All that for this! The Special Commission on Pensions was to be a fine exercise in democracy for the executive and its majority. The opportunity to scrap and make its arguments heard for the opposition. The ace! After two weeks of debate in a small room in the National Assembly, this committee, whose work must be completed this Tuesday evening, should lead to the return in the hemicycle next Monday ... of the initial text of the government.
Explanation: of the approximately 22,000 amendments tabled, more than 15,000 remained to be studied on Monday. An impossible challenge in two days. With the key, as provided for in parliamentary procedure, start from scratch during the discussion in session. And as a consequence: put back on the job the amendments debated by the committee. Including those tabled by the opposition and voted by the majority such as the retirement of family carers (tabled by the socialist Boris Vallaud and the LR Thibault Bazin) or the revaluation of teachers' salaries (tabled by the communist Pierre Dharréville).
"In the end, it is the image of the National Assembly that takes a hit," moved Didier Guillaume, the Minister of Agriculture, this Monday morning on Europe 1. And to pin The France Insoumise, the source of more than 19,700 of which 16,000 are almost identical.
Critics fully assumed by the rebels. On the form: "We could not be sure that the 17 deputies from our group were present at all of the committee's meetings," explains Eric Coquerel, LFI deputy for Seine-Saint-Denis. That is why we have multiplied each amendment by 17. "And on the merits:" Rather than obstruction, we prefer to speak of a zealous strike, further specifies the elected official. What else to do when the government wants to force through a social demolition project, plans to take orders once the law is passed and the financing conference will not proceed until after the text has been examined? the Assembly? "
"Saving time", the goal of France Insoumise
Isn't such a battle for amendments likely to be counterproductive? "But the debate in committee will not have been for nothing," answers Eric Coquerel. We could have brought out some of our arguments. And then, the majority told us a fairy tale for children, with this reform. We are not going to oppose this text with flowers. We are not trying to improve this project but to withdraw it. "
Because France Insoumise, decidedly on the offensive, does not hide its ultimate goal: to save time. "We are trying to make it impossible for this project to be voted on March 3, as it was planned," explains MP Insoumis de Seine-Saint-Denis. This will allow social mobilization to find a second wind. "
On the majority side, we stay straight in our boots. "We will mobilize all the time necessary to go after examining this text," confided to the Parisian - Today in France last week Richard Ferrand, President LREM of the National Assembly. In government, we do not hide, however, his concern to see this reform be voted after the date indicated by Edouard Philippe, that is to say at the beginning of the summer.
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Above all, that from July, debates in the hemicycle will be impossible due to work on the roof. And that the Senate will close for three months due to elections in September. No question, however, as indicated by Marc Fesneau, the Minister of Relations with the Parliament, to use the 49-3 intended to adopt the reform without vote. "A trap, according to an elected macronist, in which we especially do not want to fall. "
