Hello, this is the Red Box Podcast. I'm Matt Chauley and Bonjour to you. We are heading across

the channel for the big thing on the podcast today as we examine Macron Mark II. What does

his victory in the French presidential elections mean for France, for Britain and the rest

of Europe? That's coming up in just a moment. But first, as ever, we kick off with our

columnist panel. And today, we've got Libby Poets in the Times and from the Atlantic, Tom

McTaeke. Let's start with the big sort of global political news story of the day. Amani

Macron wins. I mean, it's quite, I mean, it's a hugely flattering sort of profile of him

you've written for the Atlantic top. But selfish arrogant, he believes it's the centre of

the world. Quoting the old, what wins a Churchill thought, Charles De Gaulle. What do you make

of the result and what Macron should take from it? Yeah, I mean, it's quite hard to sort

of see the wood for the trees, isn't it, in this in this French election? Because, you

know, so many of these pieces have said, we'll look at the far right. They've grown from,

you know, the father who got 20% to Marine Le Pen, who got 30% last time. And now she

gets 40%. So, you know, the far right arising. But at the same time, you know, you can't put

that above the fact that Macron has won quite a stonking victory here on an avowedly sort

of pro-European liberal centrist platform. That, you know, that means something just as

lots of people voting for Le Pen mean something. And I suppose I was thinking about this in

Facha's legacy and all of these figures that we look back on and think of as revolutionary

great leaders. But actually, they, you know, dodged and died and they were hated by large

parts of the country as well. So, I can imagine something, you know, in five years time, Macron

is there. And he has achieved quite a lot. He's now sort of, you know, one of the leaders

in Europe. And I think this, we're in danger of missing that sort of fundamental reality

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