I love this country, my mother’s country, where I keep old friends. On Sunday, July 7, my eyes filled with tears when I heard that the National Rally would win neither a relative nor an absolute majority in the French National Assembly. “Moderation tastes much better,” an advertisement used to say in our country.
Well yes. As shown by Guy Taillefer’s remarkable editorial published on July 9: yes, a fairly large number of French people (8.7 million votes, according to Christian Rioux’s column published the same day) voted for the National Rally. They either support its racist policies or they put up with them. But the majority of left-wing and centrist voters (13.9 million votes, again according to Christian Rioux’s column) say no to these policies. How can we not be happy about that?
Commentators keep saying that France risks being ungovernable in the coming years. This remains to be proven. It is true that the French political class is not used to alliances (although…), but don’t they say that necessity is law? I dare to believe that it is still possible for politicians to put the interest of the nation, the common good, and social solidarity above overly partisan egos.
I hope that the leader of La France Insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, will have the wisdom not to seek to impose himself. But I also hope that the next government will tackle the growing problems of the French population: climate insecurity, fragile health care, difficult access to affordable housing, rising cost of living, agriculture in crisis, feeling of abandonment experienced by the regions compared to large centers, etc. And yes, a calm debate on living together will be necessary to answer the questions that part of the French population is asking.
Finally, for those who still doubt the far-right stance of the National Rally, I suggest reading an enlightening article, still in the same edition of Dutyon a new alliance, within the European Parliament, of parties belonging to a racist, homophobic and conservative right. Jordan Bardella, the president of the French National Rally, is part of it. As is Viktor Orbán, a Hungarian ultranationalist, as well as the Austrian FPO party, on the far right of the political spectrum in his country.
The French people have just demonstrated with a large majority of votes their attachment to inclusive democratic values. The leaders of the political groups who united to avoid the worst now bear the heavy responsibility of preparing and implementing the best, or what can come closest to it. They owe this to the French people.