Instead of arguing that France should reissue the franc and use competitive devaluations, as she had in the past, Le Pen laid out more conventional proposals such as changing tax rules for overtime work. She did refer — briefly — to a referendum on EU membership in her closing statement, but not to ditching the euro. [...]
It underscores how France’s foremost Euroskeptic party is adapting its language and positions in a bid to win power in the presidential election, even if that means jettisoning a core policy proposal. [...]
Indeed, according to a CSA poll published to coincide with the Treaty of Rome’s 60th anniversary, 66 percent of the French want to remain in the European Union. That’s an increase of six percentage points compared to the end of June 2016, shortly after Britain voted to leave the EU. [...]
In France, opposition to the EU is now largely confined to National Front supporters, 78 percent of whom want to leave the bloc. “Anti-EU sentiment remains powerful among people with low educational qualifications, blue-collar workers and those who feel most fragile from an economic and social standpoint, who are less well-equipped to deal with the challenges of globalization,” said Gaillot.
Such die-hard Euroskeptics make up Le Pen’s electoral base, the same people she refers to as “the forgotten ones.”
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