THE POLITICAL EARTHQUAKES OF THE EU ELECTIONS !

In France, the EU Elections, in which the National Front (NF) won 24 seats, provoked two earthquakes which now dominate all discussions:   

   -  One concerns French National Politics

   -  The second concerns the political changes expected in the EU Parliament where other extreme right NF parties have also gained additional MEPs.

 

The disarray of all the parties in France who lost a total of 22 seats to the NF means errors of judgement before the 2012 General Election must now be seen in a new light and corrected.

In particular the UMP party which had several similar political objectives as NF but refused any collaboration with that party, must now rethink its strategy.  It led to the defeat of President Sarkozy by François Hollande and also the defeat of UMP at the General election.  It is expected that UMP heads will roll and that Sarkozy will reappear on the political stage !

The Socialists also and President Hollande in particular, must reappraise their position. The popularity of President Hollande is now at its lowest ebb. His popularity is the lowest of any of the preceding six Presidents since the creation of the Fifth Republic by de Gaulle in 1960. 

The new Prime Minister, Manual Valls, appointed recently after the disasterous Local Election results, is clearly conscious of what needs to be done.

 

The second "Earthquake" will result in changes in the organisation and the politics of the EU Parliament in Brussels.   Changes to Treaties must also be made. 

In spite of these "earthquakes" nothing will be easy.  There are 28 member states now, large and small !  All will protect their national interests !  

The first problem to be surmounted is the election of a new President of the EU Commission to replace the retiring Manual Barroso.  This will produce a lot of political wrangling and could take weeks if not months before a suitable "President" can be "adopted" ! 

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