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/423/ Who Wants the 'Worst Job' in France? ft. Charles Devellennes
🕑 Added 2024-07-08 19:49:50 +0000 UTCOn France's surprise parliamentary election.
The left-wing 'New Popular Front' came a surprise first, for now putting a halt to expectations that the far-right Rassemblement National would soon enter government. We talk to political scientist and commentator Charles Devellennes, and ask:
What was Macron's gamble in calling this early election?
Is becoming Prime Minister actually a bad thing for your future prospects?
Is the Left actually 'far left' and the Right 'far right'? Is Le Pen a fascist?
Did the Left actually save Macron? Why not an alliance between Left and Right against the centre?
Will France opt for the undemocratic 'Italian Solution' and appoint an unelected technocrat?
Can Macron's party and his style of rule survive Macron eventually being out of office?
Does the uncertainty mean France is back to the postwar 4th Republic? Is this continuity? Something new?
Links:
The Macron Régime: The Ideology of the New Right in France, Charles Devellennes
Comments
Craig L
(Also, I thought this interview was great, thanks as always!)
Craig L
When I was in France most recently (May 2024, just before the most recent election cycle derailed the national conversation), the news was almost wholly focused on the (post?)colonial conflict in New Caledonia, which as an Australian is something I'm quite aware of. The prominence of this appears to have been nipped in the bud by the election, but imo the conflict there has eerie historical echoes of the Algerian War and similar conflicts before it. Would be cool to see you boys dive into this further at some point - is this likely to become a culture war issue for French politics? How are domestic factions lining up on this issue so far? What does the future for New Caledonia look like? Does it matter? (I mean, I think it does, but New Caledonia is a long way from the global core and, as with most issues in Oceania, is generally viewed by commentators as the most peripheral of peripheral issues and territories)
