Macron’s weakness

British politics has seen its fair share of dramas in recent times, but our nearest Continental neighbour is being convulsed by upheavals of its own. Emmanuel Macron has been battling to engineer a change to the French state pension, increasing the age at which it can be received from 62 to 64 – still well below the UK and many other European countries.

After a series of protests and mass strikes, the measure has come before the French National Assembly, passing through the upper house but uncertain of a majority in the lower chamber. Facing possible defeat, President Macron cancelled the vote and now proposes to force the reform though using his executive fiat.

He says he was re-elected last April on a pledge to make the change, but because his party lost its parliamentary majority he is unable to do so.

Political leaders around Europe will be envious of a French president’s ability to override a troublesome legislature. He is not the first to exercise his power under Article 49.3 of the constitution, but to do so when he faces opposition from so many quarters is a challenge to French democracy, an uncomfortable position for the darling of Europhile progressives to adopt.

His government now faces a censure motion which, if lost, could trigger a general election, possibly placing Mr Macron in an even weaker position if his centrist alliance loses more seats. The president maintains that France cannot afford future pension commitments without reform but opinion polls show he is opposed by 70 per cent of voters. Less than a year after his re-election, he is in a fight to uphold his credibility and authority. It is one he seems to be losing.