Some preliminary reflections on the French Election

I saw nothing during the election to convince me that Macron is more than the sum of his ambitions.  I hope that I’m wrong but I do not think that he will be a good president.

Nevertheless, it was an important victory. After Trump, Brexit and the advance of the extreme right in the Scandinavian countries, it was France which defeated the monsters and the trolls of the extreme-right, faced down Putin and Russia, and made a powerful statement against fascism. And the French knew the risks involved in electing Macron. The risks for their Social Security and their health insurance. The risks of galloping globalization.

The French can be proud and especially my tribe on the left can be proud. I saw the figures in Le Monde and Le Parisian yesterday morning. The entire left voted massively for Macron. Including the voters of the FdG, which means that those who insulted Mélenchon owe him an apology.

Unsurprisingly, the major desertions were the followers of the grifter, “Honest Fillion”.  According to my analyses, by electing Macron, the people of the left have probably sacrificed a big part of their financial well-being to stop fascism.  But will they be rewarded for their sacrifices?  Of course not!

Naturally, the rewards will go to the friends and associates of “Honest Fillion”. Art Goldhammer thinks Macron is going to choose his PM from the right and that Bruno Le Maire’s departure from the LR augurs an opening to Macron. He believes that this will somehow “split” the right.

I agree that Macron will go to the right in choosing his ministers. What I do not understand is how it is going to divide the right. It seems to me that giving them all ministries and “plum jobs” and patronage will enrich and strengthen the right.  Of course, such a betrayal of his former friends in the PS by Macron is to be expected.  It is only natural that having betrayed his friends in the PS, who overwhelmingly voted for him in the general election, the former socialist will choose Prime Minister from the LR because, naturally, a rat builds a party of rats.