The scale of the Coronavirus crisis and the concern it raises have become elements which, if they are not managed politically, will quickly become a liability for our leaders. Modern societies are so made that political power can no longer miss out on this kind of event.
Emmanuel Macron in the morning and Édouard Philippe then, the summit of the State took over the Coronavirus file.
Modern societies are so made that political power can no longer miss out on this kind of event. Firstly, because they always require a large-scale organization of emergency aid, prevention logistics and a response to the threat. But also because the scale of the crisis and the concern it raises have become elements which, if they are not managed politically, are quickly entered into the liabilities of our leaders.
Is that what we saw in Rouen, after the Lubrizol fire?
This time, power passed very close to political fault. He underestimated the distressing effect of the smoke deposits and the "ecological disaster" dimension recalled at all times by the foul smell that had invaded the region. Absent from the field and the media, the government has damaged its environmental image. He fed his trial in lack of empathy for the unhappiness of people, all accelerated by social networks and rumors.
Is this obviously a new dimension in this kind of crisis?
And which requires lighting up counterfeits very early to stop the spread of biased or malicious information. But the real difficulty is not so much to go fast, it is to balance your communication. Do not do too much, or not enough.
Is doing too much risking creating panic?
And not doing enough, exposes you to a liability appeal from potential future victims. Not easy! And all the less easy as the public authorities have this time to manage a large stranger, we do not know with certainty how long the incubation lasts, or when an infected patient ceases to be contagious. It is therefore not known at all how many French people can be undeclared carriers of the virus today. The reality is that there is no right way for a government to manage this matter.
That is to say ?
Take the example of municipal and countryside. Should it be necessary, if the need arises, to limit electoral meetings, at the risk of being accused of torpedoing a ballot which does not necessarily promise to be macronie? Should we take measures from the opposition (for example closing the borders) or, on the contrary, sweep them aside with the back of my hand? The political trial would not take long to arise. Each time there are blows to take. The only rule to mitigate them is to be as transparent and as close as possible to people. With a bit of luck on the virus side, it can work. As we have seen, in recent history when former Chancellor Schroeder had miraculously saved his re-election as head of Germany, after dramatic floods. It would be surprising if no one at the Élysée had this example in the back of his mind.