A NEW REVOLUTION IN FRANCE

They said outsider politics would revolutionise Europe: "France has elected its youngest president since Napoleon by voting in the centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron." Not a promising analogy. UPDATE: Robert Gottliebsen says Macron has policies that would transform Australia.

They said outsider politics would revolutionise Europe: "France has elected its youngest president since Napoleon by voting in the centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron." Not a promising analogy (and Napoleon was no president.)

The National Front was easily defeated, but it has doubled its support from 2002, the last time it was in the final run-off:

Mr Macron, 39, has picked up a massive vote of around 65.5 per cent, beating his final round rival Marine Le Pen, of the National Front, by two to one.

The Right was defeated, and by more than tipped a few months ago, but the challenges that fed it remain:

Not only did a quarter of the eligible 47 million voters choose not to cast a vote, the country is bitterly divided between pro and anti-Europe factions, high unemployment and increasing spread of deprived areas. Large scale immigration from Northern Africa and refugees from the Middle East has exacerbated the tensions.

Macron, actually of the Left, offered optimism - but also some economic reform, and more of both than did Le Pen:

His “globalist” platform is a mix of some left wing socialism and right wing pragmatism and business ideals: he wants to boost training and education to help fight unemployment levels, and wants to try and change France’s entrenched labour laws to allow employers more flexibility. He is very much pro-EU...  Mr Macron is also an advocate of open borders, despite the terror attacks that have been inflicted on France in recent years.

The very first challenge for the new President is to get politicians who support him in Parliament in the June parliamentary elections. Right now Macron's new En Marche  party has not a single member. 

Then there's the big Wikileak dump of En Marche documents for the press to rummage through, now that the election blackout of news has been lifted.

Le Pen is 48 and does not seem ready at all to quit. The march of France's far Right has been slowed, but not stopped.

UPDATE

Paul Mirengoff:

Marine Le Pen’s showing is still poor. For one thing, her opponent — an upstart pseudo-centrist — was not formidable. For another, France has experienced 15 years of mostly decline since the 2002, and its immigration policy — the major issue for both Jean-Marie and Marine Le Pen — has been exposed as potentially ruinous.

Marine Le Pen failed to capitalize. She avoided the worst excesses of her father’s campaigns — the overt racism and anti-Semitism. However, she committed excesses of her own.

For me, the most notable one was her flirtation with Vladimir Putin. Aligning with the evil empire Russia seeks to become is a terrible idea in its own right. It can also be viewed as a window into Marine Le Pen’s soul and a stand-in for much of what was abhorrent about her father.

UPDATE

Robert Gottliebsen says Macron's platform would be one that would revolutionise Australia:

So let’s go through some of the Macron policies that would either transform Australia or where there is clear relevance down under.

- Make budget savings of €60 billion ($A90 billion). Cut the number of public servants by 120,000 — through natural wastage, but excluding hospitals. That’s a huge fall in the public service but like Australia, France has a bloated public service with enormous waste and duplication. Remember: the French people voted for this...

- Boost people’s purchasing power by cutting their social security contributions. This is worth about €500 ($750) annually for someone on a monthly net salary of €2,200 ($A3,300).

In Australia, the equivalent is that superannuation contributions would be cut back...

- Lower corporation tax from 33.3% to 25%. Australia’s corporate tax debate is made more complex by franking. But the American action is spreading.

- Allow businesses flexibility on the 35-hour working week — but extra hours worked will be free of social security deductions. The same policy introduced into Australia would see much more flexibility in shift allowances and penalty rates. But because there was no super deducted, pay rates might not be reduced...

- At the age of 18, French teenagers will get a “Cultural Pass” worth €500 to spend on cultural pursuits such as the cinema, theatre, books. What a fascinating idea.

Yes, it's better than what France has at the moment. But there are plenty of warning signs, too:

- France aims at becoming the world leader in developing green technologies. France already has a huge nuclear industry.

- One million poorly insulated French homes must be renovated. Macron can learn from Australia. Don’t allow governments anywhere near the change and get the right technical people involved...

- Reform the EU by giving the Eurozone a separate budget, finance minister and parliament.