Zut alors! It’s all kicking off in France where the nation this weekend went to the polls for the second round of voting to the National Assembly. Elections are a tricky business at the best of times, let alone in modern France – a nation of 246 varieties of cheese, as De Gaulle despaired. But, not to worry: cometh the hour, cometh the podcasters.
On Sunday the exit poll dropped, showing that Marine Le Pen’s party were predicted to come third behind the New Popular Front (NFP), a left-wing alliance, with Emmanuel Macron’s centrists in second place. Among those quick out of the gates with their searing hot takes was Denis MacShane, the disgraced former Europe minister. He wrote on Twitter/X:
Macron’s gamble appears to have paid off. French citizens have turned out massively and inflicted major defeat on Marine Le Pen which BBC and British commentariat kept saying was coasting to big win. Au contraire the French have said loud and clear “No Pasaran!
Emily Maitlis of News Agents fame swiftly weighed in too. ‘RN – the party of Marine Le Pen – comes third,’ she declared. ‘An absolute huge shock – and delight for Macron. Who can argue his gamble paid off. Gabriel Attal most likely stays as PM.’
You can guess what happened next. Less than 75 minutes later and, er, Attal had offered his resignation as Prime Minister. Whoops! Moreover, rather than validate Macron’s ‘gamble’, the result has actually empowered the far left which the French President had once so successfully marginalised. Good luck forming that new government Emmanuel…
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