France is not alone in its crisis of political faith. Just look around

Emmanuel Macron sounded not angry, not defiant, just a little triste. Europe, he lamented, was suffering a “degeneration of democracy”.

- Simon Tisdall

Many threats emanated from Russia, from China, from US tech companies and social-media entrepreneurs, France’s president said. “But we should not be naive. On the inside we are turning on ourselves. We doubt our own democracy ... We see everywhere that something is happening to our democratic fabric. Democratic debate is turning into a debate of hatred.” Squeezed between extremes of right and left, Macron knows of what he speaks. But “ungovernable” France is not alone. Across Europe, in the UK and the US, distrust and grievance daily deepen political dysfunction and social discord. Macron’s words apply, in fact, to almost any country espousing democratic principles.

In elections at the start of the month, the Czech Republic followed Poland, Austria and other EU states in lurching towards the populist hard right, swept along on a rising tide of anti-establishment negativity. Support for opportunistic bigots who feed on fear, resentment and loss - while lacking credible policies on issues such as migration - is not an endorsement of democracy. This ugly rush to extremes is a vote of no confidence in the democratic system itself, exacerbated by reduced levels of turnout among disadvantaged social groups.