WORKER-BASHING French President Emmanuel Macron did a political somersault today, attacking the European Union for failing to protect the less well off as it pushes its neoliberal agenda.

His scarcely credible change of heart followed a humiliating national opinion poll signalling that his Republique En Marche party is running second in voting intentions in the run-up to next May’s elections to the European Parliament behind the Rassemblement National of fascist leader Marine Le Pen.

Before today’s outburst, Mr Macron’s stance in recent months has been to frame the EU elections as a battle between anti-immigrant nationalists and pro-EU “progressives.”
 
“We need to hear the fear and anger. There’s anger against a Europe that has become too ultra-liberal,” the president, who has been a major advocate of this pro-corporate policy, told France’s Europe 1 radio.

“This anger is directed at an ultra-liberal Europe that no longer allows our middle classes to live decently,” he said using the US formulation for working people.

An Ifop survey published on Sunday showed that the far-right Rassemblement National has moved ahead of Mr Macron’s party for the first time.

The French leader linked Britain’s vote to leave the EU to similar working-class disenchantment with the EU and the City of London.

“When Britain decides to leave Europe, it’s the middle classes that say: ‘This Europe that you’re selling me makes the City better off but I, in the country or industrial towns, I’m worse off,” he said.

“We need to hear that, so we need a Europe that protects workers more.”