-
French parliament rejects bid to impeach Emmanuel Macron
Prime minister resigned - but is now trying to seek enough cross-party support to pass a 2026 budget
-
Post-Brexit boat registration in France - reader solutions
Owning a second-hand boat in France as a UK resident can be complex
-
Poll: Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» find their politics ‘embarrassing’
Most back decision of Sébastien Lecornu to resign as prime minister but are disheartened by state of French politics
Who will lead VI Republic?
What is going on in France today is unprecedented in the EU history. The majority of the population supports the gilets jaunes movement in one way or another.
A few weeks ago, President Macron addressed the nation with an open letter proposing national discussion of economic and social problems. Protesters don’t want to meet the government halfway. They just lost all the trust in their government.
Deep social and economic controversies have accumulated during the whole EU period. Sarkozy and Hollande left a troubled legacy to their successor. One of the crucial faults of Mr Macron is his political blindness: too young, too distant, he hasn’t been able to feel this approaching disaster. As a head of state, he cannot fulfil all demands of gilets jaunes. Even if he wanted to, that would create a dangerous precedent.
Sooner or later, the situation will lead to a political impasse.
Today proposals of serious constitutional changes exist. Jean-Luc Mélenchon and other politicians proposed projects of the 6th Republic, but hard times demand hard people. The most probable candidate for this role is Marine Le Pen, who is ready to carry out radical changes.
Paul Bénard, by email