France's
Meltdown, Macron's Disdain, by Guy Milliere, 12/1/18.
"The French say, 'Mr. President, we
cannot make ends meet,' and the President replies, 'we shall create a High
Council [for the climate]'. Can you imagine the disconnect?" -- Laurence
Saillet, spokesman for the center-right party, The Republicans, November 27,
2018
The "yellow jackets"
[protestors] now have the support of 77% of the French population. They are
demanding Macron's resignation and an immediate change of government.
The movement is now a revolt of millions
of people who feel asphyxiated by "confiscatory" taxation, and who do
not want to "pay indefinitely" for a government that seems
"unable to limit spending". -- Jean-Yves Camus, political scientist.
European elections are to be held this
Spring, 2019. Polls show that the National Gathering will be in the lead, far
ahead of La République En Marche! [The Republic on the Move!], the party
created by Macron.
On
November 11th, French President Emmanuel Macron commemorated the
100th anniversary of the end of World War I by inviting seventy heads of state to organize
a costly, useless, grandiloquent "Forum of Peace" that did not lead to anything. He
also invited US President Donald Trump, and then chose to insult him. In a
pompous speech, Macron -- knowing that a few days earlier, Donald Trump had
defined himself as a nationalist committed to defending America
-- invoked "patriotism"; then
defined it, strangely, as "the exact opposite of nationalism"; then
called it "treason".
In
addition, shortly before the meeting, Macron had not only spoken of the
"urgency" of building a European army; he also placed the United States among
the "enemies" of Europe. This was not the first
time Macron placed Europe above the interests of his own country. It was,
however, the first time he had placed the United States on the list of enemies
of Europe.
President
Trump apparently understood immediately that Macron's attitude was a way to
maintain his delusions of grandeur, as well as to try to derive a domestic
political advantage. Trump also apparently understood that he could not just
sit there and accept insults.
In
a series of tweets, Trump reminded the world that France
had needed the help of the USA to regain freedom during World Wars, that NATO
was still protecting a virtually defenseless Europe and that many European
countries were still not paying the amount promised for their own defense.
Trump added that Macron had an extremely low
approval rating (26%), was facing an extremely high level of unemployment, and
was probably trying to divert attention from that.
Trump
was right. For months, the popularity of Macron has been in free fall: he is
now the most unpopular French President in modern history
at this stage of his mandate. The
French
population has turned away from him in droves.
Unemployment
in France is not only at an alarmingly high level (9.1%); it has been alarmingly
high for years. The number of people in poverty is also high (8.8 million people,
14.2% of the population). Economic growth is effectively non-existent (0.4%
in the third quarter of 2018, up from 0.2% the previous three months).
The median income (20,520 euros, or $23,000, a
year,) is unsustainably low. It indicates that half the French live on less
than 1710 euros ($1946) a month. Five million people are surviving on less than 855 euros ($ 973) a
month.
When
Macron was elected in May 2017, he promised to liberate the economy; however no
significant measures, were taken. In spite of some cosmetic reforms– such as limits on allowances for
unfair dismissal or the slightly increased possibility that small businesses
could negotiate short work contracts -- the French labor code, still one of the
most rigid in the developed world, expertly
blocks job creation. The tax burden (more than 45% of GDP) is the highest in the developed
world. Even if some taxes were abolished since Macron became President,
many new taxes were created. Public expenditure
still accounts for about 57% of GDP (16% above the OECD
countries average) and shows no signs of waning.
Macron
also promised, when he was elected, to restore security. Lack of security, however, has been exploding; the
number of violent assaults and rapes has been steadily on the rise. No-go zones are as widespread as a year ago
and fiercely out of control. The influx of un-vetted illegal immigrants into
the country has sadly turned entire neighborhoods into slums.
In
May, Macron warned that in many suburbs, France has
"lost the fight against drug
trafficking".
When
Minister of the Interior Gérard Collomb resigned in on October 3, he spoke of a "very degraded
situation" and added that in many areas "the law
of the strongest -- drug-traffickers and radical Islamists -- has taken the
place of the Republic." He was simply confirming the chilling assessments
of "out of favor" commentators such as Éric Zemmour, author of Le Suicide Français, and Georges Bensoussan, author of Une France Soumise (A
Submissive France).
Riots are frequent; they indicate the
growing inability of the government to maintain order. Public transport
strikes, which took place during the entire spring of 2018, were accompanied by
demonstrations and an enthusiastic looting of banks and shops. France's
victory at the soccer World Cup in July was followed by jubilation, which quickly gave
way to violence by groups who broke store windows
and attacked the police.
Since
entering political life, Macron's remarks have not only revealed a contempt for
the French population, but also have multiplied. That has not helped.
As
early as 2014, when Macron was Minister of the Economy, he said that the women
employees of a bankrupt company were "illiterates";
in
June 2017, just after becoming president, he distinguished between "those who succeed
and those who are nothing". More recently, he told a young man who spoke of his distress
at trying to find a job that he only had to move and "cross the
street". During a visit to Denmark, he announced that the French were "Gauls
resistant to change".
In
May, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that in many suburbs, France has
“lost the fight against drug trafficking.
One
of the few issues Macron did seem eager to work on was Islam. He stressed
several times his determination to establish an "Islam of France". What he failed to take into
account were the concerns of the rest of the population about the rapid
Islamization the country.
In
June 20, 2017, he said (not quite accurately, for
example here, here, here, here, here and here), "No one can make believe that
(Muslim) faith is not compatible with the Republic".
He
also seems to have failed to take into account the risks of Islamic terrorism,
which he hardly ever calls by its name. He seems to prefer using the word
"terrorism", without an adjective, and
simply acknowledges that "there is a radical
reading of Islam, whose principles do not respect religious slogans".
The
current Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner, whom Macron appointed
to replace Collomb, dismissed the concerns
raised by his predecessor, and described Islam as "a religion of
happiness and love, like the Catholic religion".
Another
area in which Macron has acted relentlessly is the "fight about climate
change", in which his targeted enemy are cars.
On
vehicles over four years old, mandatory technical controls were made more costly and failure
to comply with them more punitive, evidently in the hope that an increasing
number of older cars could be eliminated. Speed limits on most roads were lowered to 80
km/h (50 mph), speed control radars multiplied, and tens of thousands
of drivers' licenses were suspended. Gas taxes rose sharply (30 cents a gallon in
one year). A gallon of unleaded gas in France now costs more than $7.
The
small minority of French people who still support Macron are not affected by these
measures. Surveys show that they belong to the wealthy
layers of society, that they live in affluent neighborhoods, and almost never
use personal vehicles. The situation is painfully different for most other individuals,
especially the forgotten middle class.
A
recent decision to increase gas taxes was the
final straw. It sparked instant anger. A petition demanding that the government roll
back the tax increase received almost a million signatures in two days. On
social networks, people discussed organizing demonstrations throughout the
country and suggested that the demonstrators wear the yellow safety jackets that
drivers are obliged to store in their cars in case of roadside breakdowns. So,
on November 17, hundreds of thousands of protesters
blocked large parts of the country.
The
government ignored the protesters' demands. Instead, officials repeated the
many unproven imperatives of "climate
change" and the need to eliminate the use of "fossil
fuels" – but refused to change course.
After
that, another national protest day was selected. On November 24, the demonstrators organized a march on
Paris. Many, it seems, decided, despite a government ban, to head for the Champs Elysées and continue toward the
presidential Elysée Palace.
Clashes took place, barricades were erected and vehicles were
torched. The police responded harshly.
They attacked non-violent protesters and used thousands of tear gas grenades and
water cannons, which they had never done in the past. Although many of the
protestors were holding red flags, indicating they were from the political left,
the newly appointed Minister of the Interior
Castaner said that the violence had come from a
fractious and seditious "far right". One member of the government
fueled the fire by equating the French "yellow
vests" with the German "brown shirts" of the 1930s. Macron
declared that those who try to "intimidate officials" should be
"ashamed".
Finally,
on November 25, Macron ended up recognizing, with visible reluctance, the suffering
of the "working classes". Two days later, Macron delivered a solemn
speech, announcing that he would create a "high council for the
climate", composed of ecologists and professional politicians, and that
his aim was to save the planet and avoid "the end of
the world". He still did not utter a single word about the economic
grievances that had poured forth during the previous ten days.
The
spokesman for the center-right party, The Republicans, Laurence Saillet, remarked, "The French say, 'Mr. President,
we cannot make ends meet,' and the President replies, 'we shall create a High
Council [for the climate]' Can you imagine the disconnect?".
Marine
Le Pen, president of the right-of-center National Rally (the former National
Front party, and today the main opposition party in France), said, "There is a tiny caste that works
for itself and there is the vast majority of French people who are abandoned by
the government, and feel downgraded, dispossessed ".
The
"yellow jackets" now have the support of 84% of the French population.
They are demanding Macron's resignation and an immediate change of
government. Those who speak on radio and television say that Macron and the government are
hopelessly blind and deaf.
At
the moment, the "yellow jackets" have decided to organize a third
national protest today, Saturday, December 1st with another march to Paris and the
Elysée Palace. The revolt in the country is intensifying and shows no sign of
slowing down.
The
political scientist Jean-Yves Camus said that the "yellow
jackets" movement is now a revolt of millions of people who feel
asphyxiated by "confiscatory" taxation and who do not want to
"pay indefinitely" for a government that seems "unable to limit
spending". He added, "Some do not measure the extent
of the rejection that the demonstrators express".
Dominique
Reynié, professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, said that "Macron and the
government had not expected that their tax policy would lead to this".
European
elections are to be held this May, 2019.
Polls show that Le Pen's National Rally
party will be in the lead, far ahead of the party created by Macron, La
République En Marche! [The Republic on the Move!].
In
a little more than a year, Macron, elected in May 2017, has lost almost all
credit and legitimacy. He is also one of the last European leaders in power
who supports the European Union as it is.
Macron,
who claimed that he would defeat the
"populist" wave rising throughout the continent, has also claimed
that leaders who listened to people eager to defend their way of life were
"leprosy" and "bad winds". The "populist"
wave is now
hitting France; it could well mean the end of Macron's term as president.
Dr. Guy Millière, a professor at the University of
Paris, is the author of 27 books on France and Europe.
© 2018 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part
of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or
modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Related Topics: France - Recent Articles by Guy Millière
§ The New Jihad: More
Threatening Than Ever,
2018-11-01
§ Is Criticizing
Terrorism "Mental Illness"?, 2018-10-04
§ The Grim Cost of the
"Oslo War",
2018-09-14
§ France: The Rise and
Fall of Emmanuel Macron, 2018-08-16
§ France: A Second Jihad
in the Bataclan?,
2018-07-15
Comments
Macron was a Banker
and sided with the predators. the elitists and the globalists. He follows the UN and EU playbook of living
in a bubble bereft of any economic common sense. He is stuck on the myths
perpetrated by the UN Agenda 21 Scam and the Climate Hoax.
Hopefully Le Pen’s
National Rally Party will merge with the “yellow jackets” and prevail in the
next elections. France could become the next EU casualty due to EU overreach,
over taxation, over regulation and all the other nonsense promoted by the UN
and EU. France must end their Muslim
invasion and reverse the trend by deporting entire families of troublemakers
and Welfare Migrants. They must push private sector expansion and shrink
government employment by privatizing public transit, deregulating and shrinking
the bureaucracy.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA
Tea Party Leader
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