Chers amis, my powers of punditry are exhausted. Why would Macron re-appoint Lecornu, who failed to form a government less than a week ago? Has Bruno Retailleau agreed this time not to pull the rug out from under him? Has Edouard Philippe committed to passive acquiescence? Have the parties of the non-Mélenchon left indicated that they won’t vote immediate censure, despite Marine Tondelier’s assurance that they had done no such thing? I have no idea. In due course, I suppose, we will find out the answers to these questions and the myriad of others that are raised by Macron’s unfathomable stubbornness.
Surely there were alternatives. I never believed in the Borloo boomlet, because Macron and Borloo have never gotten along. I did think an outsider was a serious possibility, I did not discount a Lecornu renomination, but I found it difficult to see how it could be made to work. I still do. If there had been a serious breakthrough in the discussions with the parties, why would it have taken Macron several hours to make the announcement? The most plausible explanation is that Lecornu was not able to strike the necessary bargains within the limits the president had set for him, and now he has been given “carte blanche” (supposedly) to launch yet another round of negotiations. Macron must have extraordinary faith in his minion to take the risk of yet another demonstration of his weakness.
Époustouflant.
3 Comments
Dear Art:
It will be interesting to see —now that the explicit goal of Lecornu II is only to pass the budget already overdue— whether Bruno Retailleau, in precipitating the crisis, has not hoisted himself by his own petard.
If so, by extension, Marine Le Pen’s insistence that whatever government is formed, she will vote a censure,; may too, find herself somewhat sullied.
Brussels is watching closely the issue of the French political standoff, which cannot be far from the mind of any of the political participants, however much they bay about “the people’s will” supreme.
Personally, I am exhausted, watching the shouting matches among midgets on all sides of this political imbroglio. I am no fan of Dominique de Villepin, but his dignified intervention on BFM-TV might have reminded many of a time when there were French statesmen.
My non-powers of punditry are exhausted since the departure of François Bayrou. But I guess it may be the first time in our history that almost no-one *wants* to be part of the administration. They all hear to well Jacques Brel’s “pendule d’argent / qui ronronne au salon / qui dit oui qui dit non / qui dit je vous attends”.
Actually, if legislative elections are called, I consider running — feeling the stage is too empty. But given my track record, that I consider running might be a sign I remain almost alone with my (Democrat, green, social) ideas!
It is 8:48 p.m. on Sunday, Octobrt 12, 2025 in France now. The nomination of Laurent Nuñez to the Ministry of the Interior indicates the Prime Minister and the President have now settled the score with Bruno Retailleau who cannot keep his own group intact. The largely technocratic government may provide a way out of the impasse. —if Lecornu can get the budget passed —which is a bigger question than who will get which job in Lecornu II.