An endless evening for many guests. This is perhaps what the leaders of the parties present this Wednesday afternoon together with Emmanuel Macron at the Legion of Honor school will remember, gathered to find “together” compromises around future texts and laws and to open the path towards ” referendum projects.
Just started in the middle of the afternoon, the match has everything of a false start. Missing… Eric Ciotti. If the President of the Republicans had the honor of receiving a phone call from Emmanuel Macron, the deputy from the Alpes-Maritimes is late. Once the meeting has started, the participants are surprised to discover a table top that seems “at the same time”, with baroque appliqués.
“Sign of Trust”
Jordan Bardella is thus sitting next to Olivier Faure, Fabien Roussel is a neighbor of Édouard Philippe.
On the menu of these meetings: three topics of discussion: the international scene, the institutions and then immigration. First place in Ukraine, map in the center of the meeting table, with photographs classified as defense secret and then the coup in Gabon, a few hours before. The exercise is unprecedented: diplomacy is the reserved domain of the president.
“Everyone has analyzed it as a sign of confidence,” judges a participant in the presidential majority.
Enough to push the forty-year-old to bring the Elysée photographer Soazig de la Moissonnière into the room for a few moments, nothing more. Photos of Eric Ciotti and Manuel Bompard sitting just inches apart could have a negative effect.
The preferendum, “not the issue”
After no less than four hours of discussion on international issues and a short break, the debates resume. Focus this time on institutions. There is almost a consensus on one point: that of electing deputies proportionally, a 2017 campaign promise. If Emmanuel Macron seems open to the issue, he is icy about the referendum proposal launched by the government spokesman on BFM TV on Monday.
“I didn’t quite understand what it was about,” Marine Tondelier, the president of the ecologists, told the president. Response from the Élysée tenant: “it’s not my subject”.
Asked about Jordan Bardella’s proposal for a non-renewable seven-year term, the president is still irritated: “It has been fatally foolish to limit the number of presidential terms.” Very far from his previous statements on the subject.
Salmon, poultry, mushrooms and red fruits
Finally, it is not about opening the door to a possible referendum on immigration as the right and the National Association demand. The Head of State still believes it is possible to present a bill in this regard in the coming months in the National Assembly.
After almost 6 hours of discussions, second break around 9:45 p.m., before dinner. If the Nupes had considered boycotting these parties for a while, she finally said yes after confirming that it would indeed be a “work dinner.” The Élysée has kept him sober: salmon, birds, mushrooms and red fruits.
But one participant is missing, and not the least important: the president of the Senate, who left the meeting for health reasons.
“But Gérard Larcher is very, very fit, don’t worry. He even helped the president a lot,” smiles a guest.
“No big night” for small wages
Last pause before the last straight line on authority and immigration. Although it is not on the agenda, the pension reform that will be applied as of this Friday is invited to enter the debate. The Nupes are therefore calling for a referendum to raise the retirement age to 64 years.
The leader closes the door to this hypothesis: it is not about opposing “two legitimacies”, that of Parliament, on the one hand, and that of direct consultation, on the other.
To reduce the tension, the leader sends out the letter accepting the principle of a social conference “on careers and branches located below the minimum wage.” The announcement is exactly the same as the one that was already made last March in TF1. “It will not be the great night,” translates a party leader.
Despite everything, the president adds points. “Everyone was able to speak freely and for as long as they wanted. Emmanuel Macron was quite attentive,” says a participant.
“Everyone played”, congratulates himself Laurent Hénard, leader of the radical party.
Macron “left for two more hours”
But time is running out. Almost two in the morning, François Bayrou gets angry and points to the time.
“Everyone was happy that he had started the movement, because the president would be gone for two more hours,” smiled a guest.
At the end of the match, the Élysée plays the trust card. The presidential entourage describes “a great political moment and a fruitful outstretched hand.” The Nupes did not live the same evening. Manuel Bompard, head of La France insoumise, claims to have “spent 12 hours on the planet Mars”. “We came, we saw and we are disappointed,” adds Marine Tondelier, the number one environmentalist.
A possible boycott
And now? In the next few days, a letter summarizing the content of the exchanges will be sent to the participants, which can be modified by them. A government seminar will take place next Wednesday before a new meeting with the participants, with no specific date at the moment.
Will there really be a sequel to the Saint-Denis meetings? In the ranks of the opponents we seriously doubt it.
“If it is a matter of having a long discussion that leads to nothing, I don’t see the point of spending more time on this discussion,” Manuel Bompard said at the end of the meeting. We had better omens.
Source: BFM TV
