Elections Sour
Elections Sour
This weekend, voters took a large sip of a bitter cocktail. This morning, Europe wakes up with a headache.
This weekend, voters took a large sip of a bitter cocktail.
This morning, Europe wakes up with a headache.
Before I start looking at the figures n details, before I analyse the results of the European elections ountry by country, assess the forces of the new European Parliament , before I look for interlocutors, I needed to share the thoughts I hd yertserday evening. I hope they can help you in your own analysis of the situation.
Brown France
Before we start with Europe, let’s look at my own coountry, France. This is the political map of France yersterday evening.
I don’t know if you are used to associate the far-right to brown, in your country, but that’s what is is. Every pixel that is not brown is a city or village that did not place the Rassemblement National first.
Now, add together the votes for both Rassemblement National and Reconquête, and you realise that the Le Pen family collected more than 36% (35 seats) of the sufferages.
That’s the painful realiseation I went home with, and the headache that woke with me this morning.
Don’t play with fire
At the annouce at the first results, Emmanuel Macron gave an address to the French people, where he announced the dissolution of the French lower chamber.
Unless there is a strong resurgence amoung liberals and traditional party voters, I highly doubt that we will have anything but a Rassemblement National government by the end of the summer.
I’d love to be wrong though.
But with snap elections taking place in the middle of the summer holidays and the evident tiredness of voters with Macron and traditional parties (the Greens barely passing the 5% mark to seat at the European Parliament, and the liberals and socialists gathering together less that the Rassemblement National, that’s a tough game Macron’s playing.
Look at the European Countries and French cities where the far-right won elections. The far-right is a cancer: once it take hold, it is almost impossible to uproot, at the very least extremely painful and costly.
To gove them the reign of a country such as France in the hope that they’ll crash and that we will all soon be back to business as usual is hopeful at best, short-sighted… not at worst.
The failure of liberal democracy
Because once the far-right wins, we enter the real of irrationality and arbitrary.
There’s no working with rules and laws and procedures. Populists take and naver give back. No matter their effectiveness, their failures or their disregard for human dignity. They will find new fears to exploit, new scapegoat to point at, and new ennemies to rally against.
I don’t want to explore the causes for such a French and European disaster. Let’s just look at ourselves for once.
These elections results are but an additional proof of the failure of liberal democracy. After WW2, and as we just celebrated the 80 years of D-Day, the new world order, and the unification of Europe was supposed to end war, biggotry, and hate as a political tool forever.
But what we see today is that the far-right creeped in, elections after elections, relegating us back to square one.
From there, two ways open in front of us. Either we let this trend continue and pursue towards another slow decrepitude of Europe, similar to what Stephan Sweig witnessed in its time, or we raise against it, and build the necessary conditions to save our democratic model.
I have some strengths left to do the latter, so that’s what I’ll do. What about you?
What about Europe
I haven’t yet looked at the European figures, and, if you let me, I’ll be going to work now, where I’ll start assessing the damages and plan for the coming five years.
Maybe you should prepare for another post later this week, when I could digest the figures.
By then, take care,
Alexandre
Thanks for reading!
I’m Alexandre Météreau, EU lobbyists and campaigner.
The Beubble is a side project where I share insights and practical advice on EU policymaking and influence.
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