Emmanuel Macron Gets Some Very Expensive Advice

President Emmanuel Macron is still expected to win re-election next month, but his opponents are having a field day with reports that his government has spent some $2.6 billion on research and advice from private consultants in the last four years. “Macron has come under particular fire over government dealings with McKinsey, a US consultancy with which he has close links, which has been accused of failing to pay corporation tax in France for at least the past decade,” reported The Times of London. Among the specific expenses paid to various consulting firms: $2.6 million for a “National Agency for Territorial Cohesion” and $3.4 million to create a “barometer of public action results.” We personally know at least two barometer-of-public-action-results creators who would do it for a lot less.

For an average fee of nearly $1,700 per person per day, said the newspaper, consultants were “asked to convince civil servants to adopt new working methods. One is the so-called ‘pirate ship’ method, in which each civil servant has to play the role of a crew member, the report said. Another is the ‘serious play’ Lego method which involves using building bricks to enhance ‘reflection and dialogue’.” Ever get the feeling you’re in the wrong business?