Version imprimable[updated on 31 May 2017]
[a shorter version of this article has appeared in Mainstream Weekly, 20 May 2017]
On April 23, the first round of the French elections eliminated the established parties, leaving two final contenders for the final round of May 7; Emmanuel Macron, a former economy minister and cosmopolitan political novice representing his newly created movement called ’en marche’ [on the move] and Marine Le Pen leader of the forty year old Front National (FN) [an anti immigrant and anti European party of the far Right]. Two opposing conceptions of France were in the race. Macron won in a landslide with 66% of the vote, yet many voted for him simply to keep Le Pen out of power.
Macron’s victory over Le Pen is certainly good news for France and a post-Brexit Europe, but it is naive to see this electoral defeat of FN as the beginning of the end for hateful identity politics in France. Let us say a storm has passed for now, but the dark clouds loom large.
Fifteen years ago there was a similar situation: Jean Marie Le Pen the founding leader of the National Front, had reached the Presidential run-off. At that time one and a half million people had marched on the streets in a resounding no to the FN. A republican front of all parties, left and right was formed and the FN defeated by a record 82% votes in 2002. Today there is comparably little political mobilisation against the FN - which has been normalised.
Macron the Maverick’s Big Gamble
Macron hails emotionally from the Left. He is a liberal democrat who stands for enlightenment ideals, opposes racism and xenophobia, and offers hope in a common European future by attacking economic isolation as a reactionary idea. His alliance is made up of free-market elites, centrists and social democrats.
Macron is bitterly hated by unions for the labour reform law he brought in under the socialist party govt he was once part of but has humanist convictions and has had the moral courage to publically say that: "Colonisation is a part of French history. It is a crime, a crime against humanity"
