Any French president who asks his fellow citizens to retire later does so at his peril. Yet Emmanuel Macron’s narrow escape has come at a high political cost
The French president is not yet in the clear. The law must be approved by the constitutional council. And the French still know better than most how to deploy the force of the mob when all else fails. In 2006 countrywide protests forced Dominique de Villepin, then prime minister, to revoke new labour rules for young people even after they had been written into law. Now, once again, opposition leaders are agitating in the streets to overturn a reform that they could not get rid of in parliament.
Yet the president’s narrow escape has come at a high political cost. After failing to persuade the public, trade unions or the opposition of the need for his reform, Mr Macron judged that he could not risk a normal parliamentary vote. Instead he resorted to a constitutional provision that put his government’s survival on the line. This is perfectly legal: it has been used 100 times since Charles de Gaulle introduced it, including to build France’s nuclear deterrent.
This is dangerous, because Mr Macron’s narrow escape should not be the end of his ambitions to reform France. Much is still to be done, from the pursuit of net-zero emissions and full employment, to better schooling in tough and remote areas. The 45-year-old president is still in the first year of his second term, fizzing with energy and ideas.
The lesson goes wider than this. Those in France who want their next president to come from the democratic centre, not the far right, cannot afford to stay silent. Mr Macron alone is not to blame for this mess. A chunk of legislators from the centre-right Republicans, many of whom support reform, withheld their backing. The silence of those in politics, business and beyond, who know well that France needed change, was short-sighted and craven. They could end up paying a steep price.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Emmanuel Macron seeks to calm public anger over French pensions reform\n\t\t\tGet local insights from Lisbon to Moscow with an unrivalled network of journalists across Europe,\n\t\t\texpert analysis, our dedicated ‘Brussels Briefing’ newsletter. Customise your myFT page to track\n\t\t\tthe countries of your choice.\n\t\t
Lire la suite »
Pantomime villains Mesut Ozil and Emmanuel Adebayor were born an era too lateOzil and Adebayor’s retirements serve as a double reminder of how quickly we are to judge players based around their on-pitch demeanours
Lire la suite »
Emmanuel Macron’s government survives, but more trouble lies aheadAlthough deeply unpopular, Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform is right for France
Lire la suite »
Lavish banquet to be attended by King Charles and Macron moved over fears of violenceA lavish banquet that was due to be attended by King Charles and Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles is to be moved following threats of violence.
Lire la suite »