Emmanuel Macron has just triumphed in France, with yesterday’s decision of the Constitutional Council which endorses almost all the pension reform. When Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne exclaims “this evening, there is neither winner nor loser”, she does not care about the mouths of the French.
Besides, no one is mistaken. Macron also triumphed in China, where newspapers are full of praise for his willingness not to blindly follow the United States. But the reaction among France’s allies is the opposite. The American leaders are furious, like the German leaders or those of the Baltic countries.
1. How does Macron see the problem of retirement?
Macron is a brilliant man. However, his skills and knowledge do not immunize him against a lack of judgment on crucial issues. The retirement problem in France is obvious to anyone looking at the numbers. It is untenable to finance 20 years of full retirement with 40 years of work, whereas in the past, 40 years of work financed 10 years of retirement. Adding two years of work rebalances the equation, but not enough.
Listen to the chronicle of Loïc Tassé, specialist in international politics at the microphone of Benoit Dutrizac on QUB radio :
2. Where is the problem with Macron and pensions?
The problem is in the way. Instead of taking his time to properly explain the problem, to show that the positions of the Mélenchons and other protocommunists of this world are untenable, Macron has locked himself in his arrogance. He managed to alienate 70% of the French. As a bonus, it gave Marine Le Pen a big boost for the upcoming elections. Macron is basically right, but his way of governing is expeditious and authoritarian.
3. Where else is Macron wrong?
Macron’s latest blunder involves China. Macron has embraced the rhetoric of Chinese leaders. On his return from Beijing, by declaring that he refused to “follow” the United States, Macron in fact signaled that he was dissociating himself from the United States and its coalition behind Taiwan or behind Ukraine. Macron has tried to multiply the clarifications, the leaders in Taipei expressed their dismay, while those in Beijing exclaimed with joy. Moreover, for days Chinese newspapers have been full of praise for Macron and they are encouraging Europe to define a position different from that of the United States.
Listen to the chronicle of Loïc Tassé, specialist in international politics at the microphone of Benoit Dutrizac on QUB radio :
4. Why are Chinese leaders happy?
The joy of Chinese leaders is understandable. It confirms what they have been thinking for years. For them, in a world where the relative power of the United States is decreasing every year, it is normal for tensions to arise between Americans and their main allies. As China seeks to replace the United States as the dominant power, anything that can weaken American alliances should be encouraged. Hence the sustained Chinese applause for Macron. Macron does not understand that democracies should not have strong ties with totalitarian countries.
5. Why does Macron ignore the nature of political regimes?
Macron worked for four years at the Rothschild Bank, from which he emerged with the conviction that the logic of money is stronger than the rest, which led him to favor economic relations in foreign policy, or accounting in the face of retirement issues. But behind the money, there are human interests. This lack of consideration for factors other than financial is losing him.
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