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<br>
The France of Macron, the ‘New’ Neoliberal Reforms and the
Left:<br>
Analyses and Reportbacks from the 2017 Election<br>
<br>
Stefan Kipfer<br>
Nathan Rao<br>
<br>
7:00-9:00<br>
Tuesday, August 22<br>
A Different Booklist Cultural Centre<br>
777 Bathurst St., Toronto (Bathurst subway stop)<br>
<br>
<br>
The 2017 Presidential and Parliamentary elections produced
a paradoxical result:<br>
the victory of a youngish Emmanuel Macron who is a pure
product of the<br>
discredited social democratic François Hollande presidency
(as well as the<br>
typical institutions of the French ruling class) and a
leader of a brand-new<br>
political formation (La République en Marche) that managed
to marginalize the<br>
parties (the Républicains and the Parti Socialiste) that
have, under different<br>
names, governed France since 1958. Macron's victory
blocked the advances of the<br>
neo-fascist Front National, the President of which, Marine
Le Pen, garnered a<br>
record 10.5 million votes in the Presidential election. In
turn, Macron<br>
threatens to deepen the very conditions that have led to
the recurrent surge of<br>
neo-fascist politics in France. He wants to radicalize the
policies of the<br>
Hollande government by making the state of emergency a
permanent feature of<br>
French law, implementing a new set of neoliberal labour
reforms, entrenching<br>
austerity to shrink public sector employment and
deconstructing the French<br>
welfare state all the while defending a central and
aggressive role for the<br>
French military sector Euro-American imperialism. A force
of<br>
‘continuity-in-discontinuity’, Macron's En Marche thus
expresses the ongoing<br>
crisis of rule in France as well as the wider systemic
uncertainties about<br>
French capitalism and the future of the European Union.
What are the political<br>
implications of the French elections for the future of
left and popular forces<br>
in France?<br>
<br>
Stefan Kipfer just returned from a sabbatical year in
France doing research on<br>
fascism and anti-fascism. He teaches politics and urban
questions at York<br>
University.<br>
<br>
Nathan Rao is a writer and political activist living in
France.<br>
<br>
Sponsored by: Centre for Social Justice, Socialist
Project.<br>
<br>
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