France
Can anyone stop Emmanuel Macron?
If they weren’t insufficiently weary of politicians, the French will be invited to vote all over again for the Assemblée…
The call of opium-based analgesics and introspection
On the morning of my last day in England, I drew back a curtain and there in the garden, browsing…
Can Mélenchon unite the French left?
Can Mélenchon unite the French left?
Portrait of the week: Twitter takeover, late nights for pubs and a row over leg-crossing
Home Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said Britain assessed that 15,000 Russians had been killed in the war against Ukraine…
The relentless march of Europe’s zombie centrists
Journalists rarely had it so easy as when it came to writing up the final result of the French presidential…
France is eternally divided
A lot happened in France last night. After a lacklustre performance, long disillusioned supporters were unable to summon any enthusiasm…
Where does Macron go from here?
The French do not want Emmanuel Macron’s party to win in the National Assembly, at least according to polls taken at…
Forget Le Pen 2027
If Emmanuel Macron has any sense he will be back in the office this morning. Sunday night’s celebratory shindig was…
Apres Macron, the radical left?
Bof! That useful French word – an older and slightly less irritating version of the American-English ‘meh’ – is how…
The French have voted for the lesser of two evils
Few scenes of jubilation as Emmanuel Macron was re-elected President. French voters held their noses and voted without evident enthusiasm…
Is this the end of Marine Le Pen?
Today’s election in France is likely to be a joyless, miserable affair for the electors who will dutifully turn out.…
Will Russia sink Le Pen?
Paris, France Marine Le Pen has changed her image. Five years ago, the veteran far-right leader lost her second bid…
Narcissist vs fantasist: France’s gruesome choice
France faces a gruesome choice
Macron vs Le Pen debate: le verdict
Who won Wednesday night’s debate between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen depends on who is doing the scoring. In…
Le Pen drives Paris mad. That’s why her voters love her
When asked to define Marine Le Pen in a single word, a majority of French people came up with ‘cats’…
How much did Emily Maitlis cost licence fee payers?
Off duty How many non-doms are there in the UK? – In the year ending 2020, 75,700 people filled in…
The French election should be a warning for Boris
In just over a week’s time, Emmanuel Macron will most likely win a second term. He has the opponent he…
The real danger Marine Le Pen poses to the EU
As the French Presidentielle hots up for the final vote on Sunday week, both Macron and Le Pen are fighting…
The French elite are playing into Le Pen’s hands
The cry of ‘aux barricades’ is reverberating around France as the country’s political elite rush to form a Republican Front.…
Even if he wins Macron could be facing disaster
Unaccustomed as political scientists are to florid language, they have nevertheless come up with the ‘theory of the dyke’, to…
French election: The country is divided
So it’s Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen once again, and for many millions of French that is a deeply…
Like him or loathe him, Macron is Europe's driving force
If you want to know why Marine Le Pen almost certainly won’t win the French presidency on 24 April, listen…
The mysteries and rituals of French democracy
Montpellier I have never voted in an election for president of France, not being French. But as a councillor in…
The strange revival of France’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Mélenchon is on the march once more, rising up the polls and laying bare the ineptitude of the Socialist…
Progressives vs populists: Macron, Orban and Europe’s faultline
It’s the progressives vs the populists, Macron vs Orban
