At a few minutes past 8 p.m., in Nice, the multiple knots in pointdevue’s tummy are unwinding. Around midday rumors were swirling (fed by Belgian TV) that the race looked too close to call. I wandered around town, restless and anxious, with a real touch of vertigo. Too much at stake to list here at the moment, but one could mention Marine le Pen’s emphasis on shutting the borders, legitimizing racism, exploding the debt, killing wind power, all the while proposing nothing real for ‘the poor’ she pretends to champion. (To lower the VAT is regressive.) In fact as you doubtless know Macron is likely to come out more than fifteen points ahead. Waou! Allows a person to govern. Now all eyes immediately turn to ‘les legislatives,’ akin to US midterms. This re-elected President will have to work very hard, perhaps work a miracle or two, to mollify the 28% who didn’t vote, and the unknown but large percent of the population who voted for him only ‘with their noses pinched.’
For the moment, Salut! Europe is saved. (And I can sit down.)
POINT de VUE: PARIS 
I had just heard this on the radio and am sooo relieved!! Whew. I was so scared and so glad that sanity prevailed.
I suppose le Pen is not about to fade away though.
I thought of you when I heard.
Ouffffff!!! And double ouffff.
ps. He’s a banker. But then, so was T.S. Eliot. :))) He’s had 5 yrs to learn some things and he has learned some things. Many disdain and plain do not like him. That’s for sure. He ain’t “her.” And that’s a saving grace considering we are a world at, and at the razor’s edge of war. A progressive social democrat? Not by a long shot. But for this night at least…we, not just France, but as a world, we dodged a big freakin’ bullet.
Margo, it’s a beautiful day when you I agree in the political universe. Affecteusement, K
Do sit down Kay. Le pire a été évité. I just hope Macron listens and starts developing a vision for France. Not just a catalogue of measures. Public debt and spending are near explosion. We’re basically broke… And I doubt whether we could survive another cohabitation… (let alone another war at our doorstep)
Mais une chose à la fois…
Do sit down…
🙏🏻
Yes. Catching my breath. M is acting very humble and contrite today. Appropriately so.
Humble and contrite? Ha.
“Acting” is the key word, right? 😉
Bonne semaine chère amie.