Letters | Macron’s French election gamble will have global implications
- Readers discuss France’s snap election, why the recent EU elections feel strangely familiar, Hong Kong’s civil servant benefits, and why some people want dumbphones
Amid growing popular support, the far-right could very well win a relative majority, forcing the president to appoint a far-right prime minister. Under an arrangement in French politics called cohabitation, in which the president and the prime minister are from different parties, the president is likely to focus on foreign affairs while the prime minister controls internal affairs. Macron’s previous reforms are likely to be reversed, making France more unstable, more ungovernable and even more polarised.
A far-right France could fatally cripple an already weakened European Union, the ideal of a shared European identity and the ambition for a United States of Europe. A founding member of the European Economic Community, France is the only EU member with a permanent UN Security Council seat. An anti-EU French government is likely to weaken the EU’s global influence as geopolitical tensions and competitiveness intensify amid rising protectionism.
Christophe Feuille, Bordeaux, France
The spectre of nationalism in Europe is nothing new
Unlike the European Commission president, I, a 61-year-old Russian, have a strange feeling of déjà vu that has turned me into a staunch believer in the domino effect.
In 1990, Alexander Shmonov fired two bullets at Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and missed. In 2024, Juraj Cintula fired five bullets at Slovakia’s pro-Russian prime minister Robert Fico and injured him.
In 1991, Ukraine voted to leave the Soviet Union. In 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.
In 1991, unlike the rest of Ukraine, Crimea voted to stay with the Soviet Union. In 2014, it voted to secede from Ukraine and succeeded this time.
In 2016, unlike the rest of the UK, Scotland voted to stay in the EU. One day, perhaps along with Northern Ireland, it may vote again and succeed this time.
In 1991, the Chechen Republic declared sovereignty, but it would fail. In 2017, Catalonia’s referendum on independence from Spain was declared illegal.
It seems that only in the United States, with its almost fully adventitious population, can the locals call their country by the name of their continent, America. Meanwhile, Europe is a jumble of countries with some frequently refusing to go with the flow as they are each under the dead hand of historic nationalism.
Mergen Mongush, Moscow
Watch where Hong Kong’s going with civil servant benefits
The civil service secretary recently said the authorities were considering having civil servants visit other cities in the Greater Bay Area for dental care. However, we should carefully consider the potential consequences of farming out civil servant benefits.
Some of the cities have a wealth of entertainment venues, which could tempt some individuals to compromise themselves by behaving irresponsibly and casting a shadow over the happiness of their families. There must be other ways to ensure the welfare of these workers and their families.
David Chan, Yau Ma Tei
Respite from social media would be nice
Whether the hype around artificial intelligence is justified only time will tell. What I do find interesting is American demand for dumbphones. Social media, constant advertising and such seem to be taking their toll and users are beginning to want some respite.
I have always thought a “no social media day” is needed once a month and may break the hold tech companies have on consumers. Walking around Hong Kong would be a more comfortable experience if we didn’t have to avoid screen-watchers all the time.
Duncan Hancock, Lamma Island
