A hard centre
Macron’s in-tray Priorities facing the returning president Page 13 →
Timothy Garton Ash Europe cannot be re-united by one man Page 13 →
On the campaign trail in Denain, one of the poorest towns in France, Emmanuel Macron walked into a crowd of voters to “take the pulse of the nation” and a woman pushed forward to sum up the mood. “We’re living in misery,” she said. Others shouted: “This country doesn’t work” and “We’ve had enough”. When one father described not managing to make ends meet, Macron said: “ That’s what I’m fighting for.” The man shot back: “That’s not the impression I have.”
Macron, a former banker, who had loosened labour laws and promised the biggest overhaul of the French welfare state since the war, was lauded internationally for making France a
