France's Yellow Vests: Macron's Malaise
Can the French president contend with a transformative protest movement?
After weeks of protests and violence, France's President Emmanuel Macron has bowed to the yellow vests protestors. First he made an televised address to the nation in which he admitted he had made mistakes. Now he has issued a new budget with financial giveaways. It is not just that he has been spooked by weeks of demonstrations - not unknown in French life - but also that protestors have enjoyed high levels of public support. Their demands combine elements from the left and the right: calls for huge increases in government spending and in wages, coupled with the halving of taxes and tough restrictions on migration. But behind these demands, some people detect the grievances of France's left-behinds, either in small towns or in the countryside, and those at the wrong end of globalisation. Ruth Alexander and a panel of experts discuss Macron's options. Can his concessions satisfy the yellow vests, and if not, where does he go from here? The protestors want to have little to do with politicians but are they playing in to the hands of Marine Le Pen and the far right?
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Contributors
Alain Richard - Senator with President Macron's party, En Marche
David Guiraud - Spokesman for the left-wing populist party, France Insoumise
Bruno Cautres - Researcher at the academic institute, Sciences Po
Christine Ockrent - Journalist
Photo
Yellow vest protesters by Alain Pitton/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Broadcasts
- Fri 21 Dec 2018 09:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Sat 22 Dec 2018 00:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Sat 22 Dec 2018 04:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
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The Real Story
Global experts and decision makers discuss, debate and analyse a key news story.