Gerard Filoche, a French politician and former member of the Socialist Party, told Sputnik France that Macron apparently made this statement about Frexit because “the ‘no’ of the May 29, 2005 referendum (on the European Constitution) gained more ground during the last 13 years.”
"And if a referendum will be held, the ‘no’ will win again. Not because the people of France are against Europe, but because they say ‘no’ to liberal Europe. They said ‘no’ to Sarkozy and Hollande because these two were promoting liberal Europe, with its rules that led to unemployment, inequality, austerity and poverty, and at the same time help raise fortunes and foster financial empires," he said.
"Macron is a creation of major French enterprises, banks and those nine billionaires who control the media. As Jean d'Ormesson put it, "Macron doesn’t have a backbone, he lives because others fall." And because of the discord among the left, who still enjoy the support of the majority of the working masses," the politician claimed.
According to Filoche, Macron conducts Europe-oriented policy just like Angela Merkel, “who is supported by the minority in Germany.”
"There is a financial dictatorship in Europe that disregards the will of the people. During elections, which display an extremely low voter turnout in all countries, voters are being blackmailed with unemployment, crisis, migrant problem and the like. This is where the horrible things like unemployment, ultra-right nationalism and ignorance stem from," he stated.
However, Frederic Saint Clair, a political analyst and former adviser to former French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, argued that Macron’s actions were anything but a display of weakness.
"He could’ve admitted his own weakness by either abandoning his plans or by making them subject to an ideology that disregards the opinion of the French people. In this case however, Macron apparently seeks to become the leader of the reformed European project, which would be more suitable to people’s expectations. The weakness may eventually become apparent when the time comes to assess the results of his actions. If he fails, the euroskeptics would get a powerful trump card," the analyst remarked.
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According to Saint Clair, Macron considers himself a pragmatist and therefore should act as a realist in matters concerning public opinion.
"By making this statement, he apparently wanted to show how he took note of the mistrust the French exhibit toward the EU, and at the same time because he knows that he needs to succeed in reforming Europe," he surmised.
During an interview with the BBC, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that the people of France would probably vote to secede from the EU if they were to hold an analogue of the Brexit referendum.
According to the French head of state, "you always take a risk when you have such a [Brexit-like] referendum, just 'yes' or 'no' in a very complicated aspect," though he added that since the context in the UK and France “was very different” he doesn't want “take any bets.”
Macron added that he would also welcome Britain’s hypothetical return to the EU fold, stating that he both respects and regrets the Brexit vote.
The views and opinions expressed by Gerard Filoche and Frederic Saint Clair are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
