Macron-led France may pose some problems for Ireland

Driving through Sophia Antipolis, France’s Silicon Valley on the Riviera, there was a strong welcome for the news Emmanuel Macron had topped the poll in the first round of the presidential elections.

The technology and communications companies, whose many researchers and engineers commuted from picturesque harbour towns like Antibes, are a long way from the old manufacturing Whirlpool factory in Mr Macron’s home town of Amiens in northern France, due to close with the loss of 295 jobs. The challenge for Mr Macron will not come from France’s technological elite, but from discontented and frustrated workers who have lost their jobs in the recession with no prospects of re-employment.

Marine Le Pen, the extreme right party leader, has gained support from the disgruntled unemployed and those who feel threatened by open borders allowing foreigners to flood in. However there is wide support for Mr Macron as the safest pair of hands to manage the Elysee Palace. Consumer confidence reached a nine-year high in March and should play well for him in the final run off French presidential election. It is now widely predicted Mr Macron will win easily.