Tense atmosphere, Tuesday afternoon, in Matignon.
According to several participants, the meeting led by the Prime Minister devoted to the health crisis turned sour.
The leaders of the parliamentary groups of the majority and the opposition as well as the party leaders were received on the eve of the announcement of a probable reconfinement of the country.
Around the table, they are numerous to blame Jean Castex for a lack of anticipation on health measures,
"of not clearly putting the scenarios on the table"
.
Live: Covid-19: Emmanuel Macron will present new measures on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
"A hallucinating meeting"
, reports the boss of the Republicans, Christian Jacob,
"surrealist"
, abounds his counterpart of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure.
“We all arrived in a good state of mind but there they made a mock consultation.
Castex asks us for our opinion on measures that he does not announce and says himself that he does not know!
»
,
Indignant the leader of the right.
Christian Jacob asked - in vain - the Prime Minister to
"put his card on the table"
.
"We could have come to an agreement with each other, forming a sort of consensus, national solidarity and moving forward together in the face of the anguish that grips the French, alas, it was not possible, ”
deplores Olivier Faure.
"They thought we were going to relocate the defense council, whatever,"
exasperated a representative of the majority.
Castex asks us for our opinion on measures that he does not announce and says himself that he does not know!
Olivier Faure, first secretary of the PS
"We have just experienced an absurd trip!"
, reacted Marine Le Pen.
The National Rally flag bearer hurriedly left the meeting.
"There will be a problem of acceptability by the French (...) We know nothing (...) There is a form of annoyance that is heard,
" said the elected in front of the cameras.
Only François Baroin, president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) and Fabien Roussel, representative of the Communist Party,
“have risen to the task of supporting”
the executive, according to a participant.
“They want answers, we don't have any either.
Even doctors are surprised by this second wave, ”
jokes someone close to the Prime Minister.
According to figures presented by Jean Castex, and without tougher measures, hospitals would be in a saturation situation in three weeks.
Impossible national union
The rebels took advantage of this meeting to criticize the Ségur de la Santé, insufficient in their eyes, and recall their desire for the State to distribute free masks to the population.
The right has pleaded for keeping schools open, even in the event of re-containment.
“The opposition does not want to be involved, nor to play national unity.
The Prime Minister knew in any case that he would be unpopular by considering new measures and that it would be difficult, he expected the political game ”
, relativizes support from Jean Castex.
"My subject is that the measures taken are the right ones"
, declared the Prime Minister, who received the social partners in the evening.
“You will have understood one thing: to be prime minister is to be yelled at!
“,
Quipped the boss of the Modem, François Bayrou.
The use of re-containment in the face of the second wave of the epidemic should be endorsed at a new health defense council on Wednesday morning.
Emmanuel Macron will present him on television at 8 p.m.
Thursday, a debate followed by a vote will take place in the Assembly, then in the Senate.
Jean Castex was able to measure, Tuesday evening, how much national unity in the health crisis was impossible.
