Toward overhaul or collapse?

Yet another new political force has emerged in France, Emmanuel Macron, sending a frisson of relief through the European establishment after he managed to snatch the first round of the French presidential election from Front National leader Marine Le Pen.

This relief was followed almost instantly by fervent support from the overwhelming majority of the European political leadership, as Macron's slim lead over the far-right candidate was perceived as a victory against fascism, Nazism, nationalism, racism and other such phenomena. Of course, it had been highly unlikely from the outset that Macron's adversary would prevail - and most likely won't in the second round either - yet Europe's political establishment needed this psychological victory even if the risk of France straying from the beaten path was negligible, as was the case in the Netherlands earlier this year.