The Guardian (June 24)
Emmanuel Macron “opted to call the French electorate’s bluff, calculating that the prospect of a radical-right prime minister in the Élysée would ‘clarify’ its thinking. A week away from the first round of a poll whose consequences will reverberate around Europe, this reckless gamble shows no sign at all of paying off.”
Tags: Consequences, Élysée, Europe, French electorate, Gamble, Macron, Poll, Prime minister, Radical right, Reckless, Reverberate
Guardian (September 21)
“Europe’s apparent rightwards drift is not a fait accompli. But there is a risk that, as mainstream parties accommodate more and more of the radical right’s agenda, it becomes one. Years of austerity, followed by the pandemic and the Ukraine-related cost of living crisis, have led to chronic economic insecurity for less well-off Europeans. That has created an opening for ugly political movements and populist leaders to exploit.”
Tags: Austerity, Cost of living, Crisis, Economic insecurity, Europe, Exploit, Mainstream, Pandemic, Populist, Radical right, Rightwards, Risk, Ugly, Ukraine
