French President Emmanuel Macron¡¯s state of mind has drawn stinging rebukes from his party and allies after he called snap parliamentary elections that his far-right nemesis Marine Le Pen of the National Rally is expected to win.
But there is a method to his madness. If the French are fed up enough to want radical change at the risk of worse public finances and a standoff with the European Union, better to do it now than in 2027, when the Elysee is up for grabs.
What is less understandable as Le Pen¡¯s party strides ever closer to power is the position of the French elite. A strange silence has descended upon the chief executive class, caught like a deer in headlights as years of pro-business reforms and tax predictability threaten to turn into a Brexit-style atmosphere of ¡°f--- business.¡±
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