Articles by this author
OPINION: Why French football victories lead to riots
The Champions League win of Paris Saint-Germain football club was followed by widespread rioting with almost 900 people arrested and three deaths. John Lichfield looks at how a French football victory leads to these kind of scenes.
OPINION: Emmanuel Macron - where did it all go wrong?
With almost a year of his presidency left to run, Emmanuel Macron has effectively lost control of his government and his succession - John Lichfield looks at where it all went wrong for the young man once touted as the future for France.
OPINION: Bolloré's influence on French cinema, TV and media is dangerous
The story of the French film producers, the Breton billionaire and the blacklist is complicated but - argues John Lichfield - should be taken seriously as a genuine danger to France's culture.
OPINION: The French far-right have a runaway poll lead - but may yet lose the 2027 election
In the final part of his mini series on the forthcoming French presidential elections, John Lichfield looks at the chances of the Far Right. Despite their runaway lead in polling for Round One, they could yet lose in the second round of the election in 2027.
OPINION: Remains of Macron's centrists still have the best chance of beating the far-right
In the latest in his series of profiles on candidates for the 2027 French presidential election, John Lichfield looks at whether the Centre can unite and, united, can beat the far right.
OPINION: A second French presidency for François Hollande? Really?
French history is littered with spectacular comebacks, from the Emperor Napoleon to Charles de Gaulle to Edith Piaf, writes John Lichfield. Could François Hollande, the cuddliest of politicians but tougher than he seems, return to the Elysée Palace nine years after his presidency fizzled into insignificance?
OPINION: France's traditional conservatives will not stop the Far Right in 2027
France's Les Républicains party - the conservative successors to Charles De Gaulle, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy - has picked its candidate for the 2027 presidential election. The choice speaks volumes, writes John Lichfield.
OPINION: Orban's demise is a blow for French far right, but not a fatal one
The Hungarian people have decisively rejected authoritarian leader Viktor Orban and France's Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella seem worried - so is this the beginning of an anti-populist wave in Europe? If only politics was so simple, writes John Lichfield.
OPINION: Le Pen pushes to cast aside 'far right' label as France redraws political map
France is being redrawn before our eyes - writes John Lichfield - the old political maps of Left-Right-Centre no longer make sense. Politicians are trying to re-invent them.
OPINION: Primaries cannot save France from a Trumpian future
As attention in France shifts to the 2027 presidential elections, John Lichfield looks at how the candidates will be be narrowed down and whether France is indeed 'sleepwalking into a Far-Right presidency'.
OPINION: Local elections show French far right is beatable - but not by this squabbling opposition
This was a Mr Potato Head election - writes John Lichfield - pick different features of the municipal results on Sunday and you can give France the face of your choosing.
OPINION: Macron is having a 'good war', but there is no good end to the Iran disaster
We are in dire straits, writes John Lichfield. Donald Trump wants allies like France, and even rivals like China, to pull his chestnuts out of the boiling oil in the Straits of Hormuz.
OPINION: Local elections will show if France still has the will to resist the far-right
As France prepares for key local elections, John Lichfield looks at what the results can tell us about the strength of the 'republican front', the pact that voters can make to keep out the far right.
OPINION: Why Macron will not 'do a Chirac' over this Gulf war
As the US launches strikes against Iran, Emmanuel Macron's reaction has been very different to his predecessor Jacques Chirac, who refused to join the British and American invasion of Iraq in 2003 - John Lichfield examines why.
OPINION: The death of Quentin Deranque will tilt France's elections
Two weeks after the death of Far Right activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon, John Lichfield looks at the political fallout of the death of this previously unknown figure, and how it will affect France's upcoming elections.
OPINION: Macron's offer to 'extend' the French nuclear umbrella to Europe is fraught with problems
Sharing umbrellas is never easy. France has offered to 'extend' its nuclear umbrella to other European countries without actually 'sharing' it. How can that work, asks John Lichfield.
OPINION: Far-right Bardella is beatable in 2027, but no one looks capable of it
Marine Le Pen won't be the next president of France, but could her protégé Jordan Bardella win next year's race? Bardella has flaws, writes John Lichfield, but the problem is no one has yet emerged who looks capable of beating him.
OPINION: TV anchor's child sex conviction reveals hypocrisy of French right-wingers
Hypocrisy knows no political boundaries - writes John Lichfield - it can occur on the Left, on the Right and in the Centre. France is currently witnessing a particularly extreme and puzzling case of hypocrisy on the moralising, hard Right.
OPINION: PM has steadied France, but sacrificed any hope of cutting the deficit
Prime minister Sébastien Lecornu has, through compromise and concession got his budget passed. John Lichfield says that Lecornu will likely remain prime minister until spring 2027 - but while he has steadied the ship, he has sacrificed all hope of tackling France's ballooning deficit.
OPINION: This is a 1938 moment for Europe, but the war will be a trade war
European leaders sending their troops to Greenland has - writes political columnist John Lichfield - called Donald Trump's bluff when it comes to military conflict. Instead the continent faces the prospect of a long and brutal trade war.
OPINION: French farmers are suffering from decades of government hypocrisy
French farmers benefit from huge EU subsidies and strong government support - so why are so many of them struggling, deep in debt and angry, asks John Lichfield.
ANALYSIS: Emmanuel Macron - a French 'Nero' or misunderstood visionary?
As Emmanuel Macron enters the last full year of his presidency, John Lichfield looks at the career of the man who promised so much, but seems doomed to end his mandate in failure. Where did it all go wrong for Macron, and for France?
OPINION: 2026 will be a crucial year for France, but its politics remain paralysed
French politics faces a year of frantic immobility before a 2027 presidential election which could change everything, writes John Lichfield.