profit, privatisation, cupidité
July 14, 2018 9:29 AM Subscribe
“The France of Tomorrow is now one year old and its contours have begun to take shape. The sleek vision of a society of merit and achievement, a revolution of the “outsiders” against the “insiders” has shown its true colors. Macronism is little more than seizure of the public interest by the French business elite.” The France of No Tomorrow (The Baffler) “The disparity between Paris and its banlieues is stark, and last year, when Emmanuel Macron took office, he promised, like presidents before him, to reduce urban inequalities. But with the afterglow of his victory long faded, his campaign pledge to break with politics-as-usual by embracing a so-called radical centrism has ceded to right-leaning policies” ‘The Social Ladder Is Broken’: Hope and Despair in the French Banlieues (The Nation) Seen as out of touch, Macron hits new low in poll ratings (Reuters) In May, Paris anti-Macron protest sees thousands take to streets to protest changes to the labor market, public service, and student’s rights (Channel 4, 8:13)
Macron presented a centrist alternative to the discredited major parties which is now equally discredited. After Macron the remaining options will be far-left and far-right, with much of the institutional support behind Macron reconciling itself to the far-right.
posted by moorooka at 2:04 PM on July 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by moorooka at 2:04 PM on July 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Manu was essentially not-Marine, which might have been enough to make enough people sigh and vote for him, but I don't recall him ever being that popular (yes, he won with 66% of the vote or close to that, but with only 24% in the first round), he just wasn't a racist from a family of racists that will continue to put racists in the world until it ends. His shit-eating grin after another round of dismantling the welfare state in favour of more tax cuts for the richest eventually looks more and more like a luxurious Louis XVI banquet while the sans-cullotes are starving.
posted by lmfsilva at 2:09 PM on July 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by lmfsilva at 2:09 PM on July 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Revolutions podcast just wrapped up coverage of the Commune, and it’s depressing the way the only change after 150 years is a) race is now an issue and b) Germany is not likely to invade in the near future.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:13 PM on July 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:13 PM on July 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
After Macron the remaining options will be far-left and far-right
Or else the third-space, anti-system europeanism of #EuropeanSpring, being built across borders - and in France with Hamon’s Génération.s - by Varoufakis’ DiEM25.
posted by progosk at 3:45 PM on July 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Or else the third-space, anti-system europeanism of #EuropeanSpring, being built across borders - and in France with Hamon’s Génération.s - by Varoufakis’ DiEM25.
posted by progosk at 3:45 PM on July 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
great. the fascists will win the next election and that will be that for the EU. and the chance to prevent it is now, while macron builds a fucking new swimming pool.
posted by wibari at 8:02 PM on July 14, 2018
posted by wibari at 8:02 PM on July 14, 2018
The dilemma of the recent French presidential elections was between a far - right candidate and a candidate that if he won would make certain through his policies that the far-right would be more likely to win in the next election. This is the story of the disaster that the modern - day Brünings of the decaying blairite "social democracy" and their offshoots, are bringing through their blind neoliberalism to Europe - and beyond...
posted by talos at 3:53 AM on July 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by talos at 3:53 AM on July 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure how I would have voted if I was a French citizen, but I match the profile of centrist Socialist Party voters who defected to Macron en masse in the last election. I suspect a lot of them will be coming home to the Socialist Party next time around.
> great. the fascists will win the next election and that will be that for the EU. and the chance to prevent it is now...
France has two-round voting system, and anti-fascist sentiments are pretty strong, especially among older voters. Remember, France had very direct experience with fascism in WWII. Some younger voters can convince themselves that Le Pen is OK, but for the most part that's not something French people have forgotten.
posted by nangar at 6:22 AM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
> great. the fascists will win the next election and that will be that for the EU. and the chance to prevent it is now...
France has two-round voting system, and anti-fascist sentiments are pretty strong, especially among older voters. Remember, France had very direct experience with fascism in WWII. Some younger voters can convince themselves that Le Pen is OK, but for the most part that's not something French people have forgotten.
posted by nangar at 6:22 AM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Europe has their own set of problems and France is not even one of them. Even Melenchon would probably be elected before Le Pen (even if I believe a not unsubstantial number of liberals would rather turn further to the right instead of to the left or just washing their hands over it).
The problem with Europe is what is going to happen with the EPP. They could just go full Orban, or have a split between the more moderate parties and these that have grown in popularity with the refugee crisis by going hardliner and would embolden the far-right, and either way, it's not good. Francisco Louçã had an article (pt, but it translates horribly on google*) warning of these power shifts in continental politics and how they might doom the EU.
*tl;cr: the kicker is that the EU collapses if the Christian Democracy, Socialist and Socdem center no longer exists in any viable form.
posted by lmfsilva at 7:56 AM on July 15, 2018
The problem with Europe is what is going to happen with the EPP. They could just go full Orban, or have a split between the more moderate parties and these that have grown in popularity with the refugee crisis by going hardliner and would embolden the far-right, and either way, it's not good. Francisco Louçã had an article (pt, but it translates horribly on google*) warning of these power shifts in continental politics and how they might doom the EU.
*tl;cr: the kicker is that the EU collapses if the Christian Democracy, Socialist and Socdem center no longer exists in any viable form.
posted by lmfsilva at 7:56 AM on July 15, 2018
Considering that (despite a humming national economy) the post-fascist Swedish Democrats are tipped by some to become the country’s first party in upcoming elections (as usual, based on immigration&crime FUD plus a complacent center-left and an outsmarted center-right)... things are looking dire indeed for the EU.
posted by progosk at 11:42 AM on July 15, 2018
posted by progosk at 11:42 AM on July 15, 2018
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Macron defeated a racist candidate, but seems to have missed or ignored the neo-liberal economic backlash. A backlash that made it possible for such racists candidate to even be a viable electoral threat.
So, what does Macron do, enact even harsher neo-liberal policies.
posted by KaizenSoze at 10:11 AM on July 14, 2018 [5 favorites]