French president pledges to update nuclear doctrine

The French government is working on updating the country’s #nuclear doctrine and is ready to intensify dialogue with European partners on the subject, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"France’s nuclear umbrella exists. At present, I’m working to update our doctrine, and I would like to further deepen strategic dialogue with the Europeans, who are interested," Macron said. "In the beginning of 2026, I will deliver a policy speech on our nuclear doctrine," he added.

I declare today, that I recognize....
the state of Corsica,
the state of New Caledonia,
the state of French Polynesia,
the state of the Basque,
the state of French Guiana,
the state of Mayotte,
the state of La Reunion,
and of course the state of Brittany!
This following yesterday so-called "President" #Macron 's remark eg. "I declare that today, France recognizes the State of Palestine...."

Macron forced to wait! - Rob Schmitt reacts to France's #Macron calling President #Trump over motorcade traffic

Over 80 French towns wave Palestinian flag, flouting government directive

Ahead of #Macron’s #Palestine’s recognition, major cities and some Paris suburbs hoist flag despite interior minister’s demand for ‘neutrality’

More than 80 town halls in France hoisted the Palestinian flag on Monday ahead of the recognition of a Palestinian state by Macron in defiance of a government warning not to do so. Macron later recognized Palestinian statehood in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, joining other countries in a move that has angered Israel.

Palestinian flags were raised at town halls in major cities across France — including in Lyon, Nantes, Rennes and Besancon — in defiance of an order by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. Even in Paris, left-wing city councilors put up the flag for 30 minutes at the city hall, despite opposition from Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo.

France officially recognized the state of Palestine

#France, #Malta, #Monaco, #Luxembourg, and #Andorra have joined the recent diplomatic shift toward recognizing Palestine.

#Macron added that he is ready to send French troops to #Gaza as part of an international stabilization mission.

Leftist revolt in France

#Leftist parties are calling on their supporters to revolt over French prime-minister, François #Bayrou’s draft 2026 budget, which includes scrapping two national holidays, freezing pensions and cutting €5 billion from health spending. The French Left are organising under the slogan “Block everything” (“Bloquons tout”) and seek to repeat the scale of the Yellow Vest protests of 2018-2019 but if the Yellow Vests were led by rightwing parties, this wave of social unrest is left-coded.

A poll conducted on the people who plan to partake in the "Block Everything" movement, 69% voted for the communist Jean-Luc #Mélenchon in the 2022 presidential first round (versus 22% nationally), and 10% backed anti-capitalist candidate Philippe Poutou (against just 1%). By contrast, only 2% supported President Emmanuel Macron (28% nationwide) and 3% for rightwing leader Marine Le Pen (23%). More than half of respondents (51%) placed themselves at the far left of the political spectrum, compared to just 3% of the French public. "If you broaden the scope, 86% describe themselves as belonging to the radical left," the study said.

Telegram chat groups linked to the campaign are filled with calls for a general strike and attacks on "ultra-rich capitalists", the foundation said.

The study showed that 54% of supporters cited rising inequality as a top concern, compared with 13% nationally. Other priorities included the environment (43% vs. 23%) and the health system (30% vs. 19%).

Immigration and crime – frequent themes in French politics – ranked low, with just 4% and 3% citing them, compared with 21% and 22% nationwide.

SURVEY - France's Macron’s approval rating hits record low

French President Emmanuel Macron's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since his election in 2017, according to the results of a poll by the sociological service Verian for Le Figaro Magazine. The poll reveals that 15% of French respondents approve of the job Macron is doing in the capacity of the head of state. Eighty percent of the polled respondents do not trust him, and another 5% of those surveyed found it difficult to answer.

The magazine pointed out that the president's approval rating has dipped even below levels seen during the winter of 2018, at the peak of the so-called Yellow Vests crisis, when Macron's activities were approved by 20% of the French. As for the level of confidence in French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, it has dropped to 14%, while 82% opposed his policies. Another 4% declined to express their opinion on this issue.

The survey was conducted via an online questionnaire involving 1,000 people over the age of 18.

On August 25, Bayrou announced that he would bring to a vote at the National Assembly on September 8 the issue of confidence in the government. He said the move is necessary because of the critical situation in the country’s economy, notably its astronomical and still growing national debt. According to him, "France's public debt is increasing by 12 million euros every hour" and has already reached 3.4 trillion euros. Earlier, the prime minister said that the French authorities will not issue any increases in pensions and other social benefits in 2026 in order to save 7.1 billion euros and curtail the growth of the national debt.

The French national debt and the retirement pensions:

Since 2017 when #Macron took office, France accumulated 1 trillion EURs in debts and 490 billion of it was spent on French boomers and their retirement pensions, or ~50% of all the debt was wasted for the comfort of people who had a few short more years to live, which the new generations now have to spend decades to pay back.

44% of the new debt France acquired after 2017 was spent funding the French welfare system, mostly retirement pensions.

The total national debt of France is worth 3.3 trillion EURs or 113% of the French GDP and one third of it was acquired in the last 8 years. This is unsustainable.

Macron under pressure from Left and Right as French government faces collapse

'Is it just a coincidence that #Macron attacks #Israel while his #government is failing? We think NOT!'
France is bracing for a major political shakeup as calls from both the right and the left grow for Macron to resign. The pressure comes ahead of what many believe will be the imminent collapse of the government in September.
Far-left leader Jean-Luc #Mélenchon announced he will submit a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister François #Bayrou’s government, following Bayrou’s unveiling of a series of austerity budget cuts.

Analysts note that unlike past attempts, this no-confidence vote appears likely to succeed, as discontent spreads across party lines. The looming crisis raises the possibility of early elections and an uncertain political landscape in France, with Macron facing his toughest challenge yet to maintain control.

U.S. ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, condemns France's Macron for "not taking sufficient measures to combat antisemitism" in France.

The American ambassador expressed his displeasure with #Macron's pledge to recognise the State of Palestine, claiming it only emboldens antisemites and endangers French #Jews. In a letter addressed to the French president, Kushner said: "Tolerating antisemitism is betraying the French Republic".

#Kushner is the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump and the father of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Charles Kushner directed much of Trump's foreign policy during his first term (2017-2021).