"By calling a vote of confidence in his own government on September 8th, Bayrou was in effect committing political hara-kiri. He was making a ritual sacrifice in the hope of shocking the French people and the French political classes into grasping the fine fiscal mess that the country has created with a half century of unbalanced budgets. We face an immediate danger, which we must tackle, otherwise we have no future, the Prime Minister said."
"Bayrou believes himself to be a different kind of politician, less power-obsessed than most, closer to public opinion, capable of steering a practical course between the rocks of competing ideologies of left and right. He also believes in the fundamental common sense of the French people. His nine months in power have been disappointing, even to himself. Bayrou has been accused of trying to muddle through like all his predecessors."
Francois Bayrou called a confidence vote that he appears likely to lose, deliberately choosing a high-risk motion. He aimed to force recognition of a long-standing fiscal imbalance arising from decades of unbalanced budgets. Bayrou framed the situation as an immediate danger threatening the state's survival and national image. He presents himself as a pragmatic, less power-obsessed politician who trusts the common sense of the French electorate. His nine months in office have been disappointing and he faces accusations of muddling through, laziness, duplicity, and clinging to power. Proposed cuts and new taxes provoked strong public anger.
Read at www.thelocal.fr
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]