#luc barnier

[genevieveetguy]

Six Days, Six Nights (À la folie), Diane Kurys (1994)

[parisphore]

Macron & Barnier sous le feu : 160 000 manifestants crient "Destitution" à Paris !

La nomination de Michel Barnier à Matignon n’a pas tardé à embraser la scène politique française. Ce 7 septembre 2024, des milliers de manifestants se sont rassemblés dans les rues de Paris, criant leur opposition à ce qu’ils qualifient de “coup de force” orchestré par Emmanuel Macron. Les slogans résonnaient dans la capitale : “Destitution !”, “Où est mon vote ?”, et “Déni de démocratie”.…

[zvaigzdelasas]

French President Emmanuel Macron has named Michel Barnier as prime minister almost two months after France's snap elections ended in political deadlock.[...]

A veteran of the right-wing Republicans (LR) party, he has had a long political career and filled various senior posts, both in France and within the EU.[...]

It has taken President Macron 60 days to make up his mind on choosing a prime minister, having called a "political truce" during the Paris Olympics

But Mr Barnier will need all his political skills to navigate the coming weeks, with the centre-left Socialists already planning to challenge his appointment with a vote of confidence.[...]

His nomination has already caused discontent within the New Popular Front (NFP), whose own candidate for prime minister was rejected by the president.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the radical France Unbowed (LFI) - the biggest of the four parties that make up the NFP - said the election had been "stolen from the French people".

Instead of coming from the the alliance that came first on 7 July, he complained that the prime minister would be "a member of a party that came last", referring to the Republicans.

"This is now essentially a Macron-Le Pen government," said Mr Mélenchon, referring to the leader of the far-right National Rally (RN).

He then called for people to join a left-wing protest against Mr Macron's decision planned for Saturday.

To survive a vote of confidence, Mr Barnier will need to persuade 289 MPs in the 577-seat National Assembly to back his government.

Marine Le Pen has made clear her party will not take part in his administration, but she said he at least appeared to meet National Rally's initial requirement, as someone who "respected different political forces".[...]

A recent opinion poll suggested that 51% of French voters thought the president should resign.

5 Sep 24

[plethoraworldatlas]

In cities and towns across France on Saturday, more than 100,000 people answered the call from the left-wing political party La France Insoumise for mass protests against President Emmanuel Macron's selection of a right-wing prime minister.

The demonstrations came two months after the left coalition won more seats than Macron's centrist coalition or the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) in the National Assembly and two days after the president announced that Michel Barnier, the right-wing former Brexit negotiator for the European Union, would lead the government.

The selection was made after negotiations between Macron and RN leader Marine Le Pen, leading protesters on Saturday to accuse the president of a "denial of democracy."

"Expressing one's vote will be useless as long as Macron is in power," a protester named Manon Bonijol toldAl Jazeera.

A poll released on Friday by Elabe showed that 74% of French people believed Macron had disregarded the results of July's snap parliamentary elections, and 55% said the election had been "stolen."

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), or France Unbowed, also accused Macron of "stealing the election" in a speech at the demonstration in Paris on Saturday.

"Democracy is not just the art of accepting you have won but the humility to accept you have lost," Mélenchon told protesters. "I call you for what will be a long battle."

He added that "the French people are in rebellion. They have entered into revolution."

Macron's centrist coalition won about 160 assembly seats out of 577 in July, compared to the left coalition's 180. The RN won about 140.

Barnier's Les Républicains (LR) party won fewer than 50 parliamentary seats. French presidents have generally named prime ministers, who oversee domestic policy, from the party with the most seats in the National Assembly.

Barnier signaled on Friday that he would largely defend Macron's pro-business policies and could unveil stricter anti-immigration reforms. Macron has enraged French workers and the left with policies including a retirement age hike last year.

[head-post]

Macron urges to “rethink” ties with Russia, new government under pressure

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that it would be crucial to reassess Europe’s relationship with Russia after the war in Ukraine, while the French government faces pressure from the opposition.

Macron made the comments during a peaceful gathering hosted by the Community of Sant’Egidio in Paris on Sunday.

We will have to think about a new form of organisation of Europe and rethink our relations with Russia after the war in Ukraine. This is undoubtedly the greatest challenge of our time, because our current order is incomplete and unjust. It is incomplete because it was conceived at the end of World War II, and therefore did not have in its heart the problems that later emerged and became dominant.

He also noted that “most countries on this planet and many of the most populous countries did not exist when the seats were allocated”. He therefore called for a rethinking of the world order.

Meanwhile, the new government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier is facing pressure from opposition politicians on both sides of the political spectrum amid growing threats of a vote of no confidence in parliament. Barnier is due to present a budget plan for 2025 that takes into account what he called the country’s “very serious” financial situation.

The long wait for a functioning government ended late Saturday night, 11 weeks after Macron called an early general election. Left-wing opposition politicians have already said they will challenge Barnier’s government with a vote of no confidence, with national-oriented politicians also criticising its composition.

Macron argued that the left could not muster enough support to form a government that would not be immediately overthrown by parliament, and rejected the National Rally candidate due to the party’s alleged extremist heritage. Instead, he turned to Barnier to lead the government, relying mainly on parliamentary support from allies.

Shaky government

Negotiations over the allocation of 39 cabinet posts continued until the official announcement on Saturday, insiders said, with moments of sharp tension between the president and his prime minister.

Leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon called the new line-up “a government of the general election losers.” France, he said, should “get rid” of the government “as soon as possible.” On Monday, he responded to accusations against him on X:

On Tuesday, September 24, I have to go and respond to a complaint for insult filed by a Macron minister about my reaction to a banned conference in Lille. On Friday, a Marseille lawyer proclaims herself a “Zionist” and threatens to kill two MPs on a restaurant terrace by exploding their cell phones! Which prosecutor will react? Yet how many people like Rima Hassan and Mathilde Panot have been summoned by the courts for “apology for terrorism”? Is there a difference? Of course. None of them have threatened to kill anyone. So? And the Marseille bar? Silence. Surprising, isn’t it?

Thousands of people took to the streets of Paris and other French cities on Saturday in a left-wing protest to denounce what they called the results of July’s election. Socialist Party chairman Olivier Faure called Barnier’s cabinet “a reactionary government that gives democracy the finger.”

Although Macron’s Renaissance party had to abandon some key positions, it still won a majority of 12 ministerial posts out of 39. However, former French President Francois Hollande called the cabinet “the same as before, but with an even stronger presence of the right.”

A vote of no confidence requires an absolute majority in parliament, which would then force the government to resign immediately. However, this is currently an unlikely scenario, as the right and the left, sworn enemies, would have to vote unanimously.

Read more HERE

[mariacallous]

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party has won the country’s recent parliamentary elections, reigniting debates about the rise of right-wing populists across Europe. However, survey data and election results from various continental European countries show that left-wing radicals are also experiencing a significant surge. These data suggest that Europe is not merely shifting to the right, but undergoing a broader political polarization. The driving force behind this trend seems to be socio-economic issues, including a wave of inflation that has hit the middle class hard.

Austria's search for stability

The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) won the country’s recent parliamentary elections, as was expected, securing 29.2% of the vote, according to preliminary data from the Austrian Ministry of the Interior. The party, which has made immigration its central campaign theme, is still waiting for the final count, as many Austrians vote by mail. This process has sparked controversy in the past, as late-arriving ballots have sometimes significantly altered election results — often to the detriment of the far-right. However, this time, the Freedom Party’s lead over the ruling center-right People’s Party (26.5%) is more than 2.5%, a margin that the remaining votes are unlikely to close.

Despite this clear victory, the Freedom Party has little chance of forming a government. All other parties, including the People’s Party — despite its previous coalition with the FPÖ — are currently refusing to cooperate with the winner. Additionally, President Alexander Van der Bellen, who has Russian roots, has made it clear that he will not nominate the FPÖ’s leader, Herbert Kickl, a pro-Russian hardliner, for the position of prime minister. It is more likely that a coalition of centrist parties, both left- and right-leaning, will take power, leaving the Freedom Party in the opposition — this despite a clear anti-immigration sentiment among Austrian voters.

At the same time, a new trend is emerging in Austria: rising demand for radical left-wing politics. For the first time in decades, the long-forgotten local Communist Party came close to passing the parliamentary threshold. It has focused on addressing real social issues, such as housing policy, and it is gaining traction in urban areas. In 2023, the party performed well in regional elections in Salzburg, achieved solid results in Vienna, and since 2021, the mayor of Graz has been a member of the Communist Party. This suggests that the Communists could strengthen their position even further in time for the next elections, especially if they start appealing to current far-right voters, as is happening in France and Germany.

France riding a left-wing wave

The approval rating of French President Emmanuel Macron has recently dropped to its lowest level of his seven years in office. According to a poll by Odoxa, only 25% of the French public are satisfied with his performance. Moreover, 59% believe that Macron’s newly appointed prime minister, Michel Barnier, will be a “poor” head of government.

In Austria, mainstream politicians are struggling to keep the far-right out of power. But in France, following the snap elections in June, Macron found himself up against the far-left. The New Popular Front, a coalition of diverse parties that includes the Socialists, took first place. Leading the coalition and securing the majority of the left-wing seats in parliament was Jean-Luc Mélenchon and his far-left party, La France Insoumise (“Unsubmissive France”).

Although Macron’s political maneuvering has thus far succeeded in keeping Mélenchon and his allies out of government, the French left is gaining momentum by focusing on social issues such as utility prices, pensions, food costs, and education. They are steadily reclaiming voters who had previously shifted to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally.

Not long ago, the biggest concern for centrists in France was the potential victory of the far-right’s young new leader Jordan Bardella in the 2027 presidential elections. Now, however, the question of the day is which radical left-wing candidate will make a serious run for the presidency. Mélenchon performed quite well in the last presidential race, but it is likely that this time the candidate will be younger — and possibly even more radical.

German Greens losing ground to left-wing radicals

The political landscape in Germany and the Czech Republic also indicates a shift to the left. Almost simultaneously, the leaders of Germany’s Green Party and the Czech Pirate Party announced their resignations. In Germany, the Greens’ official reason for stepping down was their crushing defeat in the Sept. 22 regional elections in Brandenburg, where they secured only 4.1% of the vote, failing to enter the regional parliament (Landtag).

In reality, however, change at the top is likely due to the fact that the rating of the Alliance 90/The Greens, a la Macron's situation in France, has dropped to its lowest level in seven years, and is currently hovering around 9.5% nationwide. This puts them behind the newly established left-wing and pro-Russian Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, which was formed just this year. In Brandenburg, Wagenknecht's party managed to capture 13.5% of the vote.

A similar scenario played out in the Czech Republic in the latter half of 2024. Following disappointing results in regional elections and senatorial by-elections, the Pirate Party's leadership stepped down. The Pirates, much like Germany’s Greens, had positioned themselves as champions of progressive environmental policies, marriage equality, LGBTQ rights, and stricter penalties for domestic violence.

At the same time, the popularity of local communists and their allies surged following the European Parliament elections. They have coalesced into the Stačilo bloc, led by the Czech equivalent of Wagenknecht — Kateřina Konečná. Like her German counterpart and Mélenchon, the Czech communist opposes active military support for Ukraine and favors a potential normalization of relations with Russia. However, her campaign remains focused on social issues, such as high levels of household debt and problems with utility bills, access to housing, and pensions.

Radicalization fueled by inflation

In both the Czech Republic and Germany, the next parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2025 — unless the current governing coalitions collapse before then, triggering snap elections. The newly emerging left-wing movements, which combine anti-immigration rhetoric with pro-Russian sentiments, appear to have a strong chance of success. It seems that radical leftists, who had largely vanished from the political landscape over the past two decades, are making a comeback in many European countries.

However, their platforms have shifted significantly, and in some cases, their stance on immigration sounds almost identical to that of the far-right. Support for such parties is growing among the European lower-middle class, which has been hit hard by economic and social upheavals over the past five years. Key factors include a sharp rise in utility costs following the breakdown of energy ties with Russia, record-high inflation for the EU, and increasing food prices. These issues were aggravated by the policies put in place in many EU countries to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, by global food price spikes caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, by the recent conflict in the Middle East, and by ongoing climate disruptions.

In Germany, the number of family-owned businesses is noticeably shrinking, and bankruptcies are rising. In the Czech Republic, a similar pattern is emerging, with more bankruptcies being declared and fewer small businesses opening up. Politicians have been quick to exploit these vulnerabilities. As a result, by the 2025–2027 election cycle, the narrative may shift away from fears of a right-wing bump to a growing concern over a left-wing resurgence. This new leftward shift could prove more stable and enduring than the rightward shift did, as its root causes are unlikely to be resolved quickly — if EU countries can even address them at all in the foreseeable future.

[byneddiedingo]

Dalida in The Sixth Day (Youssef Chahine, 1986)

Cast: Dalida, Mohsen Mohieddin, Shouweikar, Hamdy Ahmed, Sanaa Younes, Salah El-Saadany, Mohamed Mounir, Youssef Chahine, Abla Kamel, Hasan El-Adl, Maher Esam. Screenplay: Youssef Chahine, Hasan Al Geretly, based on a novel by Andrée Chedid. Cinematography: Mohsen Nasr. Production design: Tarek Salaheddine. Film editing: Luc Barnier. Music: Omar Khairat. 

The French-Italian pop star Dalida, who was born in Egypt, plays Saddika, a middle-aged woman living in a village during the cholera epidemic of 1947. She takes in washing to support her second husband, who is disabled, and her small grandson. Saddika catches the eye of Okka (Mohsen Mohieddine), who is 20 years younger. He's a street performer who works with a trained monkey, and he idolizes Gene Kelly -- to whom the film is dedicated. Okka doesn't have Kelly's talent as either a singer or a dancer, as a fanciful musical interlude demonstrates, but he is energetic in his wooing of Saddika. When her grandson is stricken with cholera, he helps her hide the child from the public health authorities. A bounty is awarded to anyone who reports a cholera victim, and the village is alive with people willing to snitch on their neighbors. Saddika may have good reason to conceal the boy's illness: The sick are taken to a site in the desert that is rumored to be nothing more than a death camp. The film's title comes from the belief that if you survive six days with the disease you're in the clear. Saddika and the boy end up on a river boat accompanied (reluctantly on her part) by Okka. The Sixth Day is mostly coherently narrated, and it has some fine moments of comedy and suspense, but it also contains some incidents that don't quite fit the main story. I'm not sure, for example, what's going on in a scene in which a drunken British soldier is hustled into a bright red car whose passengers are women. Dakka witnesses the incident, but it's not clear what it has to do with his story or Saddika's. I suspect that it's a scene in Andrée Chedid's novel that Youssef Chahine didn't quite integrate into his screenplay. 

[claudehenrion]

Du rôle de la méthode-au-logis

C'est comme une malédiction qui frappe tout nouvel entrant à l'Hôtel Matignon : un nouveau Premier ministre, à peine nommé, se doit de nous décrire par le menu ce qu'il appelle ''sa méthode'', et la Presse, toujours prête à enfourcher toute contre-information désinformative (et privée, par ses attaches politiques --à Gauche, toute !-- de tout sens critique et de tout esprit d'observation), de se gargariser en longues digressions sur ce phénomène qu'elle découvre à chaque fois : Alleluya ! Le Premier ministre ''a une méthode'' !

Pour autant que ma mémoire ne me joue pas un méchant tour, c'est Michel Rocard qui, le tout premier, a inauguré cette mono-manie méthodologiforme, nouvelle à l'époque mais sérieusement rapiécée, maintenant : ''ce qui compte chez un ''PM'' (comme disent les énarques, pour qui ce poste est un débouché comme un autre (le patron, à l'Elysée –qui a la même con-sanguinité d'énanisme !--, étant désigné par ''le PR''). Avouez que ça fait chic et que ça vous donne un petit côté ''j'appartiens au premier cercle'' qui doit bien plaire aux jolies femmes... ou, hélas, aux hommes aussi, de plus en plus souvent. Mais c'est hors sujet, ici).

Nous a-t-il barbé, le Michel (Rocard), avec ses discours cent et mille fois répétés sur sa méthode et sa méthodologie, qu'il rêvait d'ériger en épistémologie nationale ! Et en plus, il nous avait imposé –souvenir de l'image du couple Kennedy, encore très prégnant, alors !-- la méthode de Madame (qu'on appelait ''Michéleu'', pour la distinguer de l'autre !). Peu importaient le programme, les choix, les décisions, la France (NB : ''in illo tempore'', les socialistes y adhéraient encore : des idéologies perverses et dévastatrices n'avaient pas encore imposé Jean Luc Méchencon comme ''maître à tout détruire'') : l'important, à part ''la rose'' bien sûr, c'était la ''Méthode'', avec un ''M'' majuscule quand c'était celle du ''PM''.

Apparemment, la seule chose qui comptait pour les maquignons de Matignon, une fois qu'ils avaient conquis ce temple du pouvoir partiel, c'était que chaque décision qu'ils prenaient, chaque grigri déposé dans un parapheur, chaque ''prout'' primo-ministériel (NB : c'est peut être vulgaire... au moins, est-ce explicite. Et puis... c'est un reflet de la vérité !)... ne devait s'interpréter que comme un instant dans la Méthode. Ça a beaucoup plu aux successeurs, à peu près tous... Et pas plus tard qu'il y a quelques jours, Barnier-le-sauveur-des-macronistes-en-perdition a succombé à cette sale manie.

De quoi s'agit-il ? Le job de ''PM'' consiste surtout à faire face comme on peut, en vitesse, à chaque défi, à chaque situation, à chaque challenge qui surgit mille fois par jour et auquel il faut répondre le moins mal possible --en principe. Prétendre avancer dans le marigot qu'est Matignon en suivant soigneusement les étapes d'une ''méthode'', c'est se foutre de la gueule des électeurs. Et quand ce pauvre Barnier nous parle de ''sa méthode en trois points'' (''Ecoute, dialogue, débat''), personne n'est dupe : devant 577 clampins (dont les grossiers personnages qui ne savent que beugler des insanités, à son extrême gauche), qui, tous, ne veulent que demander plus de fric... que peut-il faire ? Ecouter, certes, un peu, puis dire non, refuser, rejeter... avec ou sans débat sur rien, et avec un dialogue ramené au seul mot ''Niet'' , ou ''non possumus'' -car pour une fois, on a un ''PM'' qui a un brin de culture, et qui sait peut-être même que son joujou vient du grec ancien μετά (=méta) --après, au delà-- et ὁδός (=hodós), chemin, voie... mais c'est (aussi) ''hors sujet''.... Alors, tant qu'il y était, il a rebaptisé ''lignes de crête'' et ''lignes rouges'' tous ses dadas, tous ses opinions et ses réflexes –même contraires à tout le reste de ce qu'il dit ou fait croire qu'il serait.

Avis au ''PM'' suivant –s'il y en a un, ce qui, compte tenu de l'état actuel de la France, n'est pas absolument certain : évitez, s'il vous plaît le temps perdu, en prétendant installer une soi-disant méthodologie, même en disant qu'elle serait une méthode-au-logis : ça ne sert à rien et vous nous ferez gagner un temps fou ! Il est vrai que, ce faisant, vous vous priverez de tout le temps que vous consacrez à ne pas parler des énormes soucis qui devraient être les vôtres (en tout cas... qui sont les nôtres !), et à éviter de donner des précisions sur ce que vous allez réellement faire (je veux dire, à l'exception de : inventer de nouvelles ponctions fiscales, que vous aurez le culot de désigner par ''justice sociale'', ce qui est vraiment ''n'importe quoi'' !)

Inspirez-vous plutôt du Pape François (et... pardon de revenir à la sagesse et à l'expérience de la ''vox catholica''). Avec lui, pas de discours de la méthode : il lui suffit de renommer ''péchés'' tout ce qui lui déplaît et tout ce qui va à l'encontre ses (généralement mauvaises) intuitions. Il est pour les migrations incontrôlées ? C'est un péché d'être contre... Il veut imposer Vatican II, contre tous les résultats mesurables ? C'est un péché de s'y référer, et d'utiliser ses faiblesses ''comme des pierres que l'on jette'' (sic !  'faut oser !)... Il est favorable aux incendiaires lois prétendues sociétales ? On invente un péché contre les homos, les femmes (toutes, ou seulement les féministes pathologiques ?), les ''drag-queens'', les jeunes (tous, ou seulement les transgresseurs et les dealers ?), et... les abus (re-sic !)... Celui-là rejoint dans l'absurde les nouveaux péchés ''contre la synodalité (je jure que je n'invente rien !), contre le manque d'écoute, et contre la participation de tous''. (celui-là, je l'adore ! Je vais me précipiter à Confesse et dire ''Je m'accuse de manque d'écoute de tous'', rien que pour voir la tête du prêtre, en face !).

''Les voies du Seigneur deviennent vraiment de plus en plus impénétrables''... aurait dit Anatole France. Il est vrai que, sans trop tenir compte de l'Histoire de l'Institution, plutôt glorieuse jusqu'à ces dernières années, le Pape a inventé pour elle une mission bien vague et bien floue (en fait, sans aucun sens, grammaticalement parlant) : ''Etre une église synodale en action''... Et moi qui croyais qu'elle n'existait que pour servir Dieu et la Parole divine ! Que d'erreurs on commet, sans même s'en douter ! Quand je pense que mes anciens guides religieux me parlaient de l'amour de mon prochain, de ma vie éternelle et de la toute puissance de Dieu... M'auraient-ils menti ?

Il n'empêche : en étudiant les deux approches, celle, méthodologique, de nos ''PM'' successifs et celle, plus peccamineuse, du Saint Siège, il semble que l'avantage aille à la seconde ! Mais tout de même … Quelle époque fascinante nous vivons... sans toujours nous en rendre compte, là aussi ou là non plus !

H-Cl.

[channeledhistory]

[...]

[...] Der Löwenanteil der Schlüsselposten geht an das Präsidentenlager. Trotzdem ist der Einfluss der konservativen Partei Les Républicains (LR) beträchtlich. Sie hat unter anderem die Ressorts Landwirtschaft, Universitäre Bildung und Forschung und das Innenministerium erhalten.

Insgesamt ist das neue Kabinett der endgültige Beleg dafür, dass sich die zweite Amtszeit von Macron politisch deutlich nach rechts orientiert. Dafür steht besonders der neue Innenminister Bruno Retailleau. Er war vorher Chef der Républicains im Senat und gilt in der Sicherheits- und Einwanderungspolitik als Hardliner und zudem als entschieden wertekonservativ.

Neuer Außenminister wird der bisherige Europaminister Jean-Noël Barrot. Der 41-Jährige ist ein Befürworter einer gemeinsamen Schuldenaufnahme in der EU. Der ihm beigeordnete Europaminister Benjamin Haddad ist künftig für die deutsch-französischen Beziehungen zuständig. Der Posten des Verteidigungsministers bleibt unverändert. Das Amt wird weiterhin Sébastien Lecornu innehaben. Auch das Kultusministerium behält seine Spitze: Kulturministerin Rachida Dati bleibt ebenfalls im Amt. Die zum konservativen Lager gehörende bisherige Arbeitsministerin Catherine Vautrin wird Ministerin für regionale Angelegenheiten.

Einziger Vertreter des politisch linken Spektrums ist Didier Migaud, der bisher die französische Transparenzbehörde geleitet hat. Migaud übernimmt das Justizministerium. Mehrere linke Politiker hatten Angebote Barniers ausgeschlagen, weil sie dessen konservative politische Linie ablehnen. 

Auffällig ist, dass keiner der potenziellen Präsidentschaftskandidaten an der Regierung beteiligt ist und mehrere politische Schwergewichte nicht mehr beteiligt sind. Dafür soll Barnier ausdrücklich gesorgt haben. Sowohl der bisherige Innenminister Gérald Darmanin als auch der bisherige Wirtschaftsminister Bruno Le Maire haben die Regierung verlassen. Der konservative Fraktionschef Laurent Wauquiez lehnte nach eigenen Angaben das Wirtschaftsministerium ab. 

Die Opposition reagierte mit scharfer Kritik auf die Zusammensetzung der neuen Regierung. Diese sei "weit entfernt von dem Wunsch nach Veränderung", den die Wähler zum Ausdruck gebracht hatten, sagte die rechtspopulistische Fraktionschefin Marine Le Pen [...] Auch der Linkspopulist Jean-Luc Mélenchon ging auf Konfrontationskurs zum neuen Kabinett: "Diese Aufstellung ist weder rechtmäßig, noch erfolgversprechend. Wir werden sie schnellstmöglich abschaffen." Der sozialistische Parteichef Olivier Faure sprach von einer "reaktionären Regierung, die der Demokratie den Stinkefinger zeigt".

Die Zusammensetzung der Regierung könnte auch die Fliehkräfte innerhalb des Präsidentenlagers verstärken, denn in Macrons eigenen Reihen sind längst nicht alle glücklich über die starke Rolle der Républicains und die deutlich konservative Kante der Regierung. Auch deshalb bleibt die neue Regierung eine fragile Allianz. [...]

In vielen Städten Frankreichs gab es am Samstag allerdings erneut Proteste gegen die Regierung. [...]

[genevieveetguy]

A Whole Night (Toute une nuit), Chantal Akerman (1982)

[januszen]

Macron y el Robo Democrático

Jean-Luc Mélenchon denuncia el robo democrático de Macron. ¿Qué futuro le espera a Francia? ¡Comparte tu opinión! #JeanLucMelenchon #Macron #PoliticaFrancesa

Macron traiciona la democracia: Mélenchon exige justicia Índice:Jean-Luc Mélenchon: El líder inesperadoUna crisis política sin precedentes¿Qué futuro le espera a Francia? Robo Democrático: Así es como Jean-Luc Mélenchon describe la reciente maniobra política de Emmanuel Macron al designar a Michel Barnier como Primer Ministro de Francia, a pesar de la derrota electoral de su propio partido. En…

[pletnet]

Macron y el Robo Democrático

Jean-Luc Mélenchon denuncia el robo democrático de Macron. ¿Qué futuro le espera a Francia? ¡Comparte tu opinión! #JeanLucMelenchon #Macron #PoliticaFrancesa

Macron traiciona la democracia: Mélenchon exige justicia Índice:Jean-Luc Mélenchon: El líder inesperadoUna crisis política sin precedentes¿Qué futuro le espera a Francia? Robo Democrático: Así es como Jean-Luc Mélenchon describe la reciente maniobra política de Emmanuel Macron al designar a Michel Barnier como Primer Ministro de Francia, a pesar de la derrota electoral de su propio partido. En…

[mynewshq]

Thousands protest in France over Macron's choice of PM

More than 100,000 people protested across France on Saturday against the appointment of the centre-right politician Michel Barnier as the new prime minister. His appointment follows an inconclusive election in which the left-wing bloc - the New Popular Front (NPF) - won the largest number of seats. The protests were called by trade unions and members of the NPF, who are furious that their own candidate for prime minister was rejected by President Emmanuel Macron. Mr Barnier, the EU's former Brexit negotiator, said he is open to forming a government with politicians across the political spectrum, including the left. The interior ministry said 110,000 protested nationwide on Saturday, including 26,000 in Paris, though one protest leader claimed the figure was 300,000. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a veteran firebrand from the radical France Unbowed party, called for the "most powerful mobilisation possible" in national marches. Around 130 protests were scheduled, with the biggest setting out from central Paris on Saturday afternoon. Mr Mélenchon joined the Paris protest, giving a speech on the back of a float emblazoned with the slogan: “For democracy, stop Macron’s coup”. The demonstrators are also using slogans such as "denial of democracy" and "stolen election". Parties on the left are angry that their own candidate for prime minister, Lucie Castets, was rejected by Mr Macron, who said she had no chance of surviving a vote of confidence in the National Assembly. Mr Barnier may be able to survive a confidence vote because the far right, which also won a large number of seats, has said it won't automatically vote against him. That has led to criticism that his government will be dependent on the far right. "We have a prime minister completely dependent on National Rally," Ms Castets said. Mr Barnier spent Saturday afternoon visiting a children’s hospital in Paris, where he highlighted the importance of public services, but told healthcare workers his government "is not going to perform miracles", local broadcaster BFMTV reported. Against the backdrop of the protests, the new PM is focussed on forming a new government. After talks with the leaders of the right-wing Republicans and the president's centrist Ensemble group, he said discussions were going very well and were "full of energy". Some on the left have blamed themselves for ending up with Mr Barnier as prime minister. Socialist Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo pointed out that the president had considered former Socialist prime minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, for the job but that he had been turned down by his own party. Another Socialist Mayor, Karim Bouamrane, blamed intransigence from other parts of the left alliance: "The path they chose was 100% or nothing - and here we are with nothing." Read the full article

[head-post]

Students in France lining up in giant queues for food

Amid a worsening economic situation in France, students at French universities are struggling with rising living costs, high rents and unemployment.

A video has emerged on social media showing a huge queue of students waiting for free food in France. The video shows students being forced to stand outside for hours in the Bordeaux to get sustenance, otherwise many of them would simply have nothing to eat.

Banking and finance major Mariama Balde, 28, said:

I used to be able to afford a hundred dollars to provide food for a month. Now that amount is not even enough for a fortnight.

After waiting in line, students receive food that is expired or out of stock. According to statistics, more than 300 young people come to such points every week.

Meanwhile, some EU politicians are trying to draw attention to the appalling conditions in which young people in Europe are forced to live. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed (LFI), reposted the post on X:

In Rennes, more than 600 students queue for food at a school food giveaway. In France, more than 50 per cent of students have less than €100 to live on. 8 million French people do not have enough to eat. Radio silence from the Barnier/Le Pen government for whom students queuing for food aid is not a priority.

Italy’s former PM and head of the 5-Star Movement (M5S) Giuseppe Conte also wrote on X:

Children, the disabled, the elderly. Giorgia Meloni herself has guaranteed that families with vulnerable individuals will be spared the bloody cuts to citizens’ incomes. However, the figures in the INPS annual report strongly deny this. In this more often than not various restrictions and bans, the government has effectively stripped hundreds of thousands of households with disabled people, over 60s, children and young people of their inclusion benefit. Over 330,000 households have received RdC and are now excluded from inclusion benefit: 40% with a household member over 60, 15% with a disabled person and 26% with a young person.

Read more HERE

[beardedmrbean]

Michel Barnier has met President Emmanuel Macron and begun the task of forming a government, a day after he took over as French prime minister.

He said discussions were going very well and were "full of energy", after talks with the leaders of the right-wing Republicans and the president's centrist Ensemble group.

President Macron chose Mr Barnier 60 days after parliamentary elections left France in political deadlock, with three powerful blocs and none able to form a majority in the National Assembly.

Mr Barnier's survival may depend on the votes of the far-right National Rally, although they have made clear they will not join his government. The left plans nationwide protests on Saturday.

The parties of the left are angry that their candidate for prime minister, Lucie Castets, was rejected by Mr Macron because she had no chance of surviving a vote of confidence in the National Assembly.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a veteran firebrand from the radical France Unbowed party, has called for marches across France and for the "most powerful mobilisation possible". Some unions and youth groups have said they will take part.

"We have a prime minister completely dependent on National Rally," said Ms Castets who complained that she, like millions of French voters, felt betrayed and that the president had in effect ended up governing with the far right.

Hours after his meeting with President Macron, Mr Barnier, 73, was due to appear on the main news bulletin on private channel TF1.

French reports said that his interview formed part of the discussion with the president, along with forming a government and preparing the 2025 budget, which has to be put before parliament by 1 October.

Entering the prime minister's residence on Friday evening, Mr Barnier promised to address "the challenges, the anger, the suffering, the feeling of abandonment, of injustice running through many of our cities, suburbs and rural areas".

Ex-prime minister Gabriel Attal, whose centrist bloc came second in the election, said after talks with Mr Barnier that Ensemble was prepared to join a broad front with the republican right and republican left, with "no desire to block or offer unconditional support".

Mr Barnier himself comes from the Republicans, and party leader Laurent Wauquiez said his decision depended on the prime minister's plans: "For the moment, nothing has been decided."

Some on the left said it was their own fault they ended up with Mr Barnier as prime minister.

Socialist Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo pointed out that the president had considered former Socialist prime minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, for the job but that he had been turned down by his own party.

Another Socialist mayor, Karim Bouamrane, blamed intransigence from other parts of the left alliance: "The path they chose was 100% or nothing - and here we are with nothing."

National Rally leaders Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella have already stressed they will not join the Barnier government, but will wait and see what policies he brings to parliament before they decide on a vote of confidence.

The left are threatening a vote of confidence but, without the backing of the far right, will not be able to bring Mr Barnier down.

"He's a man who has never gone too far when he's spoken about National Rally; he's never cast us out - he's a man for discussion," said Marine Le Pen, indicating they could allow him to continue in office.

Without her party's backing, Mr Barnier would not be able to muster the 289 votes in the 577-seat Assembly, simply by relying on the support of the centrists and the Republicans.

[byneddiedingo]

Connie Nielsen in Demonlover (Olivier Assayas, 2002)

Cast: Connie Nielsen, Charles Berling, Chloë Sevigny, Dominique Reymond, Jean-Baptiste Malartre, Gina Gershon, Edwin Gerard, Thomas M. Pollard, Abi Sakamoto, Naoko Yamazake, Nao Omori. Screenplay: Olivier Assayas. Cinematography: Denis Lenoir. Production design: François-Renaud Labarthe. Film editing: Luc Barnier. Music: Jim O'Rourke, Sonic Youth. 

Demonlover is a kind of message movie, and we all know the Hollywood truism about those: "If you want to send a message, call Western Union." But Olivier Assayas is not a Hollywood director, and his message comes through loud and clear. It's a familiar one: In the hands of globalized corporate capitalism, the internet has the potential to become a corrupting and alienating force. The film opens with a bunch of corporate capitalists luxuriating in business class on a flight to Japan to negotiate the rights to pornographic anime produced by a studio there. On the flight, Diane (Connie Nielsen) slips a drug into the Evian water being drunk by her superior at the Volf Corporation, Karen (Dominique Reymond), who collapses when they land in Tokyo. Diane then takes her place in the negotiations. It soon becomes clear that Diane will stop at nothing to seal a deal, but also that she's a double agent working for Volf's competitor, Mangatronics. Once Diane and her partner, Hervé (Charles Berling), land the rights, they begin negotiations with Demonlover, an internet company represented by Elaine Si Gibril (Gina Gershon), which also runs a site called The Hellfire Club on the dark web that specializes in torture porn and perhaps even snuff films. Diane's aim is to acquire Demonlover for Mangatronics instead of Volf, and she'll stop at nothing to do so. Unfortunately for Diane, her assistant, Elise (Chloë Sevigny), is also a corporate spy, and the spy vs. spy plot takes a bloody turn. Assayas isn't content to tell this story in conventional thriller fashion, so what we get involves a lot of disorienting camerawork and editing, and the movie makes its point with a somewhat disjointed ending. It was a critical and commercial flop, but the awareness that its message was prophetic has caused it to be reevaluated.