{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/9a03fe9e-1ff0-4dcc-b3f6-50bd1f016ea4/d790250e-22ef-4d3a-a016-aadf538c6e9d?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Macron vs Everyone","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6195701f2eacc3a36070252a/619570bccb3c660012e3d05d.jpg?height=200","description":"<p>We talk to Shahin Vallee, former economics advisor to Emmanuel Macron, about the state of the Macron presidency: from the gilets jaunes to the pensions protests, from dealing with Merkel to facing off with Putin, and from now to the next presidential election in 2022.&nbsp;Did Macron save the centre of French politics or has he destroyed it?&nbsp;Can he really be sure he'll beat Le Pen next time?&nbsp;And what is his plan to rescue the West?&nbsp;Plus, we discuss what the Griveaux and Mila affairs tell us about the state of French politics.&nbsp;With Helen Thompson.</p><p><br></p><p>Talking Points:</p><p><br></p><p>How should we relate the gilets jaunes and the pensions protests?&nbsp;</p><ul><li>The pensions reform is a more traditional opposition to neoliberal reforms; the gilets jaunes is different and it includes a number of people who do not regularly express themselves politically.</li><li>The gilets jaunes crystallize a more profound opposition to the French political system.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Macron has centralized the French system to a remarkable extent.</p><ul><li>This is in part because of the collapse of the main parties.</li><li>But Macron’s majority is composed of people with a limited power base.&nbsp;</li><li>What you have is a presidential system with a weak cohort of parliamentarians.&nbsp;</li><li>Macron has also empowered the technocrats.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Macron’s claim to competence was that he was going to get reforms done.</p><ul><li>But the way he won power made it hard to achieve economic reform.</li><li>Macron forgot the importance of the unions in mediating public opinion.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Before Macron’s presidency, the hope was that France could get its house in order in exchange for favours from the EU.</p><ul><li>But there wasn’t much reason to believe that Europe would budge.</li><li>Macron lacks a theory of change for Europe.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Macron initially presented himself as above political divides, but that didn’t last too long.&nbsp;</p><ul><li>He chose a right-wing prime minister and then made domestic policy choices that signaled that he was on the right.</li><li>For example, he ended the State of Emergency law but then brought its provisions into standard legislation.</li><li>Macron destroyed the centre and divided and conquered the left, but he does have competition from the right.&nbsp;</li><li>In the next election, left wing voters might abstain rather than vote for Macron.&nbsp;</li><li>Macron presented himself as order versus chaos. The risk is that he now looks like the source of chaos.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Mentioned in this Episode:&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.euractiv.com/section/future-eu/news/in-munich-macron-presents-eu-reform-as-answer-to-weakening-west/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">More on Macron’s Munich speech</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Further Learning:&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_the_search_for_freedom_of_action_macrons_speech_on_nuclear_deter\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Commentary on Macron’s Munich speech from the European Council on Foreign Relations</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51502427\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Background on pension reform in France</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>And as ever, recommended reading curated by our friends at the LRB can be found here: </strong><a href=\"http://lrb.co.uk/talking\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>lrb.co.uk/talking</strong></a></p><p><br></p>","author_name":"David Runciman and Catherine Carr"}