If elections were decided on voter enthusiasm rather than on plain numbers, Marine Le Pen would win this weekend’s battle for the French presidency. But it seems likely that Emmanuel Macron’s more numerous but less passionate supporters will prevail — more for dislike of her than admiration of him. It is when he ends up in the Elysée that his problems will start. Can a president without a party command support in the National Assembly? Who will he appoint to his government? How quickly might it unravel? Domestic woes will likely consume Macron, with foreign policy a luxury he might not be able to afford.
Reports of his hostility to Brexit are exaggerated: his adviser Jean Pisani-Ferry wrote a paper highlighting the folly of being beastly to the British. This is the logical position — a free-trade deal with the UK is in line with French national and economic interest. But if the EU were governed by logic, it would not be in the mess it is today and the British public would probably not have voted to leave.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in