GROWING NATIONALISM
After its summer break the French government reconvened in
Paris in late August to discuss the budget and outline the roadmap for 2019 — year of all dangers with the May elections for the European Parliament, the
finalization of the Brexit deal in March, and the threat that growing
nationalism in the EU may result in a strong increase in far-right seats in the
EU Parliament in Strasbourg.
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| Anti-immigration protests in Chemnitz |
More than ever, French president Macron seems to be the last
man standing in the fight to preserve and strengthen the European Union, and
among his first post-holiday actions was a four-day salvaging trip to Denmark
and Finland to try and push them to more involvement in the EU and greater
participation in Europe's defense post-Brexit, citing changing trans-Atlantic
relations.
NICOLAS HULOT
The importance of these state visits was momentarily
overshadowed by an incident back home, when on 28 August (as Macron was on his
way to Denmark) France's most popular member of the government, Ecology
Minister Nicolas Hulot, suddenly announced his resignation on a morning radio
program. As he was being interviewed by two journalists on France-Inter, an increasingly frustrated Hulot suddenly announced:
"I am going to make the most difficult decision of my life. I am leaving
the government." It seemed a spur-of-the-moment decision but one
that had long been simmering and that he had not shared with president Macron
and prime minister Edouard Philippe "for fear that they would talk me out
of it once again." He then listed a number of disappointments and
frustrations of his 15 months in government, including the final realization
that the Macron-Philippe team "for whom I have the greatest admiration and
affection" would never accord Ecology the urgent attention it deserves
because today the worlds of Economics and Ecology are simply incompatible.  |
| Hulot in Parliament |
"Lobbyists have no place in a ministerial meeting,"
was all Hulot would say at first, but when pushed he added that he felt alone
in his fight, without formal backing, and that neither the government nor the
public seemed able to grasp the severity of the situation. We have let several
opportunities for decisive action pass because the political support was not
there, he said. Reminded of a few successes he has booked nevertheless, he said
they were not enough. Moving by little steps does not get us to where we need
to be if we want to stop, let alone repair, the daily damage to our planet. Global
warming was predictable and the warning signs have been there for many years. Today
the planet is an oven, disastrous fires and record-breaking temperatures this
summer in many parts of the world and destructive floods in others, are a
picture of our future. We have wasted precious time and from now on, anything
we can do to reduce global warming will be more expensive and less effective
because much of the damage done is already irreversible.
When told to be patient he answers that he has been patient
for 30 years, during which time large areas of Africa have suffered such severe
repeated droughts that whole populations have been driven from the parched lands
where they used to grow crops or raise cattle, and forced to join the stream of
migrants northwards, to Europe and elsewhere. "I can no longer lie to the
French people or to myself," he said, barely able to control his voice as
he suddenly announced his resignation. It was a dramatic moment, all the more
so on public radio.
Nicolas Hulot, who became famous for his nature films and
Ushuaia TV show, has long been an ecological activist. He created his own
foundation in 1990 and always managed to remain independent. He turned down
offers from presidents Chirac, Sarkozy and Hollande before President Macron
managed to persuade him to join his government. Perhaps Macron's youth and
promise of reforms did the trick, but in the end Hulot's visceral fears were borne
out: Ecology and a liberal business agenda make poor partners.
A profoundly disappointed Hulot admitted that he had not
been able to work effectively within the constraints of politics and that he may
not have the makings of a Minister. In leaving, he expressed the hope that his
departure would not be politicized but might serve as a wake-up call. Individual
efforts are no longer sufficient; it will take a massive public outcry to stop
global warming. "Where are my troops? Where is the public support?"
he had complained in his resignation speech.
A well attended March
for the Planet held throughout France yesterday was a hopeful sign that the
wake-up call was heard, as many thousands took to the streets in support of Hulot and his fight
against climate change. Large numbers of young environmentalists as well as a
number of NGO's joined forces in marches in Paris and other French cities,
urging the government to act NOW and promising to keep the pressure on. Their
message: If governments cannot do it, citizens will have to take over to force
us off the path to self-destruction we are on today. If the political will is there, Economics and Ecology can and must co-exist.
MACRON'S DIFFICULT RENTREE
Early September is the time of La Rentrée in France, when children return to school and government
ministers to their respective offices. What in July still looked like a smooth
return to the Macron Reforms program after the summer break, had turned into a more
complicated situation by September. The upheaval caused by his bodyguard
Alexandre Benalla (see August blog) and the very public resignation of Nicolas
Hulot have caused a lot of ink to flow. Then, a week after Hulot, Sports
Minister and Olympic fencing champion Laura Fessel resigned "for personal
reasons" and Culture Minister Françoise Nyssen's future is hanging in the
balance over unauthorized changes to a protected historical building she owns
in Paris.
Barely into the second year of his mandate, Macron's cabinet,
with its mix of experienced politicians and youthful newcomers, has lost some
of its luster, and the pace of the Reforms agenda has been slowed down by
growing opposition and disappointing economic results. The latest polls show Macron's
approval rating down from an early high of 66 to an all-time low of 31 percent
today.
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| Macron with Merkel in Marseilles |
AND YET...
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| Orhan Pamuk |
Another source of joy: the guest of honor at this year's annual Aix-en-Provence literary festival in October will be Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, the 11th Nobel Prize winner to attend our three-day Fête du Livre!
Hurrah for France and the place it accords Culture, an
essential part of its art de vivre.
