French elections

I know nothing about French politics so can't comment, however, why the obsession with the fact his wife is older than him? Every article you read mentions her age. I haven't noticed that the age of Theresa May's or Angela Merkel's partners are mentioned in every article about them. So she is older, why can't people just get over it. Perhaps a GN in France can tell me whether the French press are as obsessed with her age.

In an ideal world, yes a 37 hour weeks sounds ideal, a great working/home life balance. My children and many of their contemporaries would like a shorter working week, but depending on the industries they are working in that expectation is unrealistic, for example one son and partner work in publishing when there is a deadline for a publication date, then it's all hands to the pump, you can't just down tools at say 5.30 when officially the working day ends, with "well I've done my 40 hours this week bye!"

A bit off topic, but this made me sit up a bit..

not to mention their desire to hang on to an unrealistic working week, what is 37 hours???

By whose criteria is this 'unrealistic'? Is there some divinely appointed optimum number of hours in a working week?

Farage and his Brexit cronies were routing for Le Pen to validate their hatred of the EU. One was tweeting about the French being overrun by the Nazis in 1940 and comparing it to the French voting for Macron as some sort of lily livered surrender.

It was pretty much a foregone conclusion and I wonder how many people voted for him because Marine Le Pen would have undoubtedly been very devisive for the country. France has an uphill struggle and many problems as far as terrorism and unemployment are concerned, not to mention their desire to hang on to an unrealistic working week, what is 37 hours??? and a very early retirement age, by our standards at any rate. Not that I think it's a good thing that people have to work till they drop. The French come across as fiercly nationalistic, I was always noticed when I first started going there a lot how they fly their tricolor with pride, not for them the apologetic stance that is sometimes present here with the Union Jack or St George's flag. I like the way they have resisted their culture being watered down by an Americanisation of their towns, I love the fact they still retain the individual charcuteries and boulangeries. How Macron performs for them remains to be seen, I frequently email a French cousin and I think he voted for him with reservations, one being Marcron is ex Goldman Sachs Whether he does a good job for France remains to be seen, lets hope so, it's such a great place would like to see them on an upward tracjectory they have been languishing in the doldrums, moribund by un realistic labour laws for a long time now.

The first references I saw about his wife were in the Uk press. Interestingly the age difference there is roughly the same as with the Trump marriage but people do not seem to find that so strange. I would say that Mme Macron looks much happier than Mrs Trump.

Delighted and very relieved here; we will now proceed with our applications for French nationality.
Macron has a huge task on his hands and the outcome of the June elections will be critical, but he is clever and capable and I am cautiously optimistic.
The (rather prurient imo) interest in his private life is far greater in the UK media than in the French media as far as I can see.

Interesting that "Ode to Joy" was played as Macron arrived at the victory rally.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Ey1fjHSws

Same here, Eloethan. I seriously hope Macron is up to the job,because there's going to be backlash if he isn't.

Just been reading Farage's Twitter feed. After Brexit and Trump, he and his cronies really were hoping for great things, but it's not going to plan so far. They really think they're defending the West against a Muslim invasion. There are lots of references to grandfathers fighting on the Somme - but the frogs can look after themselves now (and that sort of thing). Pathetic!

You're right Riverwalk. I'm not celebrating him getting in, just the fact that Le Pen has been kept out.

Secondly, Macron is going to have to deal with all the smears about his private life. I expect he can cope with that after 20+ years. He could always have a chat with Melania Trump.

Thinking that the French election had no links to Brexit is incredibly naive.

There is a globalist (oh, the irony) group, which had been hoping that Brexit would bring down the EU like a house of cards. Well, it didn't work in the Netherlands, Austria and now France. It won't work in Germany.

There's no need for complacency, because there are always the next elections. They'll be regrouping. Farage is doing his "sour grapes" and "poor victim" act, because Le Pen, whom he supported, lost. Hopefully, people will see that he and his friends arethe real enemies of democracy.

Macron's got a tough job. His first step is going to have to be to form a government.

That was a question to Pittcity.

And that matters because?

Another first Riverwalk, is that Macron is the first French president not to have children, (à la Theresa May). It was interesting how at his victory speech all Brigitte's children and grandchildren were wheeled out for hugs and kisses (Trump-like).

When Macron's mother confronted drama teacher Brigitte at school about her son's affair, she hurled that awful reproach, "You have your own family, you're denying him his own children."

I was reading about how Macron is married to his drama teacher and that one of his step daughters was in his class at school.

But Christine will it be Marine herself or the niece? French politicians are getting younger and younger!

The next question appears to be can Macron get a working government together ?
I agree with the comment about Le Pen I think she is lining up for the next election.

I think the increased interest is due to the final round not having a candidate from one of the main parties - that's a first, I assume.

Imagine a UK election without the Labour and Tory party?

The French elections are very different from the UK ones. If no candidates get sufficient majority there is a second round run off - this happens with local elections too. The previous weekend there were 11 candidates and the top two then have a second contest. Macron and LePen had similar percentages in the first round - locally they both had about 20/24% - some of the less popular had less than10%. The second vote is often tactical voting as to who you would like to keep out.

I really can't remember we Brits being this interested in the result of a French election before. It must be because our issues are their issues, (the economy, immigration etc) whereas in the past we used to ignore each others' problems. All very ironic as we have now chosen to distance ourselves with Brexit.

From what I've heard overnight, although he won by a huge margin many of the votes were against Le Pen rather than any enthusiasm for him.

It's a strange world when we're celebrating the win of an Establishment figure and Rothschild banker!

Macron is pro EU , I'm pleased the far right didn't succeed. Some nasty comments by the Brexit lobby on Twitter etc about Macron unsurprisingly.

To say it has nothing to do with Brexit is rather simplistic. Le Pen did stop saying she would have a vote about Frexit but was anti EU. She too wanted to go backwards and reintroduce the Franc!

I'm relieved he got in but still worried that so many people would even consider voting for Le Pen, let alone vote for her.

My husband, who, like me broadly supports Labour's current leadership and policies, voted to leave because he believes the EU is a bloated and corrupt "old boys' club" that is largely unaccountable.

I had some sympathy with that point of view but in the final analysis I decided to vote to stay in, partly for the protection it offers and partly because I didn't like the racist, isolationist rhetoric that many of the leavers' spokespeople were using.

Of the people I know, the majority of Labour, Greens and Lib Dems voted to remain, whereas the Conservatives that I know voted to leave.

I think that the issue of EU membership was a significant factor in the French election. Le Pen expressed her delight at the UK's vote to leave and used it to urge the French people to vote for her as an opponent of EU membership.

Macron has a hard job ahead of him and I hope he can do it because I truly fear Le Pen getting in next time.