French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his new government almost three months after a snap general election delivered a hung parliament.
The long-awaited new line up, led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, marks a decisive shift to the right, even though a left-wing alliance won most parliamentary seats.
Despite the partnership between Macron’s centrist party and those on the right, parliament remains fractured and will rely on the support of other parties to pass legislation.
They always view those to the left as extremists who can’t be negotiated with, while those to the right are seen as useful idiots who can be exploited for political gain. See the conservative parties in Nazi Germany for how that “useful idiot” thing tends to work out.