Macron vs Putin: this summer’s Olympic battle

Last summer, Emmanuel Macron lashed out at France’s constitution because it prevents him from running for a third consecutive term in office. It is, he told his entourage, a ‘disastrous stupidity’.

The majority of the French people would disagree. Macron’s approval ratings are dire, and a poll at the start of this month revealed that the youngest president in the history of the Fifth Republic has the support of only 7 per cent of the under-35s.

Should anyone be surprised? Immigration is out of control, farmers have marched on Paris and teachers are at the end of their tether because of classroom intimidation. Anti-Semitic acts have surged since Hamas attacked Israel in October and drug cartels are extending their reach into towns and cities. Violent crime is up and trust in the judiciary is down.

To cap it all, the country’s finances are a shambles. Last week the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies announced that France’s deficit has soared 22 per cent in a year, and is now 5.5