The first tensions between Gabriel Attal and the president of the FNSEA Arnaud Rousseau appeared even before the Prime Minister went to Haute-Garonne last Friday to announce his series of measures.
Relations are tense to say the least between Gabriel Attal and the president of the FNSEA Arnaud Rousseau. However, the Prime Minister’s announcements during his visit to Occitanie last Friday seemed to convince the leader of the movement present there, Jérôme Bayle. Proof of this is that the blockade on the A64 motorway was lifted in the evening. But behind the scenes, relations between Gabriel Attal and Arnaud Rousseau seem delicate. The Prime Minister would not have appreciated the behavior of the president of the FNSEA on Friday evening following the announcements. Explanations.
Gabriel Attal regrets an “inappropriate” gesture by the president of the FNSEA
Following a speech deemed successful behind the scenes, notably by the head of state, Gabriel Attal’s return to Paris was irritating. Following the announcements from a farm in Haute Garonne, on TF1, Arnaud Rousseau announced that he was ready to come and meet him in Matignon the next day to discuss the measures. “Gabriel Attal did not appreciate this way of doing things. He considers that asking him for a meeting on a TV set, without warning him beforehand, is inappropriate” reports The gallery. A meeting will finally take place the next day, “between right arms” according to the newspaper.
But that’s not all. Already, earlier in the day, a first exchange between Attal and Rousseau would not have gone very well, regarding the measures which were going to be revealed at the end of the afternoon. The two men disagreed on the issue of phytosanitary products. The impression for the Prime Minister was that the union leader wanted to take the lead in the debates a little too much.
Especially since on this subject, the government had already stated a clear and strict position, it would not budge. “This will encourage him even more to stage, in Haute-Garonne, his pas de deux with Jérôme Bayle.” Indeed, the Prime Minister and Jérôme Bayle appeared relatively relaxed during their meeting last Friday. A frank handshake, broad smiles and long discussions before Gabriel Attal spoke publicly, in front of the media.