Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne drew the broad outlines of the future “method” of her government, Wednesday July 7, in the Chamber of the National Assembly. Before a heckled Assembly, the head of government notably announced “the intention of the State to hold 100% of the capital of EDF”so that France can “to assure [sa] sovereignty in the face of the consequences of war and in the face of the colossal challenges ahead.”
>> Follow the political reactions to Elisabeth Borne’s general policy speech in our live
Elisabeth Borne also detailed the priorities of the government: purchasing power, work and full employment, the ecological emergency. A speech which did not fail to react to the deputies, on the right as on the left.
“We are disappointed but we are not slamming the door”, reacts deputy LR Julien Dive
“I was not convinced by Elisabeth Borne’s general policy speech”, reacted on franceinfo Julien Dive, deputy Les Républicains of the second district of Aisne. A speech called “mechanical and polished” on the form, while being a true “catalog of banalities” on the background.
If he said “disappointed”the deputy nevertheless affirmed that he was ready to “to work with the government and the other oppositions” on measures going in the direction of the French, in particular with regard to the purchasing power bill. “We are not closed, we are not slamming the door”, he concluded, rejoicing that the center of gravity of French politics is moving towards Parliament, “Oppositions and majority will be able to move things forward.”
“A succession of empty sentences” for LFI deputy Ugo Bernalicis
Elisabeth Borne’s general policy statement is “a succession of hollow sentences”, reacted on franceinfo Ugo Bernalicis, deputy La France insoumise of the 2nd district of the North. He castigated the government’s desire to “continue to believe that increasing working time, reforming pensions is a good solution.”
“We first wondered how much this speech obviously written by McKinsey had cost, a succession of hollow sentences to start with and then a few elements launched like that.
Ugo Bernalicis, deputy La France insoumise of the 2nd district of the Northat franceinfo
On the renationalisation of EDF at 100%, Ugo Bernalicis also remained skeptical. “We are waiting to see because they are the ones who cut it into small pieces. If renationalisation, that means buying back the shares that we sold to private groups at a high price, so that they enrich themselves at passage, that’s fine, we already know the operationscontinued the MP. That is to say that when it is complicated we renationalise and we buy back the shares and when things are going well we privatize and we let the private sector take its share of the cake. Ugo Bernalicis also asked for more details on the project: “What subsidiary [d’EDF] ? Which part ? What end? Do we reassemble the different pieces? It opens up a lot of questions.”
A “threading of pearls without breath and without vision”, according to RN deputy Laurent Jacobelli
“Madame Borne had a reputation as a technocrat, now we know it’s true”reacted strongly on franceinfo Laurent Jacobelli, spokesperson for the National Rally (RN). “We faced a string of pearls, breathless and without any vision or strategy for France”he added.
He demands “concrete measures”in particular on safety, for “put an end to migratory flows” that he judges “uncontrolled”. But also proposals for “reform the democratic institutions that are seized up.”
Regarding the purchasing power bill which is arriving in the National Assembly, the deputy for the 8th constituency of Moselle believes that the text will be a good way to see if the government has really “heard the opposition”. “If the fate of the most vulnerable French people is improved by this law, even if it is imperfect, we will act positivelyhe says. There will be no blackmail, there are only ideas that seem good to us, we will see if the government seizes them.