In this episode I discuss the first round of the French elections that took place this past Sunday, 23rd April, which saw the neoliberal Emmanuel Macron and the neofascist Marine Le Pen advance to the May 7th run-off. After noting that the results are certainly a departure from the dominant party political norm in France since World War II, Macron's likely victory next month actually represents a surprising degree of continuity with the agenda pursued by the widely loathed incumbent, Francois Hollande. Even more dispiriting is the continued success of "Third Way" politicians, such as Obama and Bill Clinton, who project a purported socially liberal veneer while advancing a right-wing agenda of austerity and war. In this election, however, there was a clear alternative to both that bankrupt ideology and Le Pen's right-wing nationalism and xenophobia. His name is Jean-Luc Mélenchon, an impassioned and unapologetically left-wing candidate who put forward a slew of bold policies to dramatically transform French society, focusing particularly on decentralising presidential power and promoting ecological sustainability. While he finished a respectable fourth, with a considerably higher percentage than anyone predicted only a few weeks ago, in light of his program Mélenchon should have done far better. I argue that the reason he did not progress to the next stage is rooted in a larger contemporary sociopolitical malaise that does not only afflict France, but seems to mark many developed nations. In my opinion, what we see repeatedly manifested in electoral contests in country after country is the death of engaged citizenship, replaced instead by a shallow consumerist mindset that chooses candidates much the same way one selects toothpaste or televisions. The largest failure of all, though, is that of the imagination. At a time of profound social, economic, and ecological crises, we need radical ideas more than ever, yet so few people seem to even want to discuss major transformative proposals, let alone lend them significant support at the ballot box.

As so often happens due to the strictures of a fifteen minute temporal allotment, I was not able to fully elaborate upon these ideas, so might soon complete a follow-up podcast.