French President Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest since he took office in 2017, with 80% of people saying they do not trust him, a new survey has shown. 

Macron was backed by just 15% of respondents, according to the new poll conducted for Le Figaro Magazine and published on Wednesday. About eight in ten expressed a negative view of his leadership, while the rest gave no clear answer – leaving him with a weaker rating than during the Yellow Vest protests, a mass anti-government movement that erupted in 2018 over fuel taxes and economic inequality.

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou fared no better in the survey, with trust in him also hitting record lows. Just 14% said they trust him, while 82% expressed the opposite – his weakest score since taking office as prime minister. Bayrou, who was appointed after Michel Barnier’s government collapsed last year, is now pushing a controversial austerity plan as France struggles with a spiraling budget deficit that hit 5.8% of GDP in 2024 – almost double the EU 3% ceiling.

His proposals include scrapping two public holidays to boost productivity, cutting public sector jobs, and freezing welfare payments and pensions, which are typically tied to inflation. Defense spending, however, will increase. France’s military budget is slated to rise to €64 billion ($69 billion) in 2027, double the 2017 level, with an additional €6.5 billion over the next two years. The plan has sparked backlash, with left-wing parties accusing the government of prioritizing military spending over social welfare.

The only French politician to see a rise in trust was right-wing opposition leader Jordan Bardella, who now tops the rankings. The survey found he had gained support not only from conservatives but also from left-wing and centrist sympathizers.

Bayrou, who has survived eight no-confidence motions, still needs parliamentary backing for his proposals before the budget is presented in October. His push for a new vote of confidence has only added to the turmoil, Le Figaro wrote, which warned that there could be an explosion of social unrest at any moment.

https://www.rt.com/news/624038-macron-public-approval-sinks/?ysclid=mf7e80rsr1664016766

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

Thousands marched through Paris on Saturday, demanding the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron and calling for France to leave the EU.

Macron’s approval rating has dropped to its lowest level since he took office in 2017, amid a spiraling budget deficit and growing discontent with his government’s financial policies.

Around 80% of French people say they do not trust Macron, according to a poll conducted for Le Figaro and published on Wednesday.

Trust in Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, the fifth to hold the post in less than two years, has also fallen to record lows.

Protesters carried placards reading “Let’s stop Macron, let’s stop the war” and “Frexit,” a French play on Brexit.

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https://www.rt.com/news/624221-protest-paris-macron-resign/

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

This report highlights a coordinated effort by French President Emmanuel Macron, his successive governments, members of the French Parliament, academic institutions, and state-affiliated NGOs working together to force the most influential social media company to censor legitimate speech, hand over sensitive internal data, and regulate Twitter's "content moderation" worldwide, extending well beyond its borders.

Case Study: The Twitter Files France

by Pascal Clérotte and Thomas Fazi – Source
September 3, 2025

The EU and France could soon force digital platforms to censor American users. As of the publication date of this report, September 3, 2025, European censorship is the main sticking point in ongoing trade negotiations with the Trump administration. Last year, the EU's top digital censor, former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, threatened Elon Musk with sanctions after he conducted an interview with Donald Trump on X. Many believe that social media platforms could, for political and economic reasons, be forced to accept European censorship.

This report highlights a coordinated effort by French President Emmanuel Macron, his successive governments, members of the French Parliament, academic institutions, and state-affiliated NGOs working together to force the most influential social media platform to censor legitimate speech, hand over sensitive internal data, and regulate Twitter's "content moderation" worldwide, extending well beyond France's borders. It should also be noted that the censorship sought by Emmanuel Macron is merely the culmination of a process initiated by his predecessor, the Socialist François Hollande. Our investigation shows that:

— Emmanuel Macron persistently attempted to communicate directly with Twitter's then-CEO, Jack Dorsey;
— France and the EU are clearly seeking to impose Western-wide censorship;
— NGOs affiliated with the French government have demanded access to sensitive internal Twitter data and content moderation processes;
— French authorities are using NGOs, as supposedly independent public interest organizations or "fact checkers," thereby authorizing them to do what the law prohibits them from doing: obliquely impose prior censorship of user-generated content on the platforms.

This report is illustrated by the TWITTER FILES – FRANCE, a study of internal Twitter communications whose authenticity has been established. It reveals how the French government legally invented the censorship industrial complex over fifty years ago. France laid the foundations for the sophisticated institutional and regulatory framework that now prevails throughout Europe, notably through the Digital Services Act (DSA), the legislative regulation at the heart of the trade conflict between the Trump administration and Europe.

The Twitter Files, court documents, and other documents obtained through subpoenas from the US Congress between 2022 and 2024 revealed an objective alliance between the US administration, the state apparatus—particularly the law enforcement and intelligence apparatus—and the non-profit sector, led by NGOs, to impose partisan and ideological censorship of heterodox, anti-establishment, or dissident speech on digital platforms. Today, the Trump administration has cut off the US censorship industrial complex and imposed a return to the First Amendment, which guarantees full freedom of expression. However, this complex is gaining strength in Europe, particularly in France. President Emmanuel Macron, in his speech on the eve of July 14, 2025, emphasized the urgent need for "cognitive security." This extension of the national security state to the minds of citizens is the culmination of a long evolution of state-coordinated control of discourse and narrative.

French public broadcasting is currently the largest media group in the country. The overwhelming majority of private mainstream media outlets are owned by oligarchs who owe a significant portion of their wealth to the state—through public procurement, operating licenses, or public funding. The press is subsidized by the state to the tune of a third of its revenue. In France, freedom of expression is tightly regulated, as is democracy. The elite, drawn from the senior civil service, determines by law or regulation the spectrum of opinions acceptable in the national debate. Certain opinions are criminalized, punishable by fines or imprisonment. Since criminal offenses relating to the exercise of freedom of expression are, for the most part, not included in the penal code, the state does not have the power to initiate prosecutions. Public action is initiated by state-accredited NGOs, acting de jure and de facto as private prosecutors.

Over the past thirty years, technological progress has virtually removed all barriers to entry in the publishing and broadcast media sectors. The state can no longer control freedom of expression as it once did, but is striving to exert the same control over digital media through increased regulation as it did over traditional media.

The election of Donald Trump in 2016 and the allegations of Russian interference—a manipulation orchestrated by the Hillary Clinton campaign and factions within the US intelligence services—sparked a legislative frenzy in Europe. The establishment suddenly realized that social media, which contributed to the fall of authoritarian regimes during the Arab Spring, could just as easily be the instrument of its own downfall. With neoliberalism, globalism, multiculturalism, and the European Union all having failed, elites consider strict control of expression as the primary means of preserving their power and privileges in the face of the unstoppable rise of populist and sovereignist movements.

The French state has developed the most efficient censorship industrial complex in Europe. It refrains from conducting searches and arrests by law enforcement, as in the United Kingdom or Germany, because the law does not allow it with regard to freedom of expression. Instead, it operates a subtle system of social, media, administrative, and judicial pressure on citizens and platforms. Since 2018, a series of repressive laws aimed at regulating freedom of expression online has been adopted, under the guise of protecting children, minorities, and society as a whole from "hate" and illegal content. The French government and the European Union are seeking to build a panopticon of social control, including delegated censorship to NGOs and the end of anonymity and privacy, which involves extrajudicially compelling platforms to automatically pre-bunk content. The French government is even considering creating its own benchmark algorithm to detect platform bias and require corrections to their algorithms accordingly.

This is in line with broader initiatives at the EU and NATO levels. In addition to the DSA, the EU has introduced biometric identity cards for the possible introduction of the digital euro and a digital wallet containing administrative elements, health data, and other information. Projects are under development to make certain services, such as access to social networks, accessible only through digital identity. France's desire to ban social networks for those under 15 aims to force all citizens to identify themselves in order to control their online activities. At the same time, the EU-NATO partnership is based on a series of joint initiatives. Cybersecurity and the fight against disinformation are a key aspect of this. These include, for example, the NATO Cyber ​​Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn and the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki, which work together.

The management of the Covid pandemic has largely violated all individual freedoms. It has proven to be a resounding failure. Continued efforts to curb online freedom of expression could suffer the same fate, as technology evolves faster than regulation. Meanwhile, freedom of expression is a shadow of its former self and is increasingly becoming a privilege granted to those who do not deviate from the official narrative.

https://www.les-crises.fr/revelations-comment-la-france-a-invente-le-complexe-industriel-de-censure-twitter-files/

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

Macron’s government is collapsing. Here’s why Ukraine should worry
A €44 billion austerity gamble, strikes in the streets, and promises to Kiev about to go up in smoke

France’s government is once again on the verge of collapse. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou faces near-certain defeat in a confidence vote over a disputed austerity plan, a showdown that threatens President Emmanuel Macron’s authority at home and casts doubt on Paris’ ability to deliver on its ambitious promises abroad – including security guarantees for Ukraine.

Bayrou has staked his survival on a confidence vote scheduled for Monday, September 8. At issue is an austerity package worth €44 billion, meant to shrink France’s deficit from 5.4% of GDP in 2025 toward 4.6% in 2026. Under EU fiscal rules, the official ceiling is 3%, so Brussels is pressuring Paris to cut deeper. But the plan – which includes reducing public holidays and raising healthcare contributions – has triggered anger at home. Trade unions are preparing strikes, while opposition parties from the far left to the far right have pledged to vote against Bayrou. With his government already in a minority, few in Paris believe he can survive.

Francois Bayrou is one of the most familiar names in French politics. He leads the centrist Democratic Movement (MoDem) and has been mayor of the city of Pau since 2014. Back in 2017, his endorsement was crucial for Macron, giving the then-upstart candidate credibility in the political center. As president, Macron briefly made him justice minister, and after Michel Barnier was forced out in late 2024, Bayrou was elevated to prime minister to hold together Macron’s fragile coalition. But with his budget collapsing and support evaporating, the man once hailed as a stabilizer is now being blamed for dragging Macron further into crisis.

In France, governments can invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution to force a bill through the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, without a vote. The mechanism has existed since 1958 and is legal, but risky: once Article 49.3 is triggered, opposition lawmakers have 24 hours to file a no-confidence motion. If that motion passes, the government falls. Bayrou’s decision to use 49.3 turned his €44 billion austerity plan into a survival gamble.

Bayrou chose confrontation over compromise. By tying his austerity program directly to a confidence vote, he hoped to project resolve. The package included unpopular measures such as cutting public holidays and raising healthcare charges. Instead of rallying deputies behind him, the move united nearly every opposition faction. The far-right National Rally, the Socialists, and the leftist France Unbowed all declared they would vote him out, filing no-confidence motions that set up a showdown on Monday. What was meant to be a show of strength turned into political suicide.

If Bayrou falls, Macron is left exposed: he’s going to have to pick between two bad options. He can install a Socialist prime minister to get a budget through parliament, effectively conceding control of domestic policy. Or he can gamble on snap elections, which polls suggest would hand more seats to Le Pen’s National Rally. With Macron’s approval ratings already scraping historic lows, either choice would deepen the sense of a weakened presidency. Commentators warn that if markets lose confidence in France’s ability to control its 5.4% of GDP deficit and 110% debt-to-GDP ratio, the country could face a crisis reminiscent of Britain’s “mini-budget” turmoil under Liz Truss.

On foreign policy, Bayrou has been a vocal supporter of Kiev. In March 2025, he openly criticized Washington for pushing Ukraine to negotiate peace with Moscow, calling such demands “unbearable.” He argued that pushing concessions would humiliate Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and amount to rewarding Russia. Inside Macron’s government, Bayrou has been one of the strongest advocates of sustained European backing for Ukraine, insisting that Paris must stand firm.

For Kiev, French instability brings real costs.
 

Cash flow: The €3 billion pledged for 2024 but still not disbursed was meant to cover weapons and financial aid. But such spending has to pass through the annual budget. With Bayrou’s plan collapsing and parliament in revolt, securing new funds will be politically and legally harder for any caretaker government.
 
Losing an ally: Bayrou’s exit would strip Kiev of one of its most reliable advocates inside the French cabinet. By contrast, opposition parties – and even voices within Macron’s camp – have been more skeptical of pouring money into Kiev while cutting spending at home. His departure strips Macron of a key advocate inside the cabinet.
 
Security guarantees in limbo: Macron has positioned France as the organizer of the “Coalition of the Willing,” where 26 countries promised postwar guarantees for Ukraine, potentially including a reassurance force. Such a plan requires stable leadership, funding commitments, and parliamentary approval. A government in turmoil cannot push through the legal and financial framework needed to turn pledges into reality.
 
‘Armed to the teeth’ peace plan: Macron has also announced an extra €6.5 billion in defense spending for 2025-2027, lifting France’s annual budget from about €47 billion in 2024 to €64 billion by 2027 – a roughly 35% increase. This blurs the line between “peace guarantees” and outright militarization, reinforcing Moscow’s argument that Europe’s settlement talk is cover for escalation.

The fallout would reach Brussels as well. The EU relies on France, the bloc’s second-largest economy, to underwrite collective aid to Kiev, yet the €3 billion pledge Paris made for 2024 is in doubt. That damages the bloc’s credibility as a reliable funder at a time when Germany is reluctant to shoulder the costs alone. Macron has also styled himself as the champion of “strategic autonomy,” calling together with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for a stronger European defense role. But as the Financial Times has noted, those ambitions collide with weak finances and political divisions. With France paralyzed, the EU’s claim to speak with one voice looks hollow, and existing rifts – from Hungary’s open skepticism to Slovakia’s resistance on energy and sanctions – are harder to conceal.

Bayrou’s downfall would leave Macron weaker at home and less credible abroad. France’s ability to anchor the EU’s Ukraine policy looks shaky, Kiev’s guarantees are cast into doubt, and Moscow can argue convincingly that Europe’s talk of peace is inseparable from its rush to militarize.

https://www.rt.com/news/624239-macron-government-collapsing-bayrou/

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.