The slanderers, at the beginning of the story, chattered. Elisabeth Borne barely named, already on probation. She would be nothing more than “another Édith Cresson”, but she still had to beat the record for the first woman at Matignon: ten months and eighteen days. Easy. Élisabeth Borne was then accused of following in the footsteps of Michel Rocard with all these 49.3s. Record to beat, again: 28 for him, 23 (only) for her… Failure. He was him. And she is her but a little bit him too. She is leaving this January 8, thanks to a tweet from Emmanuel Macron. Funny thank you? Air of the times.
In his letter, Borne’s words are chosen: “You have informed me of your desire to appoint a new Prime Minister.” And these too: “While I must present the resignation of my government…” What does he need? So she didn’t want to leave but that didn’t matter since Emmanuel Macron no longer wanted her. “It was not smooth,” summarizes a spokesperson. Nice euphemism. Matignon, what hell! These words are those of Michel Rocard in 1991. When the latter left Matignon, he wrote the same words to François Mitterrand. First, a draft: “At a time when I present the resignation of the government.” He corrects himself: “At a time when I must present the resignation of this government.” And the same introduction: “You kindly informed me of your intention to form a new government.” Like Élisabeth Borne, Michel Rocard did not leave because he wanted to but because “Mitran” no longer wanted him. Between them too, it was not “fluid”.
“I was mistaken”
Matignon, hell, we tell you. Édouard Philippe knows something about this. Edith Cresson too. That’s the problem with Jupiterian presidents: they do what they want when it comes to firing or appointing someone as prime minister. Mitterrand had appointed Rocard because he did not like him and did not want him as a potential successor. It was therefore necessary to burn his wings. Emmanuel Macron did not like Élisabeth Borne any more but never believed that she could succeed him either. An outstanding implementer of her reforms, whatever the cost, even if it means damaging herself politically – this was the case with the immigration law – the former Prime Minister will have “done the job”, as they say, and more. But when things no longer work, leave!
And then, there is the storm, the one caused every morning by the absence of a clear majority in the National Assembly and which complicates all reforms. In bad weather, stability has its advantages… So what more did he expect from Élisabeth Borne? That it changes, as Mitterrand hoped from Rocard? “I was wrong. I have to ask myself the question of his departure” said the “Old Man” to Laurent Fabius, his sabra. It is forgotten, as Rocard said, that “there are no employees without employers”.