Emmanuel Macron is testing the patience of the French with the ills of centrism
Violent protests are being carried out in Paris as we speak. The “gilets jaunes” (yellow vests) movement is allowing the French worker to rise up against Macron’s political positions. Macron’s approval ratings are in terminal decline only eighteen months into his presidency. His opposition in last years election, the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, now has more support. With far-right sentiment permeating across the globe, Macron’s plan to appease the political spectrum is an experiment that has previously been proven to fail.
Lest we forget the sheer unpopularity of centrist figures that were once acclaimed. Two of them, Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair, hosted a panel of centrists recently to analyse their demise in the political sphere. Former British prime minister, Blair, has never held full responsibility for his foreign policy blunders and contribution to the global recession. Meanwhile, Trump’s 2016 opponent, Clinton, has solely blamed foreign adversaries and the alt-right campaign for her defeat. Whilst Macron’s popularity suffers, their last-ditch effort to boost centrist ideals seems futile.
Although many believed centrism had become extinct pre-2010, Macron hoped he could muster support amid a torrid and polarising political climate. I am a not a proponent of centrism, nor do I believe Macron’s ideology, but I certainly prayed for his win over illiberal Le Pen. The problem with Macron centrism, like his predecessors, is that anything he attempts to push through parliament in a quest to appeal to all will only end up denigrating one side by uplifting the other.
His proposal to overhaul trade unions saw widespread protests across France; from student groups to railway workers. The May Day protests were a sign of dissonance amongst the French people. Whilst Macron enjoyed luxury and complimentary trips to allied nations, the French under class were apoplectic at radical changes being made to their workplace protection. Not only that, Macron has criticised higher taxation on the upper classes and believes raising taxes is not beneficial to reshaping the economy. What then followed is his decision to implement fuel tax to the working-class French, who are already infuriated with his policies. The price of diesel has increased by 16% since 2018, now similar to the price of petrol. His extension of former president Francois Hollande’s tax spike on the many has meant Macron has failed to grasp the mood of the French people.
The working-class French population are being further disenfranchised amidst a centrist bid to bring them on the governments side. The Benalla affair, a scandal which saw a Macron bodyguard assault a protester earlier this year, caused excessive damage to Macron’s image. Furthermore, his continued donations from lobbyist groups and sympathetic tone to conservative world leaders has riled up the French electorate. Macron has become a pro-business Europhile when Euroscepticism is at an all time high. He socialises with a barbarous American president with rogue tendencies. His unrealistic ambition to be the president for all society has seen the working-class further marginalised.
In Paris right now, 500 people have bee arrested whilst 130 are injured in protests that are becoming increasingly violent. Macron is busy attending the G20 summit in Buenos Aires whilst his electorate seethe in a state of emergency back home. Macron has called a meeting once he returns in an attempt to bring a calming influence to a political battle.
Macron must look at his centrist pioneers to understand the anger in his country. Centrism may seem dandy and a change to the political norm. But what it brings is lack of trust in government and a working-class desperate for change. What happens to Macron’s France is unknown, but his journey to overcome this looks seemingly difficult.
