Beset from right and left, president François Hollande could do with some good economic news. But he is at the mercy of Germany's eurozone austerity drive and Merkel is unlikely to cut him much slack
Emmanuel Macron had been in his new job less than 48 hours when he dropped his bombshell. Picked by François Hollande to be economy minister after a row over austerity prompted a reshuffle, the young investment banker suggested that France could consider an end to its hallowed 35-hour week.
Was this Hollande's "Clause IV moment", analysts wondered? Was the French president about to show his commitment to economic reform by abandoning a totemic policy, as Tony Blair did on becoming Labour leader in 1994?
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