France
The Rise and Fall of Right-Wing Populism in France and Italy, New Yorker, May 28, 2014
The extraordinary success of Marine Le Pen’s National Front, in France, and of other right-wing, populist parties has, with good reason, been the main story of last weekend’s European Parliamentary elections. Running on an anti-euro, anti-immigration platform, Le Pen won a historic twenty-five per cent of the vote, handily outpolling France’s main conservative party, the…
Continue readingHOW SNOWDEN’S REVELATIONS SAVED SARKOZY, New Yorker, April 18, 2014
One of the most interesting results of France’s nationwide municipal elections was something that didn’t happen. In the weeks leading up to the elections, late last month, a series of potentially damaging recordings of former President Nicolas Sarkozy were leaked and published in various press outlets. If the motive was to influence voters, though, the…
Continue readingTHE FRENCH RIGHT SCORES A HISTORIC VICTORY, New Yorker, March 31, 2014
Sunday’s municipal elections in France offer at least three historical firsts: a historically poor result for the socialist party of President François Hollande; the best-ever results for the right-wing National Front party of Marine Le Pen; and a national record for low voter turnout. The left lost mainly because its own electorate—discouraged by the disappointing…
Continue readingAN ANTI-GAY-MARRIAGE TEA PARTY, FRENCH STYLE? New Yorker, March 18, 2014
Last month, marchers filled the streets of Paris and Lyon to protest same-sex marriage, which became legal in France last year. The day after the demonstrations, François Hollande’s Socialist government announced that it would not be putting forward new legislation to make it easier for gay couples to adopt children or have them with the…
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