Macron engages with ‘forgotten France’ but it’s a long road ahead
IN a spartan hall in the provincial town of Château-Thierry, a tiny group of citizens was locked in heated, chaotic discussion on how to save France.
As tempers flared, one woman turned to her neighbour and scolded him for badmouthing the local MP as a liar and a charlatan. “Can we refrain from using swear words and insults,” she exclaimed. “I’m entitled to my opinion,” he scowled.
The order of the day was “purchasing power” but it soon became a freefor-all on everything from cronyism and conspiracy theories to immigration. A baby escaped its mother’s arms and started banging a cup on the table. “He’s teething,” she said apologetically.
If this is how Emmanuel Macron envisaged his “great national debate”, launched this week in the hope of quelling two months of “yellow vest” revolt, then the French president has his work cut out for him.
On Tuesday, he kicked off a series of public forums inviting voters to express their concerns and suggestions on a range of issues from inequality to the difficulties facing rural and smalltown France and the environment.
The two months of debates will run until March 15, and the president has promised to respond with “a new contract with the nation”.
The hope is to entice “yellow vests” away from increasingly violent protests in cities and the roundabouts they have occupied for the past two months.
What began as a revolt against fuel tax rises by provincial motorists has snowballed into wider outrage at high taxes and the political system.
In Château-Thierry, birthplace of fabulist Jean de la Fontaine, some 60 miles east of Paris, locals were torn between a burning desire to have their say and deep scepticism that the entire exercise will come to very little. That mirrored national polls, in which almost of a third of the French say they want to take part in debates but 70 per cent doubt it will change anything.
“I think we will resolve the problems not around the table but in the street. I don’t believe in Father Christmas. I’m not falling for this great debate,” said Didier, 61, a musician, as thousands of gilets jaunes took to cities around the country for a tenth weekend of demonstrations yesterday.
Jacky Danger, 64, a retired butcher, said: “It’s good to meet and it could be good to send our findings to the government but I have my doubts that this is all a smokescreen.”
A staunch “yellow vest” who has already helped block local motorway tolls, a factory and a tax office, Mr Danger dismissed as a show two marathon debates that Mr Macron took part in this week in Normandy and south western France to kick off the exercise.
“The ‘yellow vests’ I know don’t want to take part,” he said. “This will not stop our protests, on the contrary.”
But in encouraging news for Mr Macron, a government website has already registered 400 meetings by mayors, citizens or associations slated for the coming days. From March 1, the government will begin holding regional citizen conferences consisting of around 100 people chosen by drawing lots. These will summarise the main findings and establish proposals for the president’s consideration.
Catherine Doffémont, 64, a retired medical saleswoman, said she was impressed with Mr Macron’s efforts to reengage and was fed up with “yellow vests” individualistic demands. “At least here, we’re talking,” she said. Mr Macron has insisted that there are no taboo questions, including on holding citizen-sponsored referendums and repealing a hated new 80kph (49mph) speed limit on B-roads. But government debate kits are limited to four main themes and he has ruled out renouncing economic reforms or reimposing a wealth tax scrapped last year.
Alain Grumelart, 58, an unemployed graphic designer and president of the moderate gilets jaunes réflechissants (reflective yellow vests), said the framework was too restrictive. “Nobody has the power to order the nation to talk about some subjects and not others.”
Friday’s talk covered a bewildering array of issues but after three and half hours, they had only managed to agree on one: counting voters who opt for “none of the above” on ballot papers.
“There’s no way we’ll have completed it within two months,” said Mr Grumelart. “In March, Macron’s great debate will end up in the rubbish bin but we’ll keep going with our quiet revolution,” he predicted.
Either way, “yellow vest” Véronique Ducornet, 64, a teacher for the sightimpaired, said this was about “forgotten France” finally feeling visible.
“We’re all individuals. We can all make our voice heard. It’s utopian perhaps, but it was about time people woke up. At least this makes people want to fight for something.”