France´s political crises are always played out in riots - unlike Britain´s | Simon Jenkins
(The Guardian France)

It´s the latest alternative `project fear´ from hard Brexiters - unrest in the event of a parliamentary impasse. But it´s unlikelyCould France happen here? There seems no desperation to which hard Brexiters will not turn in alternative `project fear`. Yes, feelings are running high. Yes, people on both sides will feel lied to and cheated, whatever the outcome when some deal is finally reached. But rioting down Regent Street, punch-ups in Parliament Square, tanks on the Thames bridges? I think not.Emmanuel Macron´s attempts radically to reform his arthritic economy were always going to be tough. Nicolas Sarkozy attempted the same neo-Thatcherite programme and encountered the same crisis of authority. France´s labour relations, its entrenched interests and its deep divide between far-right populists and the old elite, have created fault lines across which there is little debate. France is even more polarised than Britain. Its assembly lacks the raucous unreliability of Britain´s Commons. Its media lacks diversity. It has always seemed to lack the conduits of compromise.It would be implausible to see violence arising from parliament performing its duty Continue reading...