“For years I have organized ‘Disney’ trips, completely sanitized”. This admission comes from a former chief of staff who organized very formal meetings for an important minister with the prefect, handpicked officials, not the shadow of a demonstration, no annoyance… “It had to be clean”she regrets today.
Being cut off from the reality on the ground is a risk for any politician and everyone has their own way of taking the pulse of the population. Yesterday, we learned on franceinfo that Pap Ndiaye will have lunch once a month with staff from theEnational education of all France. Ministers who are former elected officials often maintain their habits in their stronghold: the Saturday morning market in Vernon for the Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu or inaugurations in Coulommiers for the Minister for Relations with Parliament Franck Riester. Moments of closeness where speech is freer. “Important sensors”they claim in private…
Some push the idea a little further. According to information from franceinfo, the Minister of Public Accounts Gabriel Attal dined on September 5 with a group of French people at the bowling alley in Orléans. An evening without microphone or camera with an entrepreneur, a nurse or a student. French people he had already met after the Covid-19.
The result of the exchanges does not necessarily go in the direction of the government. Unlike the executive, these citizens were all in favor of a tax on superprofits. They also felt like they hadn’t had any tax cuts. Something to tickle the ears of the minister, for whom this is the main promise. Gabriel Attal will discreetly organize a new dinner with French people before the end of the year
But talking to the French is not an infallible science. The slowness of the government’s response to the fuel crisis is an illustration of the difficulty of being connected to the concerns on the ground. Another example: in early November 2018, Emmanuel Macron on a “memory tour” in Charleville-Mézières. The president has his procession stopped to speak to French people. Heated exchanges: “Macron resignation, wait until November 17, you will understand!” a very angry man had yelled at him.
“Macron resignation…” “you’re a crook…” “you won’t last 5 years” “wait until November 17, you’ll understand”… Macron is being scolded by passers-by, the PR tries to respond to each #roaming pic.twitter.com/G5z1wRSAbP
— Jean-Rémi Baudot (@jrbaudot) November 7, 2018
That day, no one had understood it but it was a warning before the 1st act of the “Yellow Vests”. Ten days later the anger exploded. We know the rest.