Even the French think Macron is becoming a laughing stock
Every marriage has its ups and downs, but few marital tiffs go viral the way the Macrons did on Monday. Brigitte was filmed shoving Emmanuel in the face at the moment the door of the presidential jet swung open at Hanoi airport in Vietnam.
It is the second time this month that Emmanuel Macron has been humiliated on camera. At the recent European Political Community summit in Albania, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan turned a handshake with his French counterpart into a gesture of subjugation by holding onto Macron's middle finger for several seconds while offering some words of wisdom. As one French broadcaster remarked, it was 'reminiscent of a parent imposing his authority on a child.'
Image is very important to the French electorate. When Macron's predecessor, Francois Hollande, was photographed heading to an assignation with his mistress on the back of a moped his presidency never recovered; it wasn't the infidelity that upset the French but the lack of elan. If you're going to stray, do it in style.
Macron's presidency won't recover from his barney with Brigitte. A recent poll found that his approval rating had slumped to 26 per cent; one might marvel at the continued loyalty of that minority. What exactly is there to cheer about in Macron's France?
On his watch legal and illegal immigration has reached record levels and France has become the most popular EU destination for asylum-seekers. All types of crime are on the up, and of particular concern is the growing influence of the powerful drug cartels. Even the interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, has resorted to talking about the 'Mexicanisation' of France. Violence is spreading, and so too is corruption among police and civil servants.
The influence of the Muslim Brotherhood is also increasing, and last week Retailleau declassified a 73-page report about the shadowy Islamist organisation. It was subsequently revealed that Macron had sat on the report for months, despite its alarming contents.
Only last year Macron called a snap parliamentary election, a decision that resulted in a divided and dysfunctional parliament incapable of working together for the good of the country.
But perhaps Macron's greatest failure in the eight years since he became president has been the economy. He was the former Rothschild banker, nicknamed the 'Mozart of Finance', who was going to transform France into an economic powerhouse.
On Monday France's National Audit Office released a damning report in which it warned the country could run out of money for social spending by 2027. 'We have lost control of our public finances,' said Pierre Moscovici, the Office's chief.
Under Macron, government debt ratio to GDP has soared from 98.5 per cent in 2017 to a forecast 118.4 per cent in 2026. The economy has stagnated but unemployment is rising. In a recent television interview, Macron chided the French for being 'pessimistic' about the state of the country. 'My goodness,' he exclaimed. 'We are the most beautiful country in the world'.
France is indeed a beautiful country with a wonderful culture. It's a shame about the economy, the insecurity and the chaotic immigration. The tragedy for France is that Macron's presidency still has two years to run before the 2027 election. That's plenty of time for French pessimism to plumb new depths.
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