William Hilderbrandt is pleased to welcome Professor Paul Smith, Head of Modern Languages at the University of Nottingham. While the failure of motions of no confidence against the government in the French National Assembly was widely anticipated, Professor Smith sheds light on deeper tensions lurking inside French politics, not just between left and right, but between democratic ideals and procedural necessity. Though Article 49.3 is constitutional, its repeated invocation stirs anger and frustration among citizens and lawmakers alike.
