Evening Standard comment: Bravo, Macron: now the work of reform begins

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Bravo, Emmanuel Macron. The new President of France won a remarkable victory yesterday, creating his own political movement from scratch — En Marche! (Forward!) — to win. The fact that the initials of the movement (EM) happen to be his own is no coincidence. Macron has not lacked self-confidence as he broke all the rules of French politics to become the Republic’s youngest President.

Macron’s election should be welcome here in Britain, and across Europe. First, let’s remember he has defeated the Far-Right Marine Le Pen, who campaigned on a programme of division. She blamed France’s ills on immigrants and globalisation, and if she’d won, the march of populists who want to destroy the ties that bind us would have continued unabated. Macron, by contrast, sought to bring the French together with a message of optimism, unity and internationalism. His victory is a victory for moderation. It shows how the centre can hold.

Second, Macron offers the prospect, at last, of real leadership in France. That too is in Britain’s interests, although it will also bring challenges for us. A weak French economy means a smaller market for our exports, and a diminished ally as we stand together against common enemies, notably Islamist terrorism. Macron’s campaign rested on the central argument that France could only afford its social model if it had an economy strong enough to pay for it, and he promises major reforms — even if the details remain vague. Britain too has learnt the hard way that the books have to balance. But we should also expect Macron, a former investment banker, to make a determined effort to attract financial and tech businesses from the City to Paris. Our answer to that lies in our own hands. Firms will only move if they feel the push from here as well as the pull from there.

The impact on Brexit

That brings us to Brexit. The realpolitik is that no deal will be agreed without the approval of the French President. In other words, Macron now has a veto on whether we leave on negotiated terms, or crash out without an agreement. He will be no pushover. He places France’s future at the heart of the EU, with a programme for further integration for the eurozone. He demands more solidarity from Germany and rightly expects it to show more responsibility for growth in the rest of the EU. He is sceptical, to put it mildly, that Brexit is anything other than a huge mistake. He has not been impressed by our approach to the negotiations so far. The Government will have to work to convince him otherwise.

Macron’s success as a President is far from assured. The reforms that France needs in its labour laws, welfare system and competitiveness will face fierce resistance from unions and other reactionary forces. The French constitution means he will depend on the goodwill of other parties, unless he manages to maintain momentum and win seats in the Assemblée Nationale elections that follow in one month’s time. That is a tall order, and it potentially places an important responsibility on French Conservatives who may hold the balance of power, now led by the impressive François Baroin. What this paper doesn’t doubt is that Macron has the ability to make France strong again, if he is given the chance.

Finally, there is a lesson in Macron’s victory for British politicians on the Centre-Left. He saw that the French Socialist Party, once a mighty force, was doomed to defeat as it was pulled further to the Left by hardliners and Marxists. Rather than stay on the sinking ship, Macron left to create his own political force. He used insurgency tactics and social-media technology harnessed to date by the extremes to win from the centre. As a result, he is the President of the Fifth Republic.

La chance sourit aux audacieux — fortune favours the bold — as they say in France.

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