Macron’s tragedy is that he still believes in a discredited economic system | Olivier Tonneau
From the outset, the motto of Emmanuel Macron was "rassemblement" (coming together): he aimed to unite a divided nation. Political divisions, he claimed, were artificial: the left/right divide was perpetuated by parties whose sole objective was to beat their rivals to power. Beneath theatrical politics, there must be a population with common, liberal aspirations, who felt constrained by regulation and especially labour laws, crushed by taxation, burdened by the state. By creating a new, grassroots movement, Macron would gather the energies dormant in civil society, transcend political divides and effect no less than a "revolution" (to quote the title of his book).
No doubt, many in the professional classes and the media enthusiastically embraced the great liberal dream of a passionately moderate society. Ever since the bourgeoisie rose to prominence at the end of the 18th century, it has aspired to being perceived as the bearer of universal values. Once again, this aspiration has been thwarted.
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