While Friday may mean the end of the working week for most of us, for many in France, it means the start of a long weekend out in the streets clad in a gilet jaune. As Emmanuel Macron pushes for a tough stance against the UK in Brexit negotiations in Brussels, domestic problems continue to mount unabated.
Jonathan Miller writes in this week’s cover piece that, despite initial optimism about the golden boy of global liberalism, Macron’s only major achievement so far has been to unite his country in opposition to him. He is joined on the podcast by Sophie Pedder, Paris Bureau Chief for the Economist, and author of Revolution Française, a biography of Macron. They discuss political polarisation in France, the impact of labour reforms, and whether or not Macron is really listening to the French public.
Also, Melissa Kite wants to know: why can’t our politicians get a grip? You can’t open a paper or turn on the radio these days without hearing one of our elected representatives telling us how hard it is to do their job.
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