Revolution by Emmanuel Macron

Author:Emmanuel Macron
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BIO026000, BIO011000, HIS037080
Publisher: Scribe Publications
Published: 2017-11-13T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Reconciling France in all its guises

The French dream has always been one of unification. From its base in Paris, the state has long sought to achieve uniformity, to provide the same services and to put in place the same infrastructure all over France. Nevertheless, for many years now, the continuing fragmentation of our country has been happening before our very eyes.

France, like the rest of the world, is facing the effects of “metropolisation”. Large cities are the real winners in the opening up of our society, and they offer higher-value jobs. Moreover, 50 per cent of global GDP is generated in only three hundred of the world’s cities, and 50 per cent of French GDP is generated in fifteen of our conurbations, with Paris and the greater Paris region ranking at the top. On the other hand, the rest of France hosts 80 per cent of the most disadvantaged: those who are hit hard by factory closures, the withdrawal of public services, and limited access to the labour market and to cultural activities.

By making this point, I don’t mean we have to stop cities expanding. On the contrary: they are an opportunity for our country, a source of development, business, employment, and influence.

So, in that case, should we give up on this dream of a homogenous France, where a single model is to be applied in each region? I believe so. Let’s face facts: people’s lives are not the same when they live in Lyon or in the Normandy port of Cherbourg, and living in the suburbs of Paris or on the banks of the Loire is not the same thing. Needs for infrastructure and services differ from one place to another. The time when Paris could make the same promises all over the country is past. We now need to make sure that each conurbation can drive the development of neighbouring areas, and help to harmonise economic activity.

However, at the same time, we need to remember that each city has a grave responsibility to its region. Today, our flourishing cities can ensure that no rural area in France is condemned to a bleak future. Conurbations house 40 per cent of the population, as well as creating 70 per cent of private-sector jobs created. A key step in France’s development, in my view, is taking advantage of the complementary nature of our largest cities and our newly extended administrative regions.

While being essential to our future, cities also have their dark side. They attract people, sometimes from afar, wishing to escape poverty, and tend to lead to social divides. On the one hand, there are affluent districts bustling with vitality, and, on the other hand, some boroughs are getting poorer every day and even turning into ghettos. Today, life in our cities is all too often lived in uncomfortable proximity, and we should be aware that tomorrow, if we do nothing, this could mutate into a face-off.

This is why I firmly believe that the first of the social measures we need to take is to reconfigure our towns and cities, and bring back diversity.

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