Less than twenty-four hours from the ax of censorship, Michel Barnier wanted to call the French to witness, Tuesday evening, the “quite serious moment” that crosses the country. While the left and the National Rally (RN) have agreed to join forces at the polls to bring it down, while the headliners of the “common base”, the parties supposed to support the government, are not rushing to defend him and the President of the Republic is already looking for a successor, the suspended Prime Minister showed himself combative on the television news of TF1 and France 2. Throwing his last strength into the battle, with the doubtless hope in vain of create a start.
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Not to save his position, because “the gilding that is around us, the official cars, the gold of the Republic, I don’t care “, he assured from his office at the Matignon hotel. But because he thinks he is “possible to avoid censorship”. The head of government called on “responsibility reflex” deputies, particularly targeting those of the RN, who will have to “to be accountable” to their voters if they associate themselves with the motion of censure of “the extreme left”.
Could he, during the few hours that separate him from examining the motions of censure, make a final gesture on retirement pensions, as Marine Le Pen demanded of him on Monday? “We are not in bargaining”he excluded, accusing the member of Pas-de-Calais of having “tried to get into a sort of one-upmanship”.
Caution
As for the representatives of the Socialist Party (PS), “ ils told me: “In any case, we are voting for censorship” before I open my mouth », assures Michel Barnier. On the budget, “ they presented me with a letter which is practically the NFP program. So there’s not much discussion possible. ».
If the budget is not adopted, warns the Prime Minister, « 18 millions » of French “will see their income tax increase”. Michel Barnier had already warned against ” storm “ financial in the event of the fall of the government. However, two hours before his television interview on Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron, almost silent for several months on domestic politics, interfered in the conversation, to contradict him. From Riyadh, the head of state minimized the consequences of a fall of the government, calling for no “don’t scare people with these things”, car “we have a strong economy”. “France is a rich, solid country, which has made many reforms and which is maintaining them, which has stable institutions, a stable Constitution”he argued.
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