PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced a new government on Monday, after the previous Cabinet collapsed in a historic vote prompted by fighting over the country’s budget. The government, put together by newly named Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, includes members of the outgoing conservative-dominated team and new figures from centrist or left-leaning backgrounds. Coming up with a 2025 budget will be the most urgent order of business. The new government enters office after months of political deadlock and crisis and pressure from financial markets to reduce France’s colossal debt. Macron has vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2027, but has struggled to govern since snap elections in the summer left no single party with a majority in the National Assembly. Since his appointment 10 days ago, Bayrou has held talks with political leaders from various parties in search of the right balance for the new government. Some critics on Monday were angry at Bayrou for consulting with Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, and some argue the government looks too much like the old one to win lawmakers’ trust. Former Prime Minister Michel Barnier resigned this month following a no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes in the National Assembly, leaving France without a functioning government. Le Pen played a key role in Barnier’s downfall by joining her National Rally party’s forces with the left to pass the no-confidence motion. Bayrou will need support from moderate legislators on the right and left to keep his government alive. Banker Eric Lombard will be finance minister, a crucial post when France is working to fulfill its promises to European Union partners to reduce its deficit, estimated to reach 6% of its gross domestic product this year. Lombard briefly worked as an adviser to a Socialist finance minister in the 1990s. Bayrou has said he supports tax hikes championed by his predecessor, but it’s not clear how the new government can find the right calculation for a budget that satisfies a majority of lawmakers angry over spending cuts. Hard-right Bruno Retailleau stays on as interior minister, with responsibility for France’s security and migration policy. Sebastien Lecornu, who has been at the forefront of France’s military support for Ukraine, remains defence minister, while Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who has travelled extensively in the Mideast in recent weeks, also retains his post. Among new faces are two former prime ministers. Manuel Valls will be minister for overseas affairs, and Elisabeth Borne takes the education ministry.
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After delay, Trump signs agreement with Biden White House to begin formal transition handoffJudge rejects request to sideline SJSU volleyball playerRemember when Facebook was just a useful website that helped you stay in touch with your friends? And Google did more than serve you half a page of ads? And Twitter ― well, let’s not go there. There’s a word for this decline: enshittification. The term, made famous by the tech critic Cory Doctorow in 2023, was just selected by Macquarie Dictionary ― Australia’s oldest! ― as its 2024 word of the year . Here’s how they defined it: noun Colloquial: the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking. The Macquarie committee politely described the phrase as “a very basic Anglo-Saxon term wrapped in affixes which elevate it to being almost formal; almost respectable.” As Doctorow described it in 2023 , enshittification is about more than the outcome. It’s a deliberate business strategy in which everyone loses except the platform and its shareholders (at least in the short term). First, says Doctorow, a digital service gains a foothold by making itself useful to its users. Having locked them in, the platform leverages those users to appeal to businesses. Then, in its third and final step, the platform abuses both businesses and customers to extract all the value for itself. “We’re all living through the enshittocene, a great enshittening, in which the services that matter to us, that we rely on, are turning into giant piles of shit,” Doctorow remarked in a 2024 lecture after the word went viral. “Today’s giants are not constrained by competition,” he added. “They don’t care. They don’t have to. They’re Google .” Indeed, countless tech giants can be said to fit the mold: Meta ( Facebook , Instagram, etc.), Alphabet (Google), Uber , Amazon , TikTok, Twitter (now known as X). Doctorow predicts that AI-driven search and chatbots will inevitably meet the same fate. Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone. Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. Macquarie Dictionary’s selection marks the second time “enshittification” has earned a spot atop the dictionary hall of fame. The American Dialect Society selected it as the word of the year in 2023. Other words the Macquarie committee considered include “brainrot” (social media content that’s of such low quality it leads to diminished mental function); “overtourism” (the degradation of a tourist destination caused by too many tourists); and “right to disconnect” (a law guaranteeing the right to not be contacted about work during non-work hours). Related From Our Partner