Sir, – In the first round of the French presidential election, more than 40 per cent of voters chose candidates at the furthest ends of the political spectrum. However, we may be misleading ourselves to think of various political opinion as a spectrum. It is probably better to think of it as a pie-chart where the extremes meet. There is quite a lot of common ground when ultra-nationalism meets ultra-socialism.
For this reason, far-right Front National’s Marine Le Pen chances of winning against the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron in the run-off on May 7th shouldn’t be underestimated. If she did win, it would drastically change the dynamics of campaigning in the final four weeks of the British general election on June 8th. – Yours, etc,
GEOFF NAYLOR,
Colden Common,
Winchester,
Hampshire,
England.
Sir, – I see that all the “experts” who predicted that the UK would vote to remain within the EU and that Hillary Clinton would win the US presidency are now saying that Marine Le Pen will lose the French presidential election. Is anyone else worried? – Yours, etc,
DAVE ROBBIE,
Booterstown,
Co Dublin.