The new French government is the most rightwing in France for more than a decade despite the fact that the leftwing alliance, the Nouveau Front Populaire, won more seats in July's parliamentary elections than any other political group. Mediapart's Fabien Escalona argues in this op-ed article that the creation of prime minister Michel Barnier's government is not in keeping either with the principles of France's Fifth Republic or those of a more traditional parliamentary system. The president and his new prime minister are heading dangerously towards a no man's land of legitimacy, he writes.
“Hello“Hello Papa Tango Charlie / Please respond, we're looking for you.” In the insistent refrain of the song - written in French - by American singer Mort Shuman, an air traffic controller tries to make contact with a pilot flying “towards the Bermuda Triangle”. This sense of helplessness in the face of an anticipated crash, unfolding in slow motion in a hazy atmosphere, has probably resonated with many of us since the appointment of Michel Barnier and the members of his new government.
