07/10/2024

Michel Barnier: An honest man

Former chief of staff to Michel Barnier (then Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2003-2004), I was delighted on September 5 when Emmanuel Macron appointed him as head of the French government. My satisfaction is due to three reasons.

The first is that Michel Barnier is an upright man with integrity. I can testify to his insistence on paying local taxes while he was staying at the Quai d'Orsay in the minister's official apartment, or to his punctuality in reimbursing the State for the meals of his parents who occasionally came for a family lunch on Sundays. His honesty sometimes put him in trouble with his convictions when, for example, he abstained from voting in favor of the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1981, constrained by the positions of his party on which he had been elected, or when, in order to meet the expectations of the voters of his camp, he was a candidate for the presidency of the Republic, and called into question the supremacy of the European Court of Justice, even though it was at the heart of the European edifice that he had defended so much - "faults" that are still reproached to him today by some. You don't spend a whole life in politics, in a changing world, without ever contradicting yourself. Let's say that, on the whole, Michel Barnier has betrayed himself more than he has betrayed others, which is not common in the political world.

The second reason for satisfaction is that, after three elections at the beginning of the summer, which invariably confirmed the disavowal of the policy pursued for seven years now, it was high time for our country to emerge from this too long period of political vacuum. Whatever one thinks of it, the questioning of the government's record is real - that is an observation. As the French have been called to the polls, it was important that the new government be in line with the forces present in Parliament (and it is composed of two chambers); and, by the way, we should never have had to wait two months for a head of government to be appointed. It is true that if the New Popular Front, federating the lefts and the ecologists, won a (relative) victory, it was only the reflection of a circumstantial reflex aimed at stopping the advance of the far right, the big winner of the first elections, receptacle of all the discontent even beyond its political line. But, let's be clear, this republican front of circumstances was heterogeneous. It could certainly have crystallized into a government program – as had been the case in the past on several occasions – but this would have been without the institutional excesses of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, its charismatic leader, his repeated calls for the resignation of a perfectly legitimate President of the Republic, and his vociferations in favor of the fight in the streets. This hardline attitude has rendered the electoral mobilization against the National Rally of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella irrelevant, and, in doing so, has devalued those who had joined it in good faith. It removed them (for the time being) from power, stressing their inability to form a coherent government majority. Power was not stolen from them, they lost it. In this context, the appointment of Barnier is coherent.

Finally, the third reason to be objectively satisfied is that Michel Barnier is a serious and competent man, with extensive experience in public service. If the political games allow it, he should bring to Matignon, as well as to his government, determination, quiet strength and a sum of expertise to meet the immense challenges facing our country: the adoption of a budget that is out of time, the management of the still open pension crisis, the excessive deficit that is weighing on our future,  the lack of governance that paralyzes us... The task is immense, the subjects complex and divisive and the reasons for rupture potentially innumerable. Only a solid team, with its feet on the ground, maintaining its common sense and capable of listening and understanding, can put our country back on its feet and in the right direction in a few months, in an unstable context and while we are paying - or are about to pay - the price of years of mistakes, risky choices and denial of the reality of our national community. Few men or women can succeed in this impossible mission when, on the other hand, beyond our borders, the world is cracking: we cannot govern here without taking into account the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and its consequences, the risks of a flare-up in the conflict between Israel, Hamas and, now, Hezbollah, the migration crisis that affects us directly,  global warming, the emergence of powers questioning our values, and the disorganization of globalization. 

Because he faces his responsibilities rigorously and without promising the moon, the former Minister of the Environment and Foreign Affairs, former European negotiator of the Brexit, Barnier, a European and patriot, is today, according to some barometers, the most popular politician in France. Alas, by nature, this position can only be ephemeral and, gravity obliges, it can only come down from the pedestal on which we (and the media) have installed him.  Add to this the fact that if he succeeds in producing a government that does not disappoint too much - the list has just been known at the time of writing, and I admit that I would have preferred a government of national unity of technicians and experts - if he passes the threshold of the first declaration of general policy before the National Assembly and if he avoids the first motions of censure,  the Prime Minister will find himself face to face with himself and the obligation to be able to do the impossible. And therefore to disappoint. At the same time, carried by a media that is always quick to emphasize and even if he denies it, he will not be able to help but think about the future, the temptation to replace this president who has become so unpopular. I may be too pessimistic, but then let's bet that the fine arrangements will collapse and the support will crumble. This is a pity, because France needs an honest man, a negotiator who is attentive to all, an independent and balanced statesman. Otherwise...


Pierre Henri Guignard: Former France ambassador to Argentina (2016-2019), he has just published a biography "The last diplomat writer . The life of Pierre-Jean Remy, Immortal Excellence" (L’Harmattan, París).

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