Thomas More Institute Critiques 50 Years of Political Decisions Undermining France's Stability

The Thomas More Institute released a comprehensive report on September 19, highlighting how political decisions over the past five decades have contributed to France's decline. The report scrutinizes policy choices from Valéry Giscard d’Estaing to Emmanuel Macron, focusing on areas such as the economy, security, immigration, and education. It particularly criticizes the decentralization initiated by the 1982 'Loi Defferre,' labeling it confusing, costly, and destabilizing to political institutions.

The institute argues that these reforms have significantly weakened France's democratic structures, exacerbated by the adoption of the five-year presidential term, which fosters short-term governance. Additionally, the constitutional embedding of the precautionary principle is seen as limiting economic competitiveness.

The report also underscores a growing estrangement between the public and their elected officials, attributing responsibility to successive leaders whose policies have widened this divide. This inventory of decisions lays bare the political missteps influencing France's current institutional fragility.

This analysis complements ongoing political discourse and attempts by civil society, such as a newly launched convention of 150 citizens focused on ecological transition, striving to impact electoral debates independent of the state. Together, these highlight a broader demand for reforms responsive to societal and democratic challenges facing France today.