I was recently across in Paris to visit the Archives Nationales. They were closed on one of the days because of the widespread strikes organised in protest against planned pension reforms. While the archive was closed, I popped into the studio at France24 to talk about the pesnion reforms more broadly: On my way back from the studio, I stopped by the Place de l’Opéra … Continue reading Pension Reform & Strikes
I appeared on the France24 show ‘The Debate’ to discuss the planned introduction of pension reforms in France. The clip is available below, outlining the different approaches to passing the bill, its historical precedents, and the likely public and syndical reactions to the plans. From the channel’s description: “French pension reform plan: Macron between a rock and a hard place? • FRANCE 24 English The … Continue reading F24 Debate: Pension Reform Plan
I was invited to contribute a quickfire blog piece to the website Comment Central. You can find the blog by clicking on the image below: Continue reading Can Macron March Again?
I’ve been doing a regular slot for France24 in their flagship ‘Perspectives’ slot, looking at the latest in the 2022 French Presidential election as it develops. It’s been a helpful way to gather thoughts, track the progress of the campaign and to contribute in some small way to wider discussions about the political choices on offer. On 7th March, I spoke in a segment they … Continue reading Perspective: French Presidential Election 2022 on France24
On the 12th February, two boys Augustin and Anatole had a sign confiscated on the way into the France vs Ireland Six Nations rugby match. Their father, a journalist, took to Twitter to express his disbelief, before the French Rugby Federation came good, reassuring them that the team’s captain had received the message of support. This was not a political message, they confirmed, and Antoine … Continue reading Sovereign fairy tales: the President’s new clothes?
Like most cities, New York is awash with memorials which speak of civic, national and international memories of past conflicts. Yet, in writing a lecture, I enjoyed discovering more about a memorial on its outskirts which struck me as decidedly unusual. I was writing a lecture about the aftermath of war, De Gaulle’s presidency, and the ways in which the legacies of conflict shaped diplomacy. … Continue reading “A Greater and Better Humanity”: Memory and trails of De Gaulle
Qonspiracy These might be the interesting times that people warned us about… I was approached by a journalist to talk about the way that conspiracism (and in particular the QAnon conspiracy) had developed in France in recent months (with the resulting article published by France24 here) and then shortly after by another (with the Vice article pubished here). It struck me that in the context … Continue reading Qonspiracy
One of the things I enjoy about teaching Contemporary History and Politics is the sense of a subject in motion. Sometimes, however, that motion can take you by surprise. On the morning of Wednesday 14th October, I was asked by France24 to watch French President Emmanuel Macron’s evening broadcast about his government’s approach to tackling the COVID-19 crisis and provide some instant analysis afterwards. I … Continue reading COVID-19 and Macron’s “Society of Free Individuals”
The slick Caius Preposterous knew how to turn a deal. He also knew the way to political power. How to subdue the rebellious Gauls? “Easy, O Caesar. Gold, the profit motive will enfeeble them and keep them busy. We must corrupt them.” When Goscinny and Uderzo needed a flash young man to seduce Obelix & Co in 1976, they needed look no further than to … Continue reading Apples and Sestertii: Shifting Symbols of Chirac
I wrote up some thoughts on the recent Gilets Jaunes protests taking place in France. You can read the article across at the ‘Age of Revolutions’ blog here: https://ageofrevolutions.com/2018/12/13/the-gilets-jaunes-protest-a-grand-refusal-in-an-age-of-commuter-democracy/ Image credit: By Thomas Bresson – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74933095 Continue reading The Gilets Jaunes Protest: A Grand Refusal in an Age of Commuter Democracy
Dr Andrew W. M. Smith 