Emmanuel Macron’s appointment of Michel Barnier as prime minister of France means three things.
First, he is wary of pretenders to his presidential throne. Barnier used to consider himself one, but at 73 he’s generally thought too old.
Second, Macron desperately needs a bridge-builder if he’s to stay plausible as president himself for the rest of his second term, which by rights ends in 2027. Without one, the Fifth Republic will remain ungovernable with the centre-right and hard left irreconcilable and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally biding its time as kingmaker and base for Le Pen’s next run for president. With Barnier, Macron at least stands a chance.
Barnier is known in the UK as the EU’s meticulous Brexit negotiator, who came with rules and ring binders to meetings the British attended with half-formed thoughts at best. In France he’s the proud Savoyard who brought the Winter Olympics to Albertville, and a moderate Républicain with a record of political dealmaking.
The third meaning of his appointment is that if he fails to form a durable government Macron probably has no Plan B. As Politico reports, the Élysee has been considering alternative PMs in a state of mounting anxiety, and discarding them all.
