Macron will have to do more than rebuild the Notre Dame if he hopes to unite France

Macron’s popularity has slumped in the last year, even before the gilets jaunes movement highlighted the struggle of ordinary households and the growing gap between rich and poor

“Notre Drame” – our drama – screamed the front page of French newspaper Libération this morning and it pretty much summed it up.

Paris and the world watched in horror last night as Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the most-visited monuments in the world, a piece of world history and an architectural marvel burned, the flames visible from across the city.

Parisians and visitors alike lined the streets, transfixed by the senseless and rapid destruction of a national symbol: Catholics mourned the loss of one of the centres of their faith during Holy Week, but the grief went far beyond the faithful.

After months of fierce political debates and violent street protests by the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) in Paris and across France, a movement born of anger against a government many perceive as out of touch with how ordinary people live, the tragedy of Notre-Dame seemed briefly to unite the city and the country.

But it is too soon to know whether national mourning for a piece of France’s cultural heritage and hastily announced plans to rebuild the cathedral will have a longer-lasting unifying effect.

On Monday night, crowds of Parisians and tourists watched and waited, willing the more than 400 firefighters tackling the blaze to save what they could of the cathedral, parts of which date back to the 12^th century.

French president Emmanuel Macron, under growing pressure since the gilets jaunes movement sprang into the spotlight late last year, had been due to address the nation live on TV last night following le grand débat, a national consultation held with ordinary French citizens that was an attempt by his government to build bridges with a disillusioned electorate and map out a strategy that would respond to some of the grievances highlighted by the gilets jaunes.

Macron was expected to announce tax measures that would help boost spending power for struggling households as well as electoral reforms and measures to cut bureaucracy in a bid to claw back some of his popularity with voters.

With the fire still burning, a shocked-looking Macron instead spoke in front of the cathedral he described as “the epicentre of our lives” and pledged: “We will rebuild this cathedral – all together.”

Those words – all together – were undoubtedly carefully chosen. Macron’s popularity has slumped sharply in the last year, hit by political scandal even before the gilets jaunes movement highlighted the struggle of ordinary households to make ends meet and the growing gap between rich and poor.

His plans to bridge the divide – he was expected to announce tax reforms including tax cuts for modest incomes, a boost to pensions, electoral and parliamentary reforms, measures to cut bureaucracy and a temporary halt to hospital and school closures – will be closely scrutinised when they are finally made public. For now, all eyes are on Notre-Dame with campaigning for the upcoming European elections also suspended.

For a few hours last night while Notre-Dame burned, the spire had collapsed and it was touch and go as to whether the overarching structure could be saved, impromptu songs taken up by the crowds and eyes closed in prayer gave a sense timelessness to the scene ­– despite the multitude of smartphones – echoing the story of a cathedral that has been at the heart of Paris’s and France’s life for centuries.

With a fundraising campaign underway to rebuild Notre-Dame and donations pouring in already, the rebirth of this emblematic monument may be a starting point that will help unite a country seemingly more divided than ever. But after the months-long national consultation, France’s voters will want to see concrete evidence that Macron, often criticised as “the president of the rich” has taken on board the concerns of those struggling to make ends meet. If he wants that sense of unity to last, he will have to demonstrate that he was listening.