Emmanuel Macron swears to have "given lessons to no one" and advocates "unity" without "caporalism": the president tried to ease tensions with his majority gathered this Tuesday evening at the Elysée Palace, wounded by the parental bereavement leave and frontline case on pension reform.
At the start of the meeting, around 8:00 p.m., the president gave a speech of a few minutes in the middle of some 320 deputies out of the 380 who make up the majority, according to the Elysée Palace. At the end, he announced a government-majority seminar to them this summer "on the future priorities" of the second part of the quinquennium which will be, according to him, "the king and the ecology".
"Unwavering Support"
He delivered a message of "unity and responsibility", report several AFP participants. "Even if unity is not uniformity: our diversity is a strength," he added, warning however against "personal adventures". He assured them of his "unwavering support" while the deputies are the targets since the "yellow vests" of an anti-Macron feeling exacerbated by the pension reform - many of them have suffered insults, degradations of their permanence , or even assaults.
"You catalyze violence. Unspeakably, unfairly and disproportionately. With pensions, everything comes out. All the resentments are coming out, it's falling on us. Because we stirred up society, ”he said. "We can't get stuck", "you have to be proud to be amateurs when you see the results obtained by the so-called political professionals", he quipped.
"On humanity, I haven't given lessons to anyone"
Emmanuel Macron also justified his intervention in the matter of parental mourning. Because after the outcry aroused by the LREM deputies' refusal to extend this leave to twelve days, his call to show "humanity" had been perceived as an unfair reproach by elected officials who had only followed the instructions government.
Refusing himself from any "caporalism", Emmanuel Macron declared: "On humanity, I have given lessons to no one. I spoke up for there to be a firewall. When you lose a battle, you have to recognize it. When there is a tsunami, you have to assume it ”.
Brigitte Macron herself, departing from her discretion on political questions, wanted to contribute to appeasement on Wednesday evening by defending Marchers' deputies and their "humanity" on RTL. They certainly committed "a mistake, but a very human error" and then "reacted with great humanity" by offering an extended leave, greeted the wife of the president, very involved in this file.
"The error is very human, so it shows that they (majority deputies, editor's note) are very human," says Brigitte Macron https://t.co/SiZNKaUXbI
- RTL France (@RTLFrance) February 11, 2020Act II of the quinquennium
The deputies for their part took advantage of this Tuesday evening's meeting to ask Emmanuel Macron multiple questions, especially on pensions. The president, in turn, seemed to call them to discipline: “It is not the amendments that will give justice to this reform. It already is. It is therefore necessary above all to explain it, to wear it.
In the reform, there are "two times not to be missed, the first reading in the National Assembly then the financing conference", he warned. Emmanuel Macron criticized Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France insoumise, the party behind most of the amendments tabled, "who defends lawyers while during the campaign he wanted to confiscate their reservations".
The president concluded at around 10 p.m. with an update on his priorities: winning the pension battle by respecting the schedule and opening up new subjects such as research and development, security and the environment. But also endorse the change of method desired for Act 2 of the quinquennium, focused on "transparency" and "five to ten simple subjects that will be chanted everywhere to be associated with that", rather than "complicated things". With a few tips, such as using simple arguments to convince people of the merits of pension reform.
"Thalasso" and "cuddling"
In the opposition, the deputy PS Boris Vallaud joked by addressing his colleagues of the majority, in committee session this Tuesday evening: "It seems that you come back from 15 days of thalassotherapy, go ahead often it's really great. "
"Go back to work with the French rather than with your president", for his part launched the boss of the PCF Fabien Roussel on BFMTV.
Go back to work with the French rather than with the President. Because there is a real widening gap. @ Fabien_Rssl
in debate with @auroreberge
on @BFMTV
@ 19HRuthElkrief pic.twitter.com/hVciExiDQe
The deputy LR Julien Aubert had also, before the meeting, criticized a head of state who "wants to behave like the leader of the majority".
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- LREM
- Deputy
- Emmanuel Macron