The French Left Has Little to Gain From Bailing Out Macron

""The prime minister has given no clear response" to the demands from unions, Marylise Leon, first secretary of the center-left CFDT, told reporters following Wednesday's talks. "We've already gone twice [to speak with Lecornu] in 10 days and he had nothing to say to us," Sophie Binet, leader of the left-wing CGT, said on France 2 later that same evening, referring to the two rounds of talks with the head of government since his mid-September appointment."

"Union leadership can point to a groundswell of popular support as they bargain for a fiscal compromise that includes taxation on the ultra-wealthy and the protection of public services. After a successful day of marches and strikes on September 18, when between 500,000 and a million protesters took to the streets in cities and towns across the country, the unions hope to again turn up the pressure with a new day of action on October 2."

"President Emmanuel Macron tapped Lecornu as PM on September 9, the day after the ouster of François Bayrou's government. Yet the new premier is on no firmer ground than his predecessor, as he seeks to preserve Macron's pro-business agenda and win support for a cost-cutting 2026 budget. France's centrist bloc is warning that the country is on the cusp of a fiscal crisis, with a budget deficit expected to reach 5.4 percent of GDP in 2025 or higher-the current record in the eurozone."

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has made little progress forming a government more than two weeks after his nomination and struggles to secure a 2026 budget. He met main trade union leaders on September 24 but has been unwilling to make substantive concessions on taxation and social policy, complicating efforts to win Socialist Party support in the lower house. Union leaders reported no clear responses and cite strong public backing after September 18 marches that drew between 500,000 and a million protesters. Unions press for taxation on the ultra-wealthy and protection of public services and plan further action on October 2. Macron appointed Lecornu on September 9 after the ouster of François Bayrou's government, while centrists warn of a looming fiscal crisis with a projected 2025 deficit around 5.4 percent of GDP.

Read at The Nation