Michel Barnier presented his method and his ambitions on Tuesday, October 1, to the national representation. A necessarily dense general policy statement given the uncertainty that reigned until today around the lines that were going to be followed by the government. The Prime Minister’s speech also provoked numerous reactions. Overview on RFI.
On Tuesday, the French Prime Minister delivered his highly anticipated general policy speech to MPs. A speech lasting an hour and a half, punctuated by several announcements. Faced with a deficit now approaching 6% of GDP and a debt which currently far exceeds 3,000 billion euros, Michel Barnier advocated a reduction in public spending in order to respect its stated objective of reducing the deficit to 5% from 2025, then to 3% in 2029. And this will, according to him, concern “ two-thirds of the effort next year “.
On the tax aspect, the head of government also asked “ participation in collective recovery for large companies that make significant profits ”, and also intends to put in place “ an exceptional contribution » of the French « the most fortunate “. But he did not go into detail, deplores the general secretary of CPME, the Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises, Jean-Eudes du Mesnil du Buisson. “ We were on a general policy speech, so we actually had a lot of generalities, he confides, joined by Nicolas Feldmannfrom the RFI Economy department. Now we will have to move on to practical work. »
What is this, a big company ? At what point do we consider ourselves to be a large company? ? When we start talking about companies making profits, what are they, very high profits? ? We remain very worried, because we lack details on a whole bunch of avenues. We would have liked to have these details, they will be very important beyond the affirmations of principle, some of which are positive.
Note that Mr. Barnier also announced a 2% increase in the minimum wage, the minimum wage, from November 1, two months ahead of the initially planned schedule. He also proposed to the social partners to “ think about fair and reasonable accommodations » concerning the pension reform, in particular on the “ gradual retirement “, ” professional wear » or even « equality between women and men in retirement “.
Read alsoMichel Barnier in the Assembly: a look back at the grand oral presentation of an ejectable Prime Minister
While Michel Barnier was at the podium of the National Assembly, several unions for their part organized a demonstration in Paris. What did they think of the executive’s announcements? Our special correspondents Arthur Ponchelet And Robin Cussenot met a few of them, like Franck and Antoine, both EDF agents who consider that the announced increase in the minimum wage will be far from sufficient. Ditto for the head of the retirement branch of the CGT union in Seine-et-Marne, upon the announcement of the resumption of dialogue for “ correct certain limitations » of pension reform.
We, in any case, CGT, remain on retirement at 60, to the extent that we have ample means to finance it. When we start talking like that, with the most artistic blur possible, it means that behind it, there is a wolf.
Speech by Michel Barnier to the Assembly: reactions of demonstrators in Paris, ready to maintain the pressure
In a mixture of applause and invective, Tuesday, at the Palais Bourbon, Michel Barnier also addressed another subject just as explosive as the budget, namely immigration. Unsurprisingly, given his membership of the right, the Les Républicains party, as well as his past commitments, the Prime Minister called for more firmness on the matter, affirming in particular that the France “ no longer controls satisfactorily » its migration policy. And on the far right, while we welcome this approach, we demand more. This is the case of RN deputy Laurent Jacobelli.
On the other hand, in the presidential camp, reactions are sometimes embarrassed. We must regularize undocumented immigrants who are working, argues for example Erwan Balanant, MoDem deputy, while on the left, the socialist parliamentarian Arthur Delaporte denounces an instrumentalization of the migration issue. The subject thus promises to come up again in the Assembly, where the National Rally and its allies have already announced that they want to table a new text on immigration.
We are still hungry. What concrete measure? How are we going to stem immigration that has become completely uncontrollable?
Michel Barnier and immigration: a thorny subject in full swing
“An extremely reactionary scheme which makes prison the alpha and omega”
The head of government says he wants to expel more foreign people who have received an obligation to leave the territory, an OQTF. He’s a warhorse in his camp. He wishes to extend the administrative detention period, which is a maximum of 90 days today. But this measure is disconnected from realities on the ground, considers Matthieu Tardis, co-director of the Synergie migrations research center, contacted by Amélie Beaucourfrom the France service of RFI: “ Either these measures are only made to send a signal to public opinion, he said, either the people who prepared the Prime Minister’s speech don’t really know what they are talking about. »
When the removal measure is going to be executed, generally, it is very quickly. Countries that do not want to issue passes do not issue them, whether within a week, a month, or two months. There is also a financial cost, because that also means police officers, and again reviewing the buildings of the administrative centers. In a context where we are being told of fairly significant budget cuts, I wonder if the priority is to invest in these detention centers for, possibly, a few hundred or a few thousand more removals.
On justice, according to its leader, the French government will propose to limit the possibilities of adjusting sentences so that they are carried out. For Mr. Barnier, it is necessary that judgments be respected without being transformed. But in the eyes of Matthieu Quinquis, lawyer and president of the French section of the International Prison Observatory, “ this speech is extremely worrying “. “ It calls into question strong ideas which honor our criminal justice, he explains on the microphoneOlivier Chermann. In particular that of the application of sentences and that of the evolution of convicted persons during the sanction. »
We are calling into question an idea which consists of hoping in men and women that justice will sanction, and above all, it locks us into an extremely reactionary pattern which makes prison the alpha and omega, and which maintains the society in an idea that without prison, we would be absolutely without solution. And that is completely contrary to everything that has been noted by researchers, by international organizations, by actors in the field…
Reaction of Me Matthieu Quinquis after the Prime Minister’s statement
The last part currently sparking reactions on our broadcasts is Michel Barnier’s comments regarding Nouméa. His grand oral indeed allowed him to make some announcements concerning the Overseas in general, and in particular the postponement of provincial elections in New Caledonia until the end of 2025. As for the unfreezing of the electorate, it will not be submitted to Congress. At the microphone of Charlotte Urien-Tomakafrom our Politics department, the independence MP Emmanuel Tjibaou is waiting to see what happens next.
There are announcements. Afterwards, we must judge on the act. We can’t just be hanging on Mr. Barnier’s lips. Taking responsibility, not representing the text at the Versailles Congress, is something that was expected in the country. Afterwards, at the same time as there was the resumption of institutional discussions, the postponement of the provincial elections, in the country, there were two options which were favored by the separatists, it was not decided, but in any case, we take note.
WhileEmmanuel Macron should soon formalize these announcements with elected officials, they go down badly with the loyalist deputy from New Caledonia Nicolas Metzdorf, from Ensemble pour la République, in short from Mr. Macron’s camp. “ We have a Prime Minister who has not completely grasped the seriousness of the Caledonian issue ”, and who “ gives a guarantee to the radical separatists as well as to Jean-Luc Mélenchon speaking again of the Congress of Versailles “, he tackles.
At my level, the question of censorship arises, yes. The postponement of elections is normal. Today, we cannot travel everywhere in New Caledonia, there is a curfew, but the problem is that we still have 40,000 people excluded from the electoral body in New Caledonia, people who cannot vote in their own country. He could have at least announced that he was going to take the time to find an agreement, but he only gave a guarantee to the most radical separatists.
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