The election

As the UK swings to the left, many countries in Europe have swung to the right. In the recent European Parliament Elections in France the far-right Rassemblement National (erstwhile Front National)did exceptionally well. Following that M Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called elections for the National Assembly on 30 June and 7 July.

France has several levels of election.

1) Presidential elections. The President is directly elected and it is he who puts forward a programme of legislation. He has immense power and prestige.

2) Legislative elections. Députés are elected to the Assemblée Nationale. These represent their constituencies or circonscriptions. I have no idea who our député is, and I can't imagine a situation where I might write to them. French friends don't know, either. The National Assemblée is a control on the president's power.

The French Parliament has a second chamber, the Sénat. Senators are elected by an electoral college made up of députés, members of the municipal councils and other people. They elect the great and the good, for a mandate of 6 years.

3) Regional and departmental elections, where the regional and departmental councils are elected.

4) European elections, to the European parliament.

5) Municipal elections, where you vote for a Mayoral candidate and their municipal council.

It seems to me that with all these layers of government, French people take most interest in the elections that affect their lives most directly, that is the President and the Mayor. These people can make a big difference to your life. The others are part of how France is managed.

Some French friends remain confident that we won't end up with a far-right parliament. The far-right parties emerged out of the remains of the Vichy collaboration and the far-right parties of the pre-war period. They are sometimes seen as anti-republican  

Meanwhile the media are in a frenzy, the parties of the left, long in disarray, are trying to collaborate and people who occupy a broadly centrist position, similar to that of Macron, are trying to mobilise centrist voters while not tying themselves to Macron's apron-strings so that they can have a chance at the presidency when Macron's mandate is over in 2027.

The Le Pen family have ceded leadership of the Rassemblement National to a smart looking young man named Jordan Bardella, but Marine Le Pen remains a very big presence. I find it hard to believe that the French will vote in a far-right government.

But then I didn't think the British would vote for Brexit, so what do I know?