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French weekly magazines review 28 May 2017

The weeklies are all about the Macron revolution, the unprecedented rise to power of France's civil society, and the phenomenon of France's new First Lady Brigitte Macron.

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French journalist and environmental activist Nicolas Hulot is man of the week in l'Express as the publication profiles the eleven civil society personalities President Macron was able to woe into his government.

According to the right-wing magazine, Hulot appointed Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition in the new government was Emmanuel Macron's most-celebrated recruit. But as the publication points out, despite public smiles with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, the two personalities share very little in common.

L'Express predicts a short stay for him in government arguing that it won't take long before discord with his colleagues, spills into the open.

Marianne welcomes President Macron's Right/Left revolution as he charts a political course that goes beyond traditional political blocs. Thanks to Macron it says, French democracy is at the crossroads after being stuck in sterile dualism for a long time.

According to the magazine, change will depend on the country's ability to emancipate itself of the bi-polarized vision through a blend of goodwill and projects instead of standing behind political banners and slogans.

And taking about the tough times awaiting the new French President, Le Point wonders if Macron is the providential leader France has been waiting for.

The weekly described his flagship plan to reform labour laws as a litmus test of his ability to rule this country where public opinion preys on resentment and hatred of each other.

Overhauling the labour code quickly through the use of executive orders that side step parliament, in order to generate much-needed jobs and growth by September will be the mother of battles, says Le Point.

The publication says he will have to resist a shutdown of the country by the CGT union which forced President Hollande's government to water down several measures in a previous attempt at labour reform.

The satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaîné sets the stage with a light-hearted comment. While President Macron will not be going to the Cannes Film Festival, it says, he will certainly hear about Philippe Martinez the  head of the CGT who is already bracing for war even before Monsieur Macron rolls out his dialogue with the unions.

As France brazes for a very politically hot end of summer season, the new Observer l'Obs says it would seek solace in a befitting new First Lady Brigitte Macron. In a special 12-page supplement the weekly profiles the 64 year old Dame, who is 24 years older than her husband.

According to the left-leaning magazine, her age is an issue which arouses strong feelings and fantasies of all sorts here in France where she is venerated like a rock star and modern times heroine but also in the United States especially in prudish pro-Trump America where social media brands her as "weird, creepy and repulsive".

The weekly says that this is was in contrast to a CNN feature on the incredible romance born between a future President aged 15 and his 39 year-old theatre arts teacher.

L'Obs also notes that she is also well-regarded in Europe citing an article in the Observer referring to Brigitte Macros as "sexy, so French.

This is while the conservative  German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, according to l'Obs  qualified Brigitte Macron reportedly as " a nice friend of Jane Fonda, who spent the past 40 years of her life enjoying herself at Saint Tropez, a lifestyle far from stereotypes associated with a 60 year-old housewife"
 

 

 

 

 

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