To oppose or not? For La France insoumise, the Rassemblement national or Les Républicains, having a clear position vis-à-vis the government and the majority in this health crisis is a challenge, as Nicolas Beytout explains in his editorial on Thursday.
Edouard Philippe and Olivier Véran were auditioned Wednesday by the National Assembly. And you were struck by the attitude of the opposition.
In fact, this videoconference in front of the Covid-19 Information Mission was a bit unreal. If we had to find a title for this episode in video of French political life, we would have titled that: "Difficulty being in the opposition in wartime".
And what seemed unreal to you?
First, the composition of this Mission. It will be directed (locked?) By the President of the Assembly in person, with an absolute majority of representatives of the majority (La République En Marche and MoDem), and a scattered opposition between for example 5 Republicans, 2 socialists, 1 deputy of La France Insoumise, and zero National Rally. So, for this party, this absence is not really a problem: the media presence of its leader is largely adequate. Marine Le Pen continues to hammer home that the government "lies on absolutely everything"; it will not vary.
As for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, he explained Wednesday, without much state of mind, that Emmanuel Macron "is tired, that he is at the end of his life". Hard. That said, if you look closely, you will see that his strategy is not as clear as that. One day he knocks, another he shows reserve and calls for cohesion. Basically, Jean-Luc Mélenchon alone represents the difficulties that certain parties have in positioning themselves.
And precisely, for the others, how is it going?
For the Greens, things are quite simple: Yannick Jadot believes that the time for questions will come, for example. And his party is rather in line with this positioning.
But elsewhere, it's different. In fact, what is difficult for an opposition in time of war is to choose the right balance between the need for national union and the absolute right, in a democracy, to oppose.
At the PS, the First Secretary Olivier Faure is rather on a line "we will do the accounts later", even if some of its members regularly break this kind of political truce. But it is within the Les Républicains party that it hesitates the most. His boss, Christian Jacob, is on a moderate line: "What matters is to face the health crisis; the time for assessment will come later". The president of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, is on the same line, but others like Bruno Retailleau, or Damien Abad, the bosses of senators and deputies, are much harsher, much more critical. No time out for them.
This difficulty in positioning for Les Républicains, is it revealing a deeper flaw?
Yes, which even becomes a fracture when we talk about the post-crisis. There, it goes in all directions, between social Gaullism, liberalism, sovereignty, anti-globalization. There is something for every taste. No sacred union, in this party, that's for sure. For the moment, this disease of the right is asymptomatic, but beware when it wakes up.