I'm British who lives and works in France. But not in the city, I work in rural Normandy on a farm. Cow country. Land of Camembert.

I work with locals and farmers. Most—but not all! — voted for Le Penn. Why? They hate Macron.

Macron is everything they hate: urban, cultured, educated, privileged.

Le Penn was seen as a bit like a tough sister. Strong, uncompromising, not too pretty. You could say, like a cow or an ill-tempered horse.

A lot of people here are certainly right wing—and racist. Some are not. Some are left. Some are green. Some are communist even. All hate Macron.

That is the view I got from these elections. And I'm close to the heart of this area. Not an expat drinking wine all day.

Yes, I found the results worrying. I came to France after the farce of Brexit. I couldn't stand the UK Tory party any more, destroying what was once a fairly tolerant and open, if not sometimes aloof, country.

France may be going the same way. If not Europe. The power of unfettered capitalism, wealth, and globalism is turning people against each other. We need to come together. Somehow.

Thank you.