Skip to main content

The Guardian view on Macron’s new prime minister: youthful optimism may not suffice | Editorial

Gabriel Attal, the youngest-ever occupant of the Matignon, has his work cut out to turn around the government’s fortunes ahead of June elections

Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint the youthful Gabriel Attal as France’s new prime minister represents a double first in the country’s history. At 34, Mr Attal will be the youngest politician ever to hold the office. Upliftingly, he will also be the first openly gay occupant of the Matignon. In his book, Revolution, written prior to his first presidential campaign, Mr Macron wrote: “What keeps France united is the acceptance of the diversity of origins and destinies and the refusal of fatalism.” As the final phase of the two‑term Macron presidency begins, Mr Attal is a choice designed to re-evoke the optimism and hopes for democratic renewal present at its outset.

More narrowly, Mr Macron’s move to replace Élisabeth Borne after only 20 months in office constitutes a political throw of the dice, ahead of European elections in June. These promise to be a torrid affair for the president’s centrist Renaissance (RE) party. Marine Le Pen’s radical right Rassemblement enjoys up to a 10-point lead in polls, and following the 2022 elections – at which RE lost its majority – has made hay in the national assembly. In stark contrast to his predecessor, the telegenic Mr Attal has won a deserved reputation as a skilled communicator and enjoys stellar personal poll ratings. Usefully, his age also puts him in the same generational cohort as Rassemblement’s 28-year-old president, Jordan Bardella.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VlQWxHt
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wandsworth escape accused says it was ‘foolish’ to jail him with his ‘skill set’

Daniel Khalife, 23, says he absconded because he was ‘terrified’ of being locked up with dangerous offenders A former British soldier has told a jury he did not hand himself in after he escaped from prison because he was “finally demonstrating what a foolish idea it was” to imprison someone with his “skill set”. Daniel Khalife, 23, told the court he absconded from Wandsworth prison while on remand because he was “terrified” of being locked up with “serious sex offenders” and “terrorists” who wanted to kill him, and that he did not think his imprisonment would be in the public interest. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vRZHkaw
Post a Comment
Read more

How Rico Lewis helped harden up Manchester City’s treble challenge | Jamie Jackson

Guardiola believes advent of the teenage talent sowed seeds of change that turned his side into champions again Mid-January, the Etihad Campus. Before Tottenham’s visit a discontented Pep Guardiola is addressing a Manchester City team meeting that includes Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Ederson. The champions are in second place, eight points behind Arsenal, each having played 18 games. Performances have dipped and so has the attitude of his players. The final match before the World Cup was a 2-1 home defeat by Brentford . Since the tournament, City have beaten Leeds and Chelsea, drawn with Everton and lost their previous outing , 2-1 at Manchester United. Seven points from 15 is not championship-defending form and, when being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Southampton is factored in, Guardiola can see City’s campaign derailing. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/h8WjbMX
Post a Comment
Read more

The Guardian view on the Conservative party today: still lost in denial and confusion | Editorial

Kemi Badenoch has her first chance to persuade the voters on 1 May, but she seems to be getting nowhere Labour is struggling in the polls . Its spring economic statement next week is likely to be grim. Meanwhile, the Conservatives have an ambitious new leader and the local elections are only six weeks away. The situation ought to be full of promise for Kemi Badenoch and her party. Instead, she is treating the May elections not as a promise but as a threat. Mrs Badenoch launched the Conservatives’ campaign in warm spring weather on Thursday. From her message, however, it sounded as if she is leading her party into an electoral blizzard. If you apply the 2024 general election result to the councils that are up for election on 1 May, she told supporters: “We lose almost every single one.” The contest, she repeated, would be “very difficult”. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to ...
Post a Comment
Read more