Macron, Le Pen And The Perils Of Polarization
It's hard to feel "bad," as such, for Emmanuel Macron. He not a terribly sympathetic figure, and he anyway doesn't cut one.
That said, the picture emerging of Macron ahead of a two-round snap vote his party's guaranteed to lose is unfortunate, for lack of a better word: Isolated, erratic and desperate. Increasingly, his decision to dissolve parliament's described not just as a shock and a gamble, but as reckless -- crazy, even. I don't think that's accurate, let alone fair.
France was mired in
From a historical context the growth of social media and its usage as a propaganda distribution network by authoritarian governments is going to paint the picture of the disruption in western democracies we are currently experiencing. My hope is these disruptions are temporary set backs that reveal the flawed nature of anti-democratic movements and their negative consequences for the voting public. The next 5 years are going to be pivotal to the survival of western democracies and the sustainability of a peaceful globe. Otherwise the 2030’s are going to be even worse than the 20’s have been. See 20th century history for reference.
TBH, if we’re going to have fascists in government, I’d rather get it over with sooner rather than later. And I agree that 3 years of failures will make a Le Pen presidency less likely, a good outcome.
We’ll see. But I’m planning to move out of France, ideally as soon as next year. You know, just in case…
France has a long history being supportive of immigration and the assimilation of blacks (mostly from Africa) into their populace.
Given that about 13% of France’s current population is of African ethnicity (in France, it is illegal to collect ethnic data on the population- so no specific data exists), it doesn’t seem likely that the French have had a change of heart as to their view that a multicultural population is desirable.
The far right’s issue (and for that matter, maybe the vast majority of French people?) appears to be more related to the increase in the number of immigrants and the resulting difficulties that France is having successfully integrating those immigrants into their country at a reasonable cost and within a reasonable timeframe.
I recently read in the London Times that the French navy is now escorting boats containing migrants across French waters and to the British waters within the English Channel.
The numbers appear to be overwhelming the system.
FWIW, RN is much better at pancake makeup than MAGA.
Is any of this the result of Kremlin Psyops?
I consider myself to be one of the privileged beneficiaries of capitalism. Although I would never admit it openly (guess I sort of just did, although “anonymously” behind a keyboard) that even someone like me (a non-white immigrant) can find myself secretly rooting for populous figures because disenchantment with the current socio-economic order….I honestly cant imagine what it’s like for someone in the lower end of the totem pole…..landslide shift awaits…..buckle up
out of curiosity, what would populists provide you with, materially, emotionally or spiritually ?
It’s way over my pay grade to make any insightful comments on the state of French politics. Still, one searches for any humor one can find in these dark days. Enjoying a last dinner in Paris tonight, just down the street from SciencePo, we saw an immigrant peddling newspapers approach the interracial couple just a few tables away from us. He had kept up a steady sales patter till he got to them. “Bulletin”, he announced, “Marine LePen est raciste!” Laughs all around!
Correction – SciencesPo
hahaha…