Did you, as a new MP, fall off your chair when you discovered the practices of the Assembly?
There were armrests which allowed me to avoid falling! No, it's a classic deliberative system. What is difficult to grasp are the subtleties of filing amendments for complex texts like the finance bill. We are immediately plunged into the deep end, in a context where we have a hole in the racket of 40 billion euros, therefore a spending reduction target that we have all bitten into a little naively. We were all looking for revenue, or reductions in spending. It wasn't very quality work. But we were able to work.
However, this is not the image conveyed from the debates, more invective than work….
The general public only sees us, if they watch TV, during questions to the government. At times it's theater, not always of high quality. That obscures 90% of the work. However, the work of the supervisory hearing commission is little valued, but is useful to the country. It's less flashy… There are three texts voted unanimously which I am proud of: improving support for families whose children suffer from serious illnesses and disabilities, canceling bank charges in the event of inheritance when you have a child who has died, reimbursement of wheelchairs by Health Insurance. They were carried by deputies of different sensibilities.
Why does this work on some texts and not others?
Personally, I find that Parliament is sabotaging itself; it could have stronger prerogatives from the moment it disciplines itself and takes its responsibilities. But currently, it is easier to look for culprits than solutions.
Does this shift seem dangerous to you?
There is an irritation with the image sent back by the political class, a democratic weariness. At some point you have to say stop. Be careful that this anxiety-provoking climate does not penalize the French economy. We are talking about 300,000 industrial jobs threatened, growth at half mast, an inability to reduce deficits… We are not in the projection, in the investment. However, we must create wealth if we want to redistribute it.
Is Parliament a bubble cut off from reality?
Many elected officials have had local mandates, where compromise can be found. Others have faster journeys, following waves, or because they have roles in the devices… Afterwards, Paris is another world, you can lose your footing. We navigate between committees, we are in political groups facing other elected officials with days that start at 9 a.m. and end at midnight, or even later. This is why going into the field, being on call, getting in touch with people is vital. We must recreate proximity. Many of our fellow citizens no longer even want, or need, to complain to their MP. That's terrible, in addition to being fertile ground for extreme protest votes.
Are you afraid of losing your footing?
I won't lose my footing, I'm happier on a market than frolicking in the Assembly. Afterwards, some are very happy to spend their time on news channels. I don't. My obsession is doing things that have an impact for people. If there is a dissolution in a year, the question is: will I have left a positive mark?
Did you leave any?
Small ones. On the legislative texts to support families, within the Defense Committee, I hope to have moved the lines on cybersecurity. I work on attention deficit disorders (ADHD), “dys” disorders, these blind spots in major health policies. I will do anything to have windows open. It's very laborious, but that's how I see it.
You were elected under the NFP label. The question of undocking with LFI is running through the PS, are you in favor of it?
Left-wing accountability is a need in our country. The NFP was created in reaction to the risk of the RN, a reflex of which I am proud. There are differences in sensitivity. If we ask for ten and we give you five, do we stick to our guns, or do we say that five is better than zero? I remain convinced that any progress is worth taking. The whole program, just the program, doesn't work. But I work very well with my Insoumis colleagues.
Do you think of Pessac town hall when you shave?
This morning I cut myself! There is a political space, there is a desire, there is a need, because many things are not going in the right direction. Afterwards, there will be a moment which has not yet come.
