Emmanuel Macron believes that the Paris Olympics have shown the world the ‘true face of France’. The Games were indeed a success, recovering from the disastrous first day, when saboteurs disabled the rail network and torrential rain turned the opening ceremony into a very damp squib.
Macron must have feared the worst but the weather improved and crowds flocked to the iconic Parisian venues to watch two weeks of glorious sport.
The tragedy for France is that Macron has empowered this rancorous left
‘We don’t want life to get back to normal,’ remarked Macron on Monday as he hosted an Olympic reception at the Elysée. He and millions of French might not, but there are many others desperate for life to return to its obstructive and obstreperous normal.
The French far-left left have not appreciated the past fortnight. Far too much flag-waving for their taste. A few of Jean-Luc Melenchon’s La France Insoumise (LFI) MPs did get excited by France’s success in the Games but most stayed silent or bridled at the patriotism.
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