"Barcelona is not very far from Paris", philosophized Manuel Valls at the end of October in the columns of Le Point. It is an understatement. The former Prime Minister, who continues to take a close interest in the upheavals of French political life, was still passing through Paris in recent days, on the occasion of the funeral Tuesday of the former boss of the National Cinema Center and former cultural adviser to François Hollande, David Kessler, disappeared on February 3.
His visits to the capital are sometimes the occasion for discreet meetings, at the highest level. So he sometimes talks to Emmanuel Macron, like this autumn when he was seen leaving the office of the Head of State at the Elysée Palace. Between the two men, who clashed hard during the previous five years, the relationship is peaceful. Far from the first months of the president's mandate, where those who dared to whisper the name of Valls heard themselves answering "never!" Firm and, it seemed, final.
Yellow vests and secularism at the heart of the discussions
Contact was never really broken. They had met at the end of July 2018, and Valls had reserved for Macron the scoop of the announcement of his plan to leave French political life to try to conquer the city hall of Barcelona.
In recent months, their exchanges have become more frequent. "Yes, they talk to each other, regularly. The relationship is good, ”says a vallsiste. "They text themselves, call each other, send messages to each other on Telegram, in short, they chat!" Smiles a connoisseur of both. Was it Macron who renewed contact? Or Valls, sometimes irritated by certain pikes coming from the Walkers? "In any case, it continued," notes the same.
Thus they would have discussed in particular the crisis of yellow vests and, above all, on the questions of secularism and the fight against communitarianism which are at the heart of the DNA of the former Minister of the Interior, passed from the PS to LREM , before leaving to start a new life in Spain. Not trivial when the head of state is about to reveal the first tracks of his plan against "separatism" Tuesday, during a trip to Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin) on the funding of Islam.
Is it possible to return to the foreground?
On this subject, they were never in phase, far from it. While Valls has always defended an offensive secularism, Macron is regularly suspected of being more conciliatory. Have the positions come close? In Le Point, this autumn, Valls had praised the words "strong and just" of the President during his speech after the attack at the Paris police headquarters, calling for the "success" of his mandate.
"The entire nation must mobilize and act in the face of the Islamist hydra," proclaimed the president, calling for the building of a "vigilance society" in the face of the terrorist threat. Words that the former Prime Minister, unsuccessful candidate for the 2017 PS primary, would not deny.
Some vallsistes, to joke, take themselves to imagine a somewhat crazy scenario. That of a flamboyant return from their former mentor. "Do you think the president could think of him for Paris?" Asks one of his followers, in the twinkling of an eye. The place, in fact, is free, since the withdrawal of Benjamin Griveaux. " It's complete rubbish! Sighs another.
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And what about the reshuffle that is potentially looming in government? Within the macronie, many are those who plead for the return of political and experienced heavyweights. A champion of the "new world", Macron has so far always refused to do so.