World News: Macron Considers Pension Reform Faces Cynicism
- Details
- Category: World News - Europe
- Published on Monday, 03 October 2022 07:54
- Written by Olivier Longhi
French President Emmanuel Macron is once again pushing his controversial pension reform agenda. By threatening dissolution, Emmanuel Macron understands that after the indignation of parliamentarians, a realism, tinted of cynicism, will impose itself further hurting the institutions.
The pension reform bill is still crystallizing opposition within the presidential majority and parliamentary groups. By raising the threat of a potential dissolution of the National Assembly in the event of obstruction of the passage of the pension reform, the Head of State is at first glance taking a risk that some would consider dangerous.
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Which ultimately proves to be particularly tactical, even cynical towards MPs, regardless of their political affiliation. Why? First of all, the threat in question will push the already relative presidential majority to unite around the president, the Renaissance or affiliated deputies having no desire to return. in front of the ballot box. In these times of announced energy restrictions, high inflation and combined price increases, any election aimed at renewing national representation could, on the other hand, prove to be highly risky and take on a sanction voting aspect. Second reason, no one knows in the event of an early election which results would come out of the polls.
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The Italian example of Georgia Meloni has left a considerable and profound mark on the European democracies which, starting with France, would find themselves in a very great embarrassment if it were necessary to deal with a parliament, and consequently, a government from extremist ranks.
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What policy would then be undertaken? Pro-Europeanist? Atlantist? Thirdly, and always in the vein of unpleasant electoral surprises, many Members of Parliament have still in mind, history at least learned, the disappointments of Jacques Chirac in 1997.
Convinced to regain an RPR majority in the National Assembly, he decided to dissolve the Assembly and regained a majority certainly but from the Socialist Party with which he had to cohabit with Lionel Jospin as Prime Minister. Fourth reason, if the presidential majority, fragile, has no interest in returning to the polls, no parliamentary group, just as fragile because composite and diverse, there was no real interest in it, including the National Rally, whose transparency and uselessness within the Assembly have become obvious. In short, nothing will work in favor of a dissolution while the hypothesis of a 49.3 would be the most likely. Again.
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Criticized but Never Repealed
Without risk to the Government, it also allows other parliamentary groups to rebel against the government at little cost by arguing the authoritarian and brutal aspect of the article of law, always written, and vilified but never repealed.
The use of 49.3 would allow these same parliamentary groups to unite against the Government but without risk of seeing the Assembly renewed, thus jeopardizing their mandate. As for the motion of censure, it is part of a similar logic.
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Voted and majority, it would lead to the fall of the Government and therefore new elections. In reality, this draft law on pensions is as much about the future of a system that needs to be improved or repaired as it is about institutions that do not are more necessarily in tune with the societal, political or economic issues that govern our daily lives.
And this is perhaps also where the questions that run through our democracy lie. Because the latent political and economic crisis is also coupled with an institutional crisis that persists when it has been going on for several or even decades.
Bio: Olivier Longhi has extensive experience in European history. A seasoned journalist with fifteen years of experience, he is currently professor of history and geography in the Toulouse region of France. He has held a variety of publishing positions, including Head of Agency and Chief of Publishing. A journalist, recognized blogger, editor, and editorial project manager, he has trained and managed editorial teams, worked as a journalist for various local radio stations, a press and publishing consultant, and a communications consultant.
