French press review 28 August 2017

French papers predict difficult times for President Macron as he returns from vacation to tackle a number of burning problems.

DR

According to the latest poll by the IFOP institute for le Journal du Dimanche, only 40 percent of the French now believe Macron is doing a good job.

The figures represent a 14-point drop in a single month, added to the 10 points crash recorded by the same pollster in July, making it 22 popularity points lost since he was elected to the Elysée Palace.

The papers underline that at this moment when Macron is stuck, his predecessors were quite popular three months in office, Francois Hollande at 54 percent in September 2012, and Nicolas Sarkozy flying at 67 percent in 2007.

Notwithstanding his waning political fortunes the national dailies hold that it has gone past time for Macron to get down to work.

Le Parisien has a rundown of the so-called hot files awaiting the government starting from the clarification of the structural reforms in which he has engaged social partners.

They range from a reform of the labour market, unemployment insurance, professional training, the fight against terrorism, cuts in public spending, tackling the debt burden, the re-determination of the priorities of the budget so as to re-establish France’s new capacity for investments.

"Enough of philosophy, time for action, shouts Le Figaro . The paper argues that it is time for Macron to respect the electoral promises he made adding that he needs to get on the chess board without wobbling about having to hurt or please anyone and to understand that impatience is growing around the country.

"He doesn't have a choice and must move from lib service to action aimed at concluding his first reforms, holds les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace.

The publication insists that it is Macron's responsibility to defend the reforms himself and not to outsource the job to others. He was the one elected and not others agrees La Nouvelle République du Centre Ouest.

According to Les Echos, the President is keen on avoiding the media and political trap threatening him and seems to be fully aware that the candidate who transformed French politics during the Presidential campaign is condemned to do same in office so as not to disappoint the country.

For L'Opinion, after  achieving a majority in parliament, and tinkering on the budget, President Macron needs to come down from Mount Olympus to restore order and chart the new course to be followed by his government.

Liberation takes President Macron to task for failing to clarify his ideological stance on key issues which it believes is responsible for his 24 point crash in the polls.

According to Libé, neither left-wing nor conservative voters found something to take home from the first measures unveiled by the President. Macron, it argues was elected to occupy a single throne, but as it puts it, he is now has two and isn't sitting on any.

For La République des Pyrénées, there seems to be a curse that's forcing Macron to want to belong to both the left and the right at the same time, which would only lead to him losing appeal on both sides of the national political divide.

Like all the victories build on falsehood, the brutality of the sanctions Macron has suffered in the polls is only corresponds to the level of his deceitfulness, concludes l'Humanité.

And Le Journal de la Haute-Marne, wonders if the French people who have developed a taste for chasing away leaders of the old guard aren’t on the verge of turning against the architect of such a great spring clean-up