Liberté, Egalité, Acrimonie: FRANCE’s Coronavirus comedown

Emmanuel Macron continues to suffer from France’s traditional disdain for its leader. How has the pandemic affected France’s notorious febrile politics? Why is France so unhappy with Macron? Will Black Lives Matter finally force change on the notoriously racist French police? And whatever happened to the Gilets Jaunes? JOHN LICHFIELD, former France correspondent for the Independent, explains all to Ros Taylor. 

• “In my 20 years in France, every French leader has been instantly unpopular.” 
• “It’s the fate of centrists everywhere to be hated by both sides.”
• “Everyone’s claiming to be De Gaulle without ever stopping to consider how De Gaulle would have reacted to today’s problems.”
• “There’s a visceral dislike of Macron in France that in many ways is unfair. But that’s normal French politics.”

Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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