The Green Party kicked some ass in the French local elections last week. From the Guardian:
“Lyon, Strasbourg and Bordeaux; Besançon, Poitiers and Tours: the list of powerful cities that turned green, after France’s municipal elections last weekend, was long and impressive. Marseille has been a conservative fiefdom for decades. But a leftwing alliance propelled Michèle Rubirola, the candidate of Europe Ecology – France’s Green party – to the mayoralty. These were totemic victories, turning the once-peripheral Green party into a significant player in urban France.”
This is no sudden came-out-of-nowhere surprise. The Greens already showed off their super-spinach powers in last year’s European elections. Not to mention:
“It seems certain that the politics of Covid-19 played a part in generating green momentum in France. The origins of the pandemic, and its effect on globalised supply chains, has led to a renewed focus across Europe on food security, local produce and environmental standards. A forced re-evaluation of urban living has led to new government money for greener forms of transport and a focus on home-working. Cities such as Bordeaux and Lyon can now be expected to be at the forefront of innovation and experiment in designing greener, cleaner cities for the future.”
This left-leaning wave has not left dear Mr Macron indifferent as his centrist party crumbles at the edges:
“The French president, Emmanuel Macron – whose own party endured a poor election night – has quickly made new environmental commitments in the wake of the results. Mr Macron has promised to provide an extra €15bn to smooth a transition to a low-carbon economy and to implement some of the demands of the citizens’ assembly he convened on the climate emergency. In negotiating bailouts with France’s stricken car and aviation industries, he has demanded stiffer electrification and emissions reduction targets.”
Progress seems to be accelerating. Good work Greenies!
Heart. Filled. With. Joy.