That rare thing - someone discussing the subject.
Yes, the coming elections will have a huge impact on Macron's time in government, it's almost like he's choosing a government of national coalition as you might have in wartime.
He seems to have captured some enthusiasm among the young and 20-35's but equally there have already been serious protests against him before he's done anything.
To exacerbate the rarity:mrgreen:, recognizing France's most pressing problem doesn't require rocket science (even where to some it may seem to:lol
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None of the measures needed for reform (and apparently recognized by him and those that have decided to join) are going to be greeted with unanimous support. In fact I expect vitriolic opposition from all corners of the field, varying with the variety of measures and the groups that those go against most.
The problem is that most of what's needed is bitter medicine. That being the bill for past complacency.
At a time when Thatcherism and (later) Blairism addressed ailments in the UK (and Schroederism did the same in Germany), France was complacently stuck in looking backwards and actually remained there to this day.
Now I find neither Thatcher nor Blair anyone to write home about where the overall picture is concerned (nor Schroeder, while we're at it), yet when a country's problems are primarily of economic nature, political ideology takes round about 20th place to the economist in me.
The labour laws in France are atrocious in their generosity, the pension system the same, public spending has gone totally haywire without providing even the remotest economic stimulus (any such effect being cancelled by the first two factors) etc. etc. etc.
When Sarkozy (another one on my list of eff-yous) attempted to do something about the national popularity of over-borrowing in order to keep much beloved privileges of the nation, they elected Hollande in indignation. Who immediately addressed the problems of the ailing economy by creating even more government jobs.
Of course wanting to have your cake and eat it too is not exclusively a French condition, it's very human.
What is very French though (at least more so than in UK, Germany or even down here) is going ballistic at the very suggestion of perhaps eating just a slice less (forget having it too).
The unions, radically militant at best of times, are going to go absolutely insane. They're already primed beyond the rimfire ring anyway, on account of their membership constantly dwindling. Any self reflection over perhaps not having delivered any proper message for decades being conveniently replaced by the conviction that becoming even more radical will address that structural problem of theirs.
That the young don't care all that much about the pension age being raised, planned to be hiked from 60 to 62 years where Germany raised it from 65 (effectively 60) to 67, is understandable seeing how that occurrence is far in the future. For somebody pushing 60 it will be an issue though and s/he is part of the 12.5 pct of French people (the group of 25 to 54 years making up 38 pct.)
Whichever way I look, I sure don't envy Macron the task ahead. There is no group of significance that won't feel victimized and that predicament stretches thruout the whole nation.
The main reason for applauding Le Pen's failure lies in her not being even remotely competent in addressing any of these problems. The last thing that France needs is an economic and otherwise political buffoon whose ideas of solving French ailments lies in keeping foreigners out and beyond that dabbling in protectionism of all other kinds.
Address own ailing economy with nationalism and we all know how that has worked in the past.
