Posted on 09/08/2025 11:07:36 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
France is plunged into a fresh political crisis as MPs vote to oust the prime minister
French President Emmanuel Macron will name a new prime minister "in a matter of days", his office says - who's in the running?
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
French governance problems are in part self-inflicted wounds by the poor design of the French government.
Although the Prime Minister of France, through their government as well as Parliament, oversees much of the nation’s actual day-to-day domestic affairs, the French president wields significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of national security and foreign policy.
Can you imagine the U.S. with such a divided executive branch??
Even our government can get real bad, Biden comes to mind, or Obama.
Why not, it's like a vicious cycle government.
“Even our government can get real bad, Biden comes to mind, or Obama.”
In my view the distinction is that the French government is bad by design.
Agree
Hopefully this is the end for Macron too.
“Although the Prime Minister of France, through their government as well as Parliament, oversees much of the nation’s actual day-to-day domestic affairs, the French president wields significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of national security and foreign policy.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<
It’s an interesting topic.
While America is a Constitutional Republic (which is a bit better in my view than a “regular” Democracy), there are many similiarties between America’s and France’s constitutions...
USA and FRANCE got their constitutions nearly at the same time. French philosophers heavily inspired both constitutions:
I made a resume about what I found about the subject:
Philosophical Foundations
Both the U.S. Constitution and French constitutions (particularly those influenced by the French Revolution) were shaped by Enlightenment principles, which creates some ideological overlap:
Popular Sovereignty:
U.S. Constitution:
The preamble’s “We the People” establishes that governmental authority derives from the consent of the governed, reflecting Enlightenment ideas from thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The Constitution emphasizes a government accountable to its citizens through representative mechanisms.
French Constitution:
The French Constitution of 1793 explicitly embraced popular sovereignty, influenced by Rousseau’s The Social Contract, declaring that sovereignty resides in the people. The Constitution of the Fifth Republic (1958) similarly underscores popular sovereignty, with mechanisms like referenda and elections to reflect the people’s will.
Similarity:
Both constitutions enshrine the principle that government legitimacy stems from the people, a hallmark of Enlightenment thought.
Difference:
The U.S. Constitution prioritizes a representative republic, with indirect mechanisms like the Electoral College, reflecting skepticism of pure democracy. The French Constitution of 1793 leaned toward direct democracy, while the Fifth Republic balances representation with stronger executive authority.
Individual Liberties:
U.S. Constitution:
The Bill of Rights (1791), added as amendments, guarantees freedoms such as speech, religion, and the press, influenced by Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire and English traditions like the 1689 Bill of Rights.
French Constitution:
The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789), incorporated into revolutionary constitutions like that of 1793, similarly protects individual rights, emphasizing liberty, equality, and fraternity. The 1958 Constitution reaffirms these principles in its preamble, referencing the 1789 Declaration.
Similarity:
Both emphasize individual rights as a cornerstone of governance, reflecting Enlightenment values of personal freedom and protection from arbitrary authority.
Difference:
The U.S. Bill of Rights is a concise, specific set of amendments, while the French Declaration is broader and more philosophical, emphasizing equality alongside liberty. The French approach often integrates social and economic rights, absent in the U.S. Constitution.
Separation of Powers:
U.S. Constitution:
Heavily influenced by Montesquieu, the Constitution establishes three distinct branches—legislative (Article I), executive (Article II), and judicial (Article III)—with checks and balances to prevent any branch from dominating.
French Constitution:
The 1793 Constitution had a weaker separation of powers, with a unicameral legislature dominating due to revolutionary fervor. The 1958 Constitution, however, adopts a clearer separation, with a strong presidency, a bicameral legislature, and an independent judiciary, though less rigid than the U.S. system.
Similarity:
Both draw on Montesquieu’s concept of dividing governmental powers to safeguard liberty.
Difference: The U.S. system emphasizes coequal branches with robust checks, while the French Fifth Republic grants significant authority to the president (interestingly, it’s a system adopted by President Donald Trump), creating a semi-presidential system that blends parliamentary and presidential elements.
Excellent!!
Let's see how much more the Frogs can screw themselves up!
Obviously no clear instructions on how to surrender to yourself. What’s the mechanism to add that provision?
Yep, they mess up everything.
>> MPs vote to oust the prime minister
De Gaulle of dose guys!
Send for Louis XX.
The French hybrid of the Westminster - US system can’t work.
What a mess.
Let’s get Dickensonian and bring back the guillotine , Oui?
Wish i had been able to read this post when i was taking US History to 1812 years ago undergrad at UMd-College Park. Worthy read.
Obviously no clear instructions on how to surrender to yourself. What’s the mechanism to add that provision?
“French President Emmanuel Macron”
There is their biggest problem right there.
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