At a time when, all around the world, billions of dollars are being exchanged continuously above our heads with just a click of the mouse, it has (well) become clear that the (real) power of politicians has shrunk like a Dobby’s hood.
It’s hard to compete against the governance of multinational companies, becoming increasingly wealthy, which can, through (fiscal) calculations and their (financial) might, relocate their activities and jobs easily, with countries always ready to welcome them with open arms!
It is so true that the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Ireland, to name but a few, have forgone collecting taxes (though due) from giants like Google and Amazon. This is not an act of generosity between good friends, but rather fear of losing these companies which might be tempted to look elsewhere (should we dare) to demand what they owe.
We are thus (almost) back to the days of the Wild West. Except the stagecoaches have been replaced by central banks, and in the role of the firefighter, the generosity of taxpayers is called upon to extinguish the fires lit by deregulation, rampant speculation, short-termism (often in the stock market) elevated to a doctrine, a (hyper) thoughtless capitalism that no one controls anymore.
That’s why, in form rather than substance, I was (quite) impressed by Macron’s performance on the small screen the other night. While everything is speeding up, and radios and TVs demand responses from politicians in 30 seconds (at best) even on complex subjects, the president took the time to elaborate his thoughts to explain his actions. For that, at least, he deserves credit.
It has become so rare that one is quite surprised he took the time to take his time. He did not dispatch a problem with a “pschitt” formula like Jacques Chirac before him. And if he let himself indulge in a small “croquignolesque,” it echoes the “abracadabrantesque” that he was apparently once whispered by Dominique de Villepin.
Emmanuel Macron thus addressed intelligence (rather than emotion). He dissected, specified, at the risk perhaps of losing his audience (between 9 and 10 million viewers). In any case, post-interview surveys show that two-thirds of people are “dissatisfied” with the actions of the president and the government.
Explain, always explain, hoping to convince, that’s the question. With less power than before, politicians must at least save face…
by Jean-Michel Chevalier, Les Petites Affiches
