Progressive elites that control bureaucracy, key institutions, and the media, focus on fighting against emissions and diesel cars, deeper European integration, the right to settle in a country of people´s choice and LGBT rights. Meanwhile, they completely ignore the stagnant or declining living standards of people and their prospects for the future.
The election of Donald Trump, Brexit, and the protests of the Yellow Vests in France – the elites try to explain these by saying that the people have been manipulated – by no one else than Russia, of course. They do not accept that dissatisfied people have free will and have had enough of the direction in which their country develops. It is easier not to think about the real problems of the majority of the society and to blame a foreign manipulation.
Fortunately for France and the whole of Europe, Emmanuel Macron has left this strategy. He acknowledged his mistakes and admitted that the anger of the French is right and deep. He promised to reassess the priorities and to be particularly interested in the standard of living of the French. Anyway, he had no choice.
What Macron has offered to the French is just a recipe for calming the streets: higher minimum wages, exemption of part of the pensions from taxes, untaxed pre-Christmas bonuses.
However, the priorities change. Emmanuel Macron will no longer fight against emissions, which increases the fuel price. He will not promote the closure of nuclear power plants that makes electricity more expensive. He will no longer be able to burn as much energy to seek a deeper integration of the European Union or to promote joint debts within the eurozone. And, of course, he will not have the time to criticize Poland, Hungary, and try to divide the Visegrad Four during the official visits similar to the recent meeting with Andrej Babiš.
Macron understood that he could not please the progressive elites as well as the majority of the French. Of course, he chose the majority which is a step that will fundamentally transform Europe. If France resists, there is no chance the progressive green revolution could be enforced in the European Union.
