my view was and remains that macron is not a socialist and instead follows the same economic theories that have placed the UK, USA, australia and most of the western world in jeopardy economically. I also believe that they follow a model which had its gestation in a pre global economy with different imperatives.
just as things changed in the eighties it may well be time for another shift but I also think the next one will be harder to achieve because it requires a shift in power balance and beliefs that are far greater than those occurring nearly five decades ago.
however I also agree with the comments about Japan versus the west. the bit missed by those making the comments is that Japan is essentially a culture which is formal, compliant, low on individuality, high on delayed gratification and long term focus. This is inconsistent with the model on which australia operates and dear to the hearts of many making those comments .
on the other hand france shares many characteristics with australia but is far higher on power distance, uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation. That may in fact explain some of what is currently happening in france
