EDITORIAL. The political narrative of the head of state and government no longer prints

If the Elysée has lost the habit of publishing a provisional agenda for President Macron, we can say, in retrospect, that the last days were not those that the executive had planned. The beginning of the week had been imagined by the Head of State’s teams as a highlight of France’s efforts on the climate issue. : COP27 in Egypt, then the President’s meeting with polluting industrialists, followed by announcements on decarbonization. Emmanuel Macron had even asked Internet users to ask him questions about the climate. We are still waiting for his answers…

In the end, none of this really marked public opinion. Due to dramatic current events, of course, particularly that of theocean viking. But the fault also lies with a political narrative that does not print, or no longer. For several weeks, the head of state seems to have had difficulty getting messages across. We don’t talk about controversial subjects, small sentences : I note that it is difficult for the executive to install substantive subjects, the climate issue is obviously an illustration of this.

One of the reasons is probably at the Palais-Bourbon: this new Assembly, bubbling, noisy, takes a lot of space in public opinion. All of this makes the emergence of substantive debates more difficult. The controversies are numerous, rebound, the punchlines are effective, a hit on social networks and news channels… It’s not easy to impose subjects.

An example: on the budget, we have heard a lot about the method, the 49.3, the controversial amendments on the “super dividends”… But who can say how much money has been invested in school or health ? Nobody.

The media no doubt have a responsibility, but if you look closely there are some 1 000 articles that relate the decisions and actions of the government. So it’s not so much a basic problem as a “set to music” that lacks density, a score that’s too fragmented. And moreover, is it up to the media to compel itself to broadcast the word of the government or is it up to the executive to be sufficiently audible to be taken up in the media? ? I can tell you that this issue is beginning to seriously worry some advisers at the top of the state. A week ago, Elisabeth Borne, for example, announced the creation of a food solidarity fund. Who remembers ?

This difficulty will increase for Emmanuel Macron in November, because the president will almost be absent for three weeks. The Head of State will follow an international sequence which will take him from Bali to Bangkok for the G20 meeting, then from Djerba to Washington. Out of sight out of mind : the president may find it even more difficult to get his messages across. And he risks attending, from a distance, the show of some of his ministers who are more skilled with political messages.

Hey… You also noticed that only Gérald Darmanin spoke about theocean viking ?