Where Is Europe Heading Politically and How Does It Impact the US?

FEATURING LARRY BENSKY – The French population just finished it second round of elections, handing newly elected centrist Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron a strong Parliamentary majority. Mr. Macron has promised a pro-market agenda and is opposed from the right by the anti-immigrant Marine Le Pen, and from the left by the populist Jean Luc Mélenchon. Sunday’s parliamentary elections drew a record low turnout.

Meanwhile in neighboring Britain where citizenship applications to France have jumped by more than 250% in the past year, the aftermath of Prime Minister Theresa May’s snap elections are still unfolding. May, who was hoping to have a greater mandate to carry out Britain’s exit from the EU and apply a strong set of neo-liberal austerity measures, has been left weakened after the new Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn energized young voters.

Larry Bensky, long time award winning print and broadcast journalist, teaches political science at California State University East Bay and just finished teaching a class in European Government.  He has written for The Nation, magazine, and was a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review.