In this episode, Nicolas Michelon joins John in discussing the key issues and dilemmas surrounding the 2022 French Presidential Election. Macron might be slated to win, but far-right candidates will maintain their growing hold on the French electorate as people are angry at a French EU political class that has abandoned them for the power politics of the European Parliament in Brussels. The Yellow Vest movement and the issues that have sparked this revolt against the French version of ‘the swamp’ are unlikely to go away as Macron seems safe, almost arrogantly so about the inevitability of his second term. But as Nicolas says, the far-right will evolve, as will the Yellow Vest movement leading to a period of profound instability and domestic political violence in the near-term.
John apologises for having used the term 'yellow jackets’ for ‘yellow vests’! Sometimes things like this slip out while in full discussion!