EDITORIAL – Michel Barnier, appointed Prime Minister this Thursday, September 5, is a negotiator, a moderator. With his soft voice, his seemingly lofty remarks… He appears as a calming agent. But will he be able to assert himself against Emmanuel Macron? Will he be able to face the countless challenges that await him?
Finally! By deciding to appoint Michel Barnier to the Hôtel de Matignon, the President of the Republic has emerged from the “impasse”, from the trap that he himself had set, with his inconsequential dissolution. At least momentarily. And in what state? Emmanuel Macron was even more damaged after these long days of procrastination, where he appeared without a clear line, he who, precisely, claimed to clarify. Without imagination, he who boasted of having put her in power. Without transcendental optimistic inspiration, he who had supposedly propelled her to power.
Read alsoMichel Barnier appointed Prime Minister: the reasons behind Emmanuel Macron’s choice
The birth was difficult. Laborious. “The child” is not looking its best. Even if it could have been worse! Michel Barnier has experience, and even some claims to fame to make. This ex-Gaullist has been minister several times, notably of the Environment, which is now a valid argument, but also of European Affairs, before establishing himself as “the Brexit negotiator”.
The relief will only be temporary
Elected from Savoie, he was also, with the star champion Jean-Claude Killy, the inspiration for the Winter Olympics in Albertville in 1992. The Chirac supporters, who did not like him much, had meanly nicknamed him “the cretin of the Alps” and Jacques Chirac, less abrupt but just as mocking, “the ski instructor”.
It is true that this Savoyard was not a mountain cutter, but rather a moderator, a negotiator, who imposed himself at the summits by advancing with a steady step and bypassing obstacles. A slalom runner. When he ran in the 2021 primaries of the right, he finished third, behind Valérie Pécresse and Eric Ciotti, without making any splashes. It was said of him at the time that he had no equal in putting his audience to sleep but that, tenacious, he most often achieved his ends…
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Basically, this is probably his main advantage: Michel Barnier, with his soft voice and seemingly lofty remarks, appears[…]
- challenges.fr
