“And… We’re beaten!” Seated at the Bourbon, the famous café located opposite the National Assembly, this majority executive does not take his eyes off his phone. In the hemicycle, at the same time, the deputies have just voted on an amendment by Charles de Courson aimed at limiting the rise in rents in rural areas. Against the advice of the government. Such is life in relative majority. Emmanuel Macron’s camp, which had a free hand in the Assembly for five years, must now come to terms with this new political situation. Result: they have to fight on each article, even if it means losing.
“We will have to invent a new working method. Not for our comfort but to seek majorities”, sums up Frédéric Valletoux, Horizons deputy. The spokesperson for Edouard Philippe’s party pleads for discussions well in advance and not “improvised majorities with last-minute negotiations”, as happened on the fuel. It must be said that it is difficult to see the change in method promised by Emmanuel Macron on the first texts of this legislature, whether on the health bill, the bill on purchasing power or the draft amending finance law (PLFR). The first two arrived in the hands of the deputies 24 hours before their examination and that on the Covid-19, 48 hours before. “During the previous five-year term, it was routine”sighs a majority source.
The deadlines for sending the texts to the deputies were therefore very short, without the possibility of working them well upstream, and they were relatively extensive. Twenty articles, for example, for the Purchasing Power Bill, “inflationary on the sovereignty part”, plague a Renaissance deputy. This caused long sessions in the hemycicle, with a first reading vote in the dim light of Friday 22 July.
“We have to learn the lesson. We can no longer have lengthy texts, that makes sessions too long.”
A member of the majorityat franceinfo
“Having texts with 60, 80, 90 articles, as in the previous mandate, does not hold up”confirms Aurore Bergé, president of the Renaissance group. Added to this is a new parameter: the relative majority obliges the Macronist deputies to be present all the time, since each vote counts. This has already generated a certain mess when certain sessions in committee and in public session took place at the same time. “I had to run from my committee six times to vote on the health text in public session, this had never happened to me before”relates a MoDem deputy, re-elected to the legislative elections. “Newbies are like, ‘What the hell is that?'” Consequence also: the time spent in the constituency for those who are outside the Ile-de-France region is close to zero for the moment.
On the government side, we do not hide this reality. “It is obvious that this parliamentary session did not benefit from a huge setback to be prepared, but these were emergency texts”argues the entourage of Franck Riester, the Minister of Relations with Parliament. “This extraordinary session was also configured for a different political situation”, recalls Aurore Bergé. Namely the absolute majority. “There is a period of adaptation, but at the start of the school year, it’s over”retorts a member of the majority.
Everyone repeats the same thing: from September, things must change. “We have to make it shorter, simpler, and more modest. There is still a long way to go”blows a member of the MoDem. “Legislate less but legislate better”, summarizes Denis Masséglia, Renaissance deputy. At the highest peak in the state, we share this desire. In a message to a majority source, Emmanuel Macron says “to share” the desire of parliamentarians to have “short texts” and which are anticipated. “We don’t have a choice anyway”specifies a framework of the majority.
First notable advance: there will be no extraordinary session in September as has been the case for 20 years. “We want to give all the time necessary for consultation with parliamentarians and the French on the texts for the start of the school year”, ensures Franck Riester. Resumption of work in ordinary session, on October 3 therefore.
“This will allow us to anticipate the key texts that will arrive, namely energy, unemployment insurance and immigration.”
Aurore Bergé, president of the Renaissance groupat franceinfo
The decision was taken directly by Elisabeth Borne. In a meeting with her ministers on July 21, the Prime Minister delivered her vision of parliamentary work. She asks the members of the government to “work more on the texts upstream with the deputies of the majority” but also of “begin from the preparation of the texts to associate the oppositions of the republican arc”. This could in particular go through a great oral presentation of the ministers before the eight permanent commissions of the Palais Bourbon. This is what the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, asked in a letter to the head of government dated July 19.
The Prime Minister also wants “reduce the legislative program” for’“to have a better organization of parliamentary time, avoid overlapping between sittings, hearings and committees” also with the aim of giving Members more time in their constituencies. “We are asking for a return to what was done before 2017, namely being in the Assembly from Tuesday to Thursday, it was nonsense under the previous legislature”explains a framework of the majority.
Finally, Elisabeth Borne advocates “short texts” since “every article becomes a battle”. It remains to concretize this within the ministries and their administration. The first version of the energy text had 88 articles. “Not possible”sighs Aurore Bergé. A second version, less extensive, is expected. On the side of the Ministry of Relations with Parliament, which must make its proposals to the Prime Minister at the start of the school year, we also promise to “to loosen the rhythm of the texts” for “allow time for deputies to table bills”.
Franck Riester’s entourage is aware of this: “We know that it is from us that the first measures must come in terms of changing methods.” If the deputies of the majority await them firmly, in the opposition too, we look at it with more or less circumspection. “There are some interesting elements, I am working on slightly more ambitious proposals”explains the president of the socialist group Boris Vallaud. “They have no choice because they are no longer numerous enough to hold the hemicycle and the committees at the same time”, stings, for his part, the deputy LR Fabien di Filippo. At LFI, “We want to see”as summarized by Alexis Corbière.
“There is no love but only proofs of love. Having more visibility on the texts is the direction to take but I have already waited for it for 5 years.”
Alexis Corbière, MP LFIat franceinfo
He too warns that if things don’t change, “it’s the explosion”. “If it was confirmed [la nouvelle méthode du gouvernement], that would be great. But for the moment, it is precisely the opposite that is happening”adds Manuel Bompard, LFI deputy.
At the National Rally, the second vote requested by Bruno Le Maire on the revaluation of pensions during the examination of the PLFR on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday July 27 left traces. “After the events of the night, we regret that the method of the government has not changedassures Julien Odoul, deputy RN. We have witnessed a betrayal of all the discourse on dialogue, consultation and co-construction. Quite frankly, I no longer have any confidence.”
“There is no new way of working, it’s just blabla.”
Jean-Philippe Tanguy, deputy RNat franceinfo
It’s gonna take a little more “proofs of love” so that the certainty of this leading minister becomes true: “The relative majority, it can be a chance. It leads you to ask yourself the question of the position of the other before stopping a text.”