Macron must regain support of the street

Almost two decades ago a new fresh-faced leader of the centre-Left emerged in Europe and appeared, having won a historic election, on the cusp of changing politics in his country. But as he flew higher, he lost a sense of the public mood and failed to face up early on to a crisis that brought his modern industrial society to a halt. Then the country was Britain and the young prime minister Tony Blair. Today the nation is France; and the leader is Emmanuel Macron.

Then, as now, a series of seemingly leaderless protests saw aggrieved social constituents latch on to a narrowly framed but popular economic grievance: the rising cost of fuel due to green taxes. Rioters torched cars and buildings in Paris at the weekend. Scribbled on the Arc de Triomphe was ‘‘Macron resignation’’. His pro-business rhetoric and tin ear for the street have seen him cast as the embodiment of the elite, disconnected from the country, and willing to favour the rich. He needs to regain his popular touch.

As part of that, it would be smarter now to steer Europe away from market-heavy policies and put a greater emphasis on growth in France’s economy. The unemployment rate is still stubbornly close to 10 per cent. Macron is right that the eurozone would operate better with a federal fiscal capacity and a full banking union. But he can only make those arguments by winning over voters at home.