An electoral alliance fronted by Jean Luc Melenchon has topped the poll in the first round of the French Parliamentary elections held on 12th June. A second round takes place on 19th June. Melenchon probably won’t get more seats than Macron’s loose centrist grouping but enough for the left to have a voice in Parliament.
The French political system is different to the UKs but Melenchon’s alliance of the declining Socialist and Communist parties, the Greens and his own support might best be seen in UK terms as broad left. The interesting thing is that its political demands come from the left of the alliance not the right.
The French far left which got millions of votes in the Presidential election is not part of Melenchon’s alliance though no doubt some will vote for it.
Others may think that while electoral politics has importance battles in the workplace and in the streets may still be decisive in pushing back Macron
Meanwhile one wonders what Starmer’s Great Moving Right Show makes of electoral success from the left across the Channel?
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