“I think we need to change the method“, estimates Sunday, October 23 on franceinfo Patrick Vignal, Renaissance deputy for Hérault and former socialist. He reacted to the interview with Nicolas Sarkozy in the JDD who advises Emmanuel Macron to find an agreement with the LRs in the National Assembly to compensate for the lack of majority. Patrick Vignal says he is aware of this situation and wishes a little “of humility“: “During the 2017-2022 mandate we had full powers, parliamentarians had only one thing to do, press the ‘for’ button and now we need to have a new relationship with the opposition.“
franceinfo: How do you react to this advice from Nicolas Sarkozy?
Patrick Vignal: We always knew that there was a love story between Nicolas Sarkozy and Emmanuel Macron, it’s the same energy, it’s the same dynamic, with perhaps a less flowery language for Emmanuel Macron. The real debate today is that we only have a relative majority. The LRs have a gun to put to our head since they are 52. If tomorrow they joined our majority, we would have an absolute majority. I’m not sure that the French – who want to know what we’re going to do with pension reform or purchasing power – appreciate this political grub. I think on the contrary, that we need the left, humanity, a social democracy except that today the left is represented by LFI. I find that Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a cultivated and intelligent man but his objective is this fourth round and to become Prime Minister. He won’t.
But then, should we make this political agreement in good and due form – as Nicolas Sarkozy says – with the LR group or should we do without it?
Since Emmanuel Macron’s victory, it was difficult. Insofar as he cannot stand for a third term, the race for the shallot is open. Who is the right? Is it the right Edouard Philippe and Horizons? Is it the center-right of François Bayrou who also dreams of putting on the wedding dress? Is it this right LR with Bruno Retailleau and Eric Ciotti who spend their time wanting to pick the pockets of Marine Le Pen? So it’s a bit complicated. The real debate today – and this is what I understand from Nicolas Sarkozy – is that we are short of 50 parliamentarians because I think that during the previous mandate we did not do the job enough, since a hundred of my colleagues remained on the floor.
How are you going to do it?
I think we need to change the method. I think that today there is no longer the fact of saying ‘I have a program’ or ‘I have a majority and therefore I will exercise my program’. War is on the edge of Europe and France is on the edge of chaos. I’m hesitating between a depressed France – with people who say that politicians are useless to them – or with a spark – with people in the street – so I think we need to have another approach to the relationship with the French who do not want to obey but adhere. It is up to us to give the bills to all the opposition, it is up to us to have another look and another language. I tell my colleagues who tell me that LFI and the RN are the enemies; there is no enemy, the enemy is the war in Ukraine. We need to respect opposition. During the 2017-2022 mandate we had full powers, parliamentarians had only one thing to do, press the ‘for’ button and now we need to have a new relationship with the oppositions. And so a little humility.