Not much is said about Democracy in France which is why this article by Nabila Ramdani published in Connexion is really interesting. It addresses the feasibility of the convention ‘direct democracy’, arguing that it is designed to fail. Here is an excerpt:

“Power to the People” is a political slogan that has taken on increased significance over the last few years.

Populist movements involving millions of aggrieved citizens have been hugely successful, whether campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union or – in France’s case – to scrap green taxes on fuel.

It was the gilets jaunes who achieved the latter concession from President Emmanuel Macron within a few weeks of their formation in late 2018. They took to the streets calling for economic justice, specifically in regard to the rocketing price of petrol and diesel. Riots ensued, and Mr Macron responded to them with both heavy-handed crackdowns and by going on TV to announce spectacular but simplistic policy U-turns.

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