AFTER OVER a week of trying to square the French political circle, President Emmanuel Macron on December 13th named one of his own as the country’s next prime minister: François Bayrou (pictured). A 73-year-old three-time presidential candidate whose party belongs to Mr Macron’s centrist alliance, he has spent half a century hovering around the political centre. The loyalist Mr Bayrou takes over from the conservative Michel Barnier (also 73) who was evicted by the National Assembly on December 4th after he tried to push through a budget without a vote. The president considers Mr Bayrou to be the most consensual pick available. In reality, though, he is likely to find it just as difficult as Mr Barnier did to produce a new budget for 2025 and shepherd it through a parliament that is split into three hostile minority blocs.