'Voters will have to sort this mess out'

French Parliament is seen prior to a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Francois Bayrou — French Parliament prior to a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Francois Bayrou

(Image credit: Bertrand Guay / AFP / Getty Images)

'Who can save France now?'

Can "anyone else save France? That's the $1.1 trillion question after another administration collapsed," says The Wall Street Journal editorial board. What "happens next is anyone's guess." Maybe President Emmanuel Macron "will try to soldier on, tapping some other hapless soul to manage an unmanageably divided legislature." Voters "risk finding themselves short of options, in part because they refuse to reward politicians who tell the truth about France's fiscal mess and economic malaise."

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This has been a "devastating year for many reasons — not least the impact of displacement due to war, starvation and domestic conflicts," say Maleiha Malik and Siraj Khan. Schools are "increasingly being turned into battlegrounds, or bombarded to rubble," and "every classroom that is destroyed or bombed tells a woeful human story: the confident arrogation by some of the destruction of the lives of others, with absolute impunity." This "simply cannot be. Accountability must take place."

The "problem of how, or even whether, to regulate a natural human instinct persists. The evidence suggests codes of conduct are not working," says the Financial Times editorial board. The "problems for companies and their boards arise when an imbalance of power leads to conflicts of interest." The "temptation to leave consensual office romances alone is still strong," but CEOs "operate at a different level." The "boss should have to declare any close workplace relationships to the board."

It "might seem absurd for a president juggling a global trade war caused by his avalanche of tariffs" to be "fretting over museum artifacts," says Kojo Koram. But "these attacks are not just distractions from the major issues; they provide the ideological justification for real material and legislative changes that will impact people's day-to-day lives." Trump can "use these conversations as the narrative doorway through which laws can be passed that erode rights for poor and vulnerable communities."

Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.

'Who can save France now?'

'Who can save France now?'

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