President Macron gripes about French peoples’ complaining

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday suggested the French complain too much, giving his opponents yet another opportunity to say he’s condescending.

As he worked a crowd at a ceremony in tribute to French second world war leader General de Gaulle in eastern France, a group of pensioners complained to him about their monthly payments. Macron recounted how de Gaulle’s grandson had just told him that with the late general, “‘we could speak freely, the only thing you could not do was complain.’ I think it was a good practice of the General. The country would be better if we were like that.”

The French President went on to say that people do not realise they’re “lucky” to live in France, relative to past generations, with a longer life expectancy than in many other places – 79.5 years for men and 85.4 years for women, according to the latest statistics.

Comments like those have pulled the president’s poll numbers down. According to Elabe poll for Les Echo s and Radio Classique published on Thursday, Macron’s approval rating has fallen one point to 30 per cent.

Still, the remarks are consistent with the French leader’s stance since he was elected: he’s here to reform the country’s economy in depth and can’t be bothered by his sinking polls or manifestations of discontent.