A fake village for the glory of 1970s France, where the visitor is greeted by a Banania advertisement, a Félix Potin grocery store and a Renault 4L of the gendarmerie. It is in this cardboard reconstruction of the France of yesteryear that the Macronist deputies (Together for the Republic Group, EPR) welcomed the new Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, on Tuesday 10 September, on the occasion of his parliamentary sessions which are being held in Rosny-sur-Seine (Yvelines) until Wednesday.
On Tuesday, around 7 p.m., during a private meeting, the new tenant of Matignon appeared before them to give a 45-minute speech. To multiply the attention towards them – “I have many reasons to feel comfortable among you” or even “I need you and the president needs you” –, Michel Barnier outlined the contours of his future government.
“I’m not asking for a blank check. You have high standards, so do I,” He declared to them, assuring that he wanted “to bring together all those who want to be free.” The former European Commissioner also explained to them that he was not “majority leader” from “There is no majority in the National Assembly.” And promise that it will constitute “a new government and not a reorganization” suggesting a broad renewal of ministers.
A Macronist “red line” with variable geometry
Hours earlier, during a closed-door meeting of deputies from the Macronist camp, the now ex-Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, had also defined the line that the group he presides in the National Assembly intends to maintain towards the new head of government. “Our first duty towards the French is to be in a logic of construction, to do everything possible to make it work”he said, adding “Never get stuck in principles”. But Mr. Attal also recalled that this “Support cannot be taken for granted and requires firm commitments on our legislative agenda.” “We are not going to sell our values”he stated.
Behind “the values” invoked by Gabriel Attal, points to the shadow of Marine Le Pen. In 2021, Barnier defended “a referendum on immigration” EITHER “the repeal of state medical aid [un dispositif qui permet aux étrangers en situation irrégulière de bénéficier d’un accès aux soins] » during his campaign during the Les Républicains (LR) party primaries for the 2022 presidential elections – two proposals taken from the programme of the National Rally (RN) – and once again made the migration issue his priority during his first public statements. On Tuesday evening, he was careful not to raise the issue in front of his allies, preferring to insist on topics as widely agreed upon as the exterior or decentralisation.
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