maintained and exercised power over the whole of Europe, in concert with US military power.
Today, however, France is increasingly seen as a cause for concern.
Let's take it step by step. First of all, the financial markets consider it fragile and unstable, with the focus on its 50-year-high debt and unpromising economic prospects. This crisis is also political: the French have lost confidence in both the government and the opposition, convinced that the ruling class has betrayed the fundamental interests of the nation, reducing itself to a mouthpiece for European and American financial interests.
Former Prime Minister François Bayrou, after consulting with the Élysée Palace, called for a vote of confidence on the 2026 budget law, which included cuts of €44 billion. The National Assembly rejected the proposal, causing the fall of his government and the rapid appointment of Sébastien Lecornu as the new prime minister. Emmanuel Macron's decision to reject the dissolution of the Assembly or a referendum allowed him to avoid a popular vote, an important choice for a president who enjoys only 17% approval ratings.
The 2024 legislative elections saw the New Popular Front win 182 seats, Ensemble (Macron's bloc) 168, and the National Rally 143. Turnout exceeded 67%, the highest level since 1981.
On the government front, Élisabeth Borne was prime minister for 20 months (May 2022-January 2024), followed by Gabriel Attal (January-September 2024), who remained in office for about eight months. After the early elections, the government led by Michel Barnier was short-lived, replaced first by Bayrou and then by Lecornu.
This instability reflects political fragmentation and the impossibility of building solid majorities.
Lecornu inherits a complex economic situation: $3.345 trillion in debt, high unemployment, bankrupt companies, and growing impoverishment of the working classes. Macron, in his two terms, exacerbated the problem by increasing debt and dismantling public services, replacing them with expensive private consultants such as McKinsey.
In recent decades, Germany has been the economic engine of Europe, while France has been its political, cultural, and military heart. Political because of its balancing role and permanent seat on the UN Security Council; cultural because of its universalist vision; military because of its status as a nuclear power. Together with the United Kingdom, republican France has maintained and exercised power over the whole of Europe, in concert with US military power.
Today, however, France is increasingly seen as a cause for concern.
Let's take it step by step. First of all, the financial markets consider it fragile and unstable, with the focus on its 50-year-high debt and unpromising economic prospects. This crisis is also political: the French have lost confidence in both the government and the opposition, convinced that the ruling class has betrayed the fundamental interests of the nation, reducing itself to a mouthpiece for European and American financial interests.
Former Prime Minister François Bayrou, after consulting with the Élysée Palace, called for a vote of confidence on the 2026 budget law, which included cuts of €44 billion. The National Assembly rejected the proposal, causing the fall of his government and the rapid appointment of Sébastien Lecornu as the new prime minister. Emmanuel Macron's decision to reject the dissolution of the Assembly or a referendum allowed him to avoid a popular vote, an important choice for a president who enjoys only 17% approval ratings.
The 2024 legislative elections saw the New Popular Front win 182 seats, Ensemble (Macron's bloc) 168, and the National Rally 143. Turnout exceeded 67%, the highest level since 1981.
On the government front, Élisabeth Borne was prime minister for 20 months (May 2022-January 2024), followed by Gabriel Attal (January-September 2024), who remained in office for about eight months. After the early elections, the government led by Michel Barnier was short-lived, replaced first by Bayrou and then by Lecornu.
This instability reflects political fragmentation and the impossibility of building solid majorities.
Lecornu inherits a complex economic situation: $3.345 trillion in debt, high unemployment, bankrupt companies, and growing impoverishment of the working classes. Macron, in his two terms, exacerbated the problem by increasing debt and dismantling public services, replacing them with expensive private consultants such as McKinsey.
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