“The Socialist Party must be responsible”

Vlook at his political family engaged on one hell of a ridgeline. By refusing to participate in François Bayrou’s government but without immediately deciding, unlike the Insoumis, for “a priori” censorship, the socialists are trying to navigate between opposition to Macronism and a posture of “responsibility”. Socialist patron of the Occitanie region, Carole Delga herself regrets that the President of the Republic did not choose a personality from the left for Matignon but hopes that “reason will prevail” and that the new Prime Minister will be attentive to the “principles” outlined by the rose party so as not to press the red button.

For her first interview given to the press since the appointment of François Bayrou, the former MP, one of the few in the PS to have publicly expressed her doubts about the overthrow of Michel Barnier in the midst of budgetary turbulence, considers the decision “disconcerting” from Béarnais to go to the municipal council of Pau in the midst of a crisis in Mayotte. On the other hand, she is not open to a revision of the rules on the accumulation of mandates for mayors of municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants.

The Point: How did you react when you learned of the tragedy in Mayotte?

Carole Delga: As the news we received, we were able to appreciate the tragedy that befell the island. The pictures and the testimonials speak for themselves : it’s a devastated piece of France. As soon as the cyclone was announced, I immediately wanted to react as president of the Regions of France. Yesterday I spoke on the phone with Huguette Bello, president of the regional council of Reunion, whom I associated with the creation and coordination of a regional solidarity fund for Mayotte. And on Saturday I had discussions with the president of the department of Mayotte, Ben Issa Ousseni. I am extremely concerned, I call on the government to act for the local population, in the poorest territory in France. We must live up to the human drama. The State’s response to the emergency, as in reconstruction, must be a strong signal of the unity of the nation.

By going to the Pau municipal council in the midst of a crisis, did François Bayrou commit a political mistake?

I don’t like this type of big words. I was nevertheless surprised to learn from the media that the Prime Minister was going to the Pau municipal council this Monday. I found his decision confusing to say the least.

ALSO READ The fault of François BayrouMore broadly, what do you think of his appointment to Matignon? Can he be, to use his words, the one who will “reconcile” the French?

The priority is in fact to bring together the French, whom Emmanuel Macron’s presidency has deeply divided. But, to bring them together, we must above all respect their choice and, first of all, their vote. Appoint François Bayrouwhom I know well and for whom I have respect, does not correspond to the wishes of the people. The Prime Minister wants to reconcile, but he is not the one who has the best assets due to the simple fact that he has been Emmanuel Macron’s support for seven years.

The reality is that the President of the Republic still does not want to hear the message sent by voters twice, in 2022 and in 2024, by not giving him a majority. As early as July 8, I indicated that it was necessary on the one hand to have a left-wing Prime Minister, who had come first, and on the other that the left opens up to all republican forces since it was not in the majority, without falling into the delirium of “the program, nothing but the program”. We are in a game of shadows and theater that is profoundly detrimental to France for its international credibility, for its economy, for the daily lives of our compatriots. We must restore trust, and quickly!

In a press release published in the wake of the appointment of François Bayrou, you called for working “in a collective spirit”. Does the PS seem to you to be moving in this direction?

The Socialist Party has clearly indicated that it is necessary to act for the purchasing power of the French, salaries, to suspend pension reform and to invest in education and health, to which I add security . Our compass must be to listen and respond to people’s expectations. In this period, we must move away from any political games, unlike the right and the extreme right. Since July, everything has been done in reverse: the French won the Republican front with a bonus for the left, but no left-wing Prime Minister was appointed and the previous government sought the votes of the left. extreme right. We must stop this infernal cycle and return to common sense, to the general interest. In this serious context, yes, the PS has a responsible position.

Should the Prime Minister’s non-use of 49.3 be an absolute condition for the PS to renounce censorship? Does this not risk jeopardizing the adoption of budgetary texts?

I think that, in all cases, we must find a way of governing that is completely different from what has been done until now under the V^e Republic. Today, power is in Parliament. This is methodological work that the government must carry out with the National Assembly, but also with the Senate. We cannot make it a principle to govern with 49.3. I think there is still time to try to build, through dialogue and responsibility, a republican convergence between the National Assembly, the Senate and the government.

ALSO READ “It’s going to be a mess”: the dilemma of the socialists facing BayrouAs you indicated, in addition to renouncing 49.3, the PS has issued other demands not to censor the government, on pensions, public service or the absence of a new law on immigration. Is your party raising the stakes too much?

The three conditions of the PS are to stop making a pact with the National Rally (RN), to allow Parliament to regain its rights and to invest in public services. It is absolutely essential to establish these principles, widely shared by the French, and for the government to take them into account.

Do you really think that François Bayrou will be able to make concessions to the left? Isn’t it blocked, on the other side of the political spectrum, by the demands of Laurent Wauquiez’s troops?

It must be remembered that both ecologists, communists and socialists have agreed to meet the Prime Minister and are in a position of openness. These three parties have a much higher number of deputies than the Republicans. If we add the center-left parliamentarians, such as a part of Liot and Ensemble pour la République (EPR), the left-wing sensibility is the first bloc in the National Assembly. I hope that reason prevails and that the Prime Minister does not show the same deafness as the President of the Republic to the expectations of the French.

Do you still believe that a form of “national union” or “coalition” around François Bayrou is still possible at this time? Isn’t this doomed to failure?

The cards are in his hands. It is up to him to make this opening to all Republican forces possible. In my eyes, we must even broaden the discussion beyond the political parties and groups by addressing those who have the confidence of the French: local elected officials, players in the economic world, unions and associations in the field. social and environmental. We must live up to France.

As part of this “opening to republican forces”, are you ruling out joining the government of François Bayrou?

I call for a republican dialogue between the government, the National Assembly and the Senate. But I don’t see how socialists can participate in this governmentin view of the first indications given by François Bayrou and by certain declarations of ministers who, it seems, would be reappointed.

Are you thinking of Bruno Retailleau?

Among other things…

Does his participation in the government represent a reason for censorship as such for the left?

I don’t like postures to man. We need to dialogue and have a project for the French. But the project led by Bruno Retailleau is, for me, unacceptable.

Olivier Faure has supported our positioning.

Despite everything, has François Bayrou contacted you since his appointment? Are you going to be consulted like other political leaders?

No, François Bayrou has not contacted me, but he already knows my position. When the government is formed, I imagine that I will be invited to meet her as president of the Regions of France. This will be an opportunity for me to reiterate the expectations of the French.

By refusing “a priori” censorship and assuming to diverge with LFI, is Olivier Faure not rallying behind him the internal opposition of which you are a part?

More precisely, it was Olivier Faure who supported our positioning. He came to the conclusion that we had drawn two and a half years ago: we cannot work with Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The “move” therefore does not come from Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, Hélène Geoffroy, Karim Bouamrane or myself, but from the first secretary. It was essential. In this moment of gravity, no one takes pride in the PS.

Does the prospect of a new electoral alliance with La France insoumise seem definitively over to you?

I have always been consistent on the issue of La France insoumise. The situation in the country calls for responsibility, not political posturing or radicalism. The leadership of this party is playing a dangerous game, for electoral reasons. I say it again, we cannot build the union of the left with elected officials who do not fit within the framework of the values ​​of the Republic and who support community withdrawal. Secularism does not have to be misused. We cannot have the slightest weakness regarding this.

To Discover

Kangaroo of the day

Answer

You are an important local elected official. Are you in favor of reinstating the accumulation of mandates?

When I was a deputy, I was not in favor of the strict non-cumulation of mandates as had been voted for. I thought that you could continue to be mayor of a municipality with up to 10,000 inhabitants while being a parliamentarian. The municipal mandate allows us to have better knowledge of the reality of life of our fellow citizens. This would avoid having certain debates which are completely disconnected from the concerns of the French.