The French Centre Right and the Challenges of a Party System in Transition by William Rispin

Author:William Rispin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030608941
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Conclusion

The problems encountered by François Fillon during the presidential elections of 2017 stemmed in part from a failure by the Centre Right to respond effectively to the realignment of the French party system over economic policy, and to adapt to the concerns of the electorate relating to economic liberalism.

Under the Fifth Republic, French governments have historically supported the existence of a strong, interventionist state, and this has been popular with the French people. They have seen dirigisme not merely as key to creating a successful economy, but have also traditionally believed a protective state to be part of their national identity. In contrast to more economically liberal countries, such as Britain and the USA, which are seen as promoting untamed capitalism and the ‘survival of the fittest’, the French model was believed to be protective of its citizens and to promote equality. This view was still held by a significant section of the population during the Hollande presidency. The French economy continued to be characterised by a large state sector, and polls consistently showed that France was one of the European countries where the population was most sceptical about liberal capitalism.

However, the attitudes of a growing number of French citizens towards the economy were beginning to evolve, as successive governments had failed to resolve long-standing problems, and there was a growing acceptance of the case for some level of liberal reform. In domestic terms, many were concerned that, rather than promoting equality, the existing system was protecting those in state jobs at the expense of the rest of the population. The failure to resolve the issue of unemployment, which had remained high for decades, also encouraged a change of attitude. On the international stage, whereas France had liked to consider itself a leader in Europe, its poor economic performance clearly showed that it was now Germany which had the most influence within the EU. In order for France to improve its economic position, it was generally agreed by those in the Centre that the role of the state would have to be reduced.

The increasing turn towards liberal economic policies has been part of the process of a wider decline in traditional ideological divisions between parties. As we saw in the first chapter, historic links between socio-economic groups and parties had been in decline since the 1970s. Mitterrand’s abandonment of the Socialist experiment in favour of a greater role for business in the economy in the early 1980s started a period of convergence between the Centre Left and Centre Right over economic policy. Following Mitterrand’s U-turn in the 1980s, politicians from both sides of the divide often enacted similar economic policies when in power, and so we might talk of a ‘consensus of government’ in this area. This was also seen during the Hollande presidency, particularly with the appointment of Emmanuel Macron as Minister of the Economy, who was responsible for the introduction of several liberal economic measures. There was a wide acceptance by parties and voters across the Centre Left and Centre Right of the need to reduce the role of the state and give support to private enterprise.

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