General policy speech: Bayrou ignores the climate

1,9 %, or just over 1 minute. This is the fragment given by François Bayrou to the ecological question, in his interminable grand oral. On January 14, the 73-year-old Prime Minister faced the hemicycle of the National Assembly, for the traditional general policy speech. A tirade lasting almost 90 minutes, without ever mentioning the challenge of XXI^e century: the climate crisis.

« There are countless concernsintoned the mayor of Pau from the podium of the Palais Bourbon, but there is one that emerges with glaring force. » Which ? That of France's overindebtedness. This « sword of Damocles »which has never been such « since the war »obsessed François Bayrou at the start of his speech.

Then the tenant of the Matignon hotel assumed a disrupted protocol order, reflecting his priorities. Education, first place. Overseas, second. Security, with Gérald Darmanin as Minister of Justice and Bruno Retailleau at Interior, third. « Fifty minutes of speech, and still not a word about ecology »alarmed Marine Tondelier, national secretary of Environmentalists, on the Bluesky social network.

A theme that the leader of the Modem ended up mentioning after 1 hour 06 minutes of wanderings. Like Élisabeth Borne, Gabriel Attal and Michel Barnier before him, François Bayrou is nevertheless responsible for ecological and energy planning. However, don't panic: in his eyes, France has already started to take up this crucial subject, « better and more than any other country in the world ».

An ardent obligation that the Béarnais promised – in 1 minute 40 – to continue. In particular, by finalizing the low carbon strategy, preserving biodiversity and producing in a carbon-free way using new technologies. He described nuclear power and geothermal energy as« essential axis » — without mentioning renewables — and declared « take hold » the question of water, through a major national conference organized regionally.

The presidential Falcon aficionado closed this short environmentalist parenthesis by certifying that he is keeping an eye on the issue of adapted mobility, « hydrogen for cycling ».

The climate crisis thrown into oblivion

« Farmers, peasants, the world from which I come, until recently had the certainty of being the best connoisseurs and defenders of nature.continued the Prime Minister before the lower house. Today, they are accused of harming nature. And it's a deep wound. » The same elements of language as those repeated by the union of the FNSEAestimated with theAFP Antoine Gatet, president of France Nature Environnement.

Even more striking for him, this attack « unacceptable » against agents of the French Biodiversity Office: « When [ils] come to inspect ditches or water points with a weapon in their belt, on a farm already put on edge by the crisis, it's a humiliation »chanted François Bayrou. Before resuming the refrain of French environmental standards which would not be imposed on our neighbors.

« No reference is made to the work of the IPCC »

At 4:29 p.m., the star of the day came down from his pedestal. The climate crisis has been forgotten. « No reference is made to the work of the IPCC, to crossing the threshold of +1.5°C for 2024. Not a word about the megafires ravaging Los Angeles, and even Mayotte is only mentioned for immigration »said Jean-François Julliard.

The director of Greenpeace France also denounced a productivist and techno-solutionist vision of the fight against climate change, the Prime Minister having also rejoiced that « Silicon Valley rolls out its red carpets for our digital and artificial intelligence engineers ».

The left ready to censor

Stammering, getting lost in his notes and apologizing for still having to « learn the trade »François Bayrou tried to plead for national reconciliation: « As in times when the very fate of our nation is in question, the general interest requires us to go beyond partisan preferences so that the country can pull itself together. »

However, as soon as the exercise was over, a parade of disgruntled speakers took shape on the platform. « We weren't expecting much, but we were still disappointed.began the communist Stéphane Peu. Your task was not easy, since your government is the product of the blindness of the President of the Republic, of his refusal to see and admit the vote of the French. »

The Environmentalists demanded that 7 billion euros be directed towards the transition. « As long as you persist in not changing anything, we will have no choice but to continue to censor you », declared Cyrielle Chatelain, the president of the group. A threat immediately reiterated by the Insoumise, Mathilde Panot: « The sooner you leave, the better. »

The PS doesn't want to no ministerial portfolio »

It remained to observe the reactions of the socialists. A few hours earlier, Olivier Faure, their first secretary, hinted at a potential non-censorship agreement with Matignon. « We remain in oppositionfinally assured Boris Vallaud, president of the deputies PS. We do not want any ministerial portfolio and we refuse schemes and combinations. We are not joining you. »

A slamming of the door too late in the eyes of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who accuses Olivier Faure and his comrades of having put the New Popular Front « on the ground » by negotiating with François Bayrou: « The concessions granted to the socialists are so grotesque, we will leave them the pleasure of explaining to you what it consists of »he quipped.

In December 2024, Michel Barnier was overthrown, just three months after taking office. Unheard of since 1962. Will François Bayrou be even more ephemeral? ? Like his three predecessors, the mayor of Pau refused the traditional vote of confidence, supposed to punctuate the general policy speech.

In response, the Insoumis filed a motion of censure. This should be examined on January 16 or 17. For now, the Prime Minister is playing self-deprecation: « 84 % of French people apparently judge that the government will not make it through the year, and I even wonder where the 16 remaining % find the source of their optimism ? »