Elections to the European Parliament went pretty much as I—and every other observer—predicted, with gains for nationalist parties seeking an end to uncontrolled mass immigration, especially of Muslims.

Whether this will have any effect remains to be seen. As I reported last week, the Euro Parliament has no legislative powers. The main importance of these five-yearly elections is that the preferences they reveal about what European voters want will echo back into the politics of member countries.

This time around the echo was particularly loud in France. In last weekend’s Euro election the populist-nationalist RN Party won more than double the votes of French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance Party.

Macron reacted by dissolving the French Parliament and calling for a snap election at the end of this month.

It's a gamble. Macron is saying to the RN voters: ”OK, but do you really want these crazy rightists in charge, or was that just a protest vote?” He and we shall hear the answers two or three weeks from now.