And we all used to laugh at the stability of the Italian government…
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How badly do you have to mess up to cause the NFP and the NR both agree on something?
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In this case less “mess up” and more “assert authority”?
More “shove legislation nobody wants through without debate using draconian powers” from where I’m sitting.
That’ not messing up, they’re simply agreeing on what they are against. On many current issues, particularly economic ones, there’s little difference here between Left and Right.
Whereas France’s current problem is that only the Centrists seem capable of trying to form a working coalition government at a time of economic crisis. Both the Left and the Right’s proposed economic programmes are simply populist and wildly unrealistic in the present situation.
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PR works really well, right? So good to see real democracy in action.
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Populists gotta populist.
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PR’s fine if parties are prepared to compromise and co-operate in order to from a viable government. This works fairly well in most EU countries, but most French political parties see working together for the good of the country as an unacceptable compromise of their particular political principles.
‘All or nothing’ might still be be acceptable in popular 1960’s lyrics (Small Faces) but not when trying to form a contemporary coalition government
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Voters refusing to accept the reality that the demographics make changing the retirement age a reality is behind the political mess in France.
Macron’s policy even made the new retirement age a year less than it had been at one stage previously.
I listened to an American commentator the other day saying that there was no centre in the USA, all they were concerned about was the price of eggs.
I don’t think anyone realistically thought this current government was going to last any length of time - fair play to Barnier for agreeing to take up the mantle, but he had a terrible hand to play with one arm tied behind his back.
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At least he hasn’t declared martial law (yet)
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Clearly France’s troubles are all the fault of infiltrators and political agitators from their dangerous neighbour to the North. 
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Not quite as bad as Ukraine though. 
Trump’s call to Yoon.
“Hey buddy! Could you test something out me?”
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Le Pen’s underlying strategy in voting with the leftist alliance isn’t to block the budget, but to cause Macron to resign before she goes for trial in March for embezzlement of EU funds, when if found guilty she and most leading members of her party will be banned from political office for years.
IMO Macron needs to sit tight in the interim and Le Pen’s action merely delays implementation of a realistic long term solution to France’s budget deficit.
As a foreign resident I watch from the sidelines in despair, but at the same time wonder what it might do for domestic interest rates and £ : € exchange rates…
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Thanks Mark, that was the info I was looking for
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Excellent, one less WEF puppet lording it over us.
Absolutely. Let’s see what trial outcome is.
Well come back 
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Yes, absolutely, perhaps we read the same newspapers (I think we do)- from the grauniad:
“She may have decided to try to force Macron out before the court hands down its sentence on 31 March, and bring forward the presidential vote. It’s a long shot, but the public mood is angry and frustrated.”
I read an ‘explainer’ and was struck by "The key reason for the current precarious fiscal situation really has to do with unfunded tax cuts under Macron… Viewed as a business-friendly centrist, the former Rothschild banker’s economic agenda included discretionary tax cuts adding up to €65bn since 2017, which have not been matched by equivalent cuts in public spending.
The headline rate of corporate tax was cut from 33% to 25%, while a “solidarity tax” on wealth, levied on assets above €1.31m, was replaced with a far lower 30% tax on capital gains from interest and dividends."
Was the 30% tax rate on interest only introduced in 2017 then ?, and I’m a bit surprised it would bring in a lot less than a wealth tax - must be a lot of wealthy France tax payers…