The suspension of the pension reform does not work for Bruno Retailleau. While the head of the Republican Right parliamentary group, Laurent Wauquiez, believes that “no one” in his group “can vote in favor of censure” given the risk of “dissolution”, its president denounces “the exorbitant cost” that this suspension would entail, in a statement.
“One generation has no right to despise another,” he recalls, quoting Balzac. “However, this is what the government does: to last a few months, to collect some votes, the future is sacrificed,” continues the former Minister of the Interior, explaining that he left the government for this same policy that he considers irresponsible.
“A future sacrificed for a few votes”
According to Bruno Retailleau, the suspension of pensions confirmed by the Prime Minister during his general policy speech will have serious consequences. According to him, “the billions that will be missing to save our distribution system” risk weakening the system in a lasting way.
The former minister accuses Emmanuel Macron of wanting to “continue controlling everything”, ignoring the proposals of the right. Sébastien Lecornu did not retain any of the “demands” formulated by his side in the 31 billion measures planned to limit the deficit, he regrets.
“Neither about maintaining the pension reform, nor about limiting social assistance to 70% of the minimum wage to fight against welfare, nor about taxes…”, enumerates Bruno Retailleau.
“Fourteen billion are additional taxes on households and businesses, that is, almost half of the effort!” Bruno Retailleau denounces, accusing a government that, according to him, “leans towards the left.”
“We will fight step by step to combat such resignations”
A scenario that is all the more difficult since this suspension of pensions appears, for Bruno Retailleau, as a concession made to the Socialist Party to avoid a motion of censure against the government of Lecornu II. A decision that would leave, according to him, “the left free to impose its options.”
The former minister also warns of a political imbalance: the National Rally, he recalls, “did not vote in favor of the pension reform and abstained on the issue of the Zucman tax”, a measure that the left now intends to “introduce as an amendment.”
“And this is just the beginning,” he warns. “Let us not doubt it for a single second: what the left demanded for pensions, it will demand for everything else, even to deconstruct the policy of firmness that I implemented in the fight against immigration or Islamist entryism.”
And to conclude without giving up: “Both in the National Assembly and in the Senate, we will fight step by step to combat such resignations and defend our proposals.”
Source: BFM TV
