Jonathan Miller Jonathan Miller

Is Emmanuel Macron’s EU project about to meet its Waterloo?

Emmanuel Macron, the once golden boy of European politics, could be about to suffer his first electoral humiliation. A black mood has settled over the president. Ministers have been ordered to campaign and tweet as if their jobs depend on it. Which they might. The president himself, dressed habitually like a funeral director, is on his normal hyper-manic schedule. But he fails to inspire and his electoral traction is barely visible.

The spectre haunting the Elysée is that in less than three weeks, Macron’s Napoleonic European project, the so-called EU Renaissance, intended to federalise diplomacy, fiscality and defence, will meet its Waterloo.

The president’s luck seems exhausted. Where once nothing could go wrong, now nothing goes right. He has no political instincts. His narcissism has become a gigantic turnoff. A majority of the French want nothing to do with his modernist ideas for rebuilding ravaged Notre-Dame (as a monument to himself?), but just want it restored. His Great Debate was a damp squib. And boring.

He was rebuked by Merkel over Brexit and then again over trade talks with the US. And now his EU list for the May 26 election is polling behind that of quintessential anti-European populist, Marine Le Pen. All the other parties are also rans. The Republicans (remnants of the mainstream French conservatives) are running third, at 13.5 per cent. The loony left, gilets jaunes micro-parties and traditional socialists all poll under ten per cent. After being written off following her defeat by Macron in the presidential election exactly two years ago, thanks to Macron, Le Pen looks to be on the verge of a storming comeback.

Macron became president under a two-tour voting system that could have been designed for him, pitting him directly against Le Pen in the decisive round.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in