Paris (AFP)

It is the union of the trade unionist and the green figure: disappointed by the first part of the quinquennium, Laurent Berger and Nicolas Hulot follow winks and joint initiatives to "weigh" after the coronavirus, but their ambiguous relationship to Macronie earned them hostility from part of the left.

Between the boss of the CFDT and the former TV host, "there is trust and respect", says Matthieu Orphelin, former LREM MP and close to Nicolas Hulot, who highlights their "know-how" for " seek compromise without letting go of the requirement. "

If they have known each other since the quinquennium of François Hollande, the two men really joined forces around the "power of living pact" launched in March 2019 to make "ecology and social converge".

This "pact" today claims "55 organizations" signatories and carries 15 "urgent" post-confinement proposals such as upgrading the RSA and widening it to 18-25 year olds or giving up the unemployment insurance reform….

"Tactically, they think that the lines will move in the light of this crisis. But they have an interest in making immediate and applicable proposals, otherwise they risk appearing as a new form of grieving think tank" , underlines the political scientist Stéphane Rozès.

- "Never listened to" -

In recent weeks, their teams have been talking about "every other day", says Samuel Leré, of the Hulot Foundation, and are arguing for "a big conference before the summer with all the intermediate bodies".

With the common observation that for three years, "we have been consulted a lot but never listened to" and that decisions are always made "between Bercy, Matignon and the Elysée Palace".

"There is a difficulty in finding a modus operandi for this second part of the mandate that is more collaborative, more open," adds Frédéric Sève, national secretary of the CFDT.

Complex, the relationship of the majority to these two figures illustrates the differences at LREM. Walkers in the left wing have always put forward their proximity to the CFDT, even if it means organizing meetings with Laurent Berger in a cafe near the National Assembly, in mid-December, in the midst of a social movement on pensions, when the union leader had become the key to trying to find a way out.

Others, "more liberal", consider them cumbersome and may have been "upset" by the shattering departure of ex-Minister Nicolas Hulot, recognizes Matthieu Orphelin.

"The pact of the power to live, it was badly lived by Macronie. It was perceived as a political object more than societal", also assures a close of the CFDT.

Symbol of these divisions: speculations on the possible constitution of a 9th parliamentary group in the Assembly "Ecology, democracy, solidarity", dissident of LREM and ideologically close to the two men.

Conversely, for a part of the left or of the trade union sphere, "and not only at the CGT" or at LFI, they arouse hostility or even "detestation" for "their compatibility with the existing order ", says pollster Jérôme Sainte-Marie (PollingVox).

- "New Age" -

"They embody a form of social Christianity, with the same ideal of harmony and charity. For Berger, it is linked to the origins of the CFDT with the CFTC, and for Hulot, it is his New Age side, benevolent, wisely decreasing, "he points out.

Last week, Nicolas Hulot's initiative "The time has come" and his hundred maxims "for a new world" as "the time has come for a new way of thinking" have earned him a series of mockery.

"Criticism is easy but art is difficult," said Laurent Berger on Wednesday.

For Hulot, questions about his thwarted political ambitions also return at regular intervals. A return ? "I don't think so. Weigh yes, but not by returning to politics," says Matthieu Orphelin. As for Laurent Berger, "he especially does not want to confuse things", insists Frédéric Sève.

But "in fact, they occupy a political field", smiles Jérôme Sainte-Marie. "Their 15 proposals is a form of program. Candidates ran for president with less than that".

© 2020 AFP