Edouard Philippe returned to the ring.
In Octeville-sur-mer (Seine-Maritime), Wednesday evening, the former prime minister did not content himself with calling to vote for Senator Les Républicains Agnès Canayer, candidate for his re-election.
In front of a hundred elected officials, the mayor of Le Havre, a neighboring town, took advantage of his speech of about twenty minutes to distill several political messages.
A first since his departure from Matignon in early July, which had led him to observe a period of withdrawal from the national political scene.
“I think we're going to face a storm - an economic storm, a health storm, a storm in every way - and maybe a social storm, maybe a political storm.
And I think the times to come are difficult times ”
, observed the elected Norman.
Read also: What has become of Édouard Philippe since he left Matignon?
In this context, and by spinning the maritime metaphor, Edouard Philippe praised
"calm, open, balanced minds"
, as well as
"the ability to gather, to go beyond"
.
“When you're on a boat and the storm comes, it doesn't have to be that you agree on all issues with those who are with you on the boat.
The important thing is to know where we want to go and how we are going to weather the storm, ”
he explained.
For the former head of government,
"the compass"
that must be "
favored
" to "
work together
" is therefore that of "going
beyond
", "the
meaning of the State
", the "
meaning of France
", rather. than the “
partisan compass
”.
"
We will need these women and men of good will who understand that we are going to suffer, that we are going to go through a very strong gust,
" called the juppeist, accustomed to shaking for having governed France during the crisis of the yellow vests , the protest against the pension reform, the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic.
Revenge Against The Republicans
The very popular former prime minister has also castigated “
partisan logic
” and largely attacked his former party, The Republicans.
“
I have long been part of a political formation that excluded me.
She excluded me because I had made the choice to accept the proposal of the President of the Republic to lead a government that wanted to reduce deficits, reform unemployment insurance, increase the number of police and military, increase the number of defense budget, reforming the SNCF, opening it up to competition… In short, doing things with which I find it hard to imagine they disagreed deeply.
But as I had not respected the clan, strategic line, we preferred to consider that I would be better outside.
And I have to say that I'm quite grateful, it's true that I am rather better on the outside!
», Quipped Philippe, who never wanted to join La République en Marche.
And to drive the point home: “
it happens to reproach the leaders for being far from the country.
I do not exclude that the leaders of political parties are sometimes far from the voters.
And I believe that the voters have decided
”.
Make his voice heard
From the town where his grandparents lived, Edouard Philippe paid tribute to several local personalities, including Patrice Gélard, Antoine Rufenacht, recently deceased.
"
Political commitment is first and foremost a local commitment
", underlined the juppeist, mentioning his "
rooting
".
The former tenant of Matignon has also subtly referred to his former status as majority leader.
“
Experience shows that when majorities are very short, they are also often very tight-knit.
And when they are plethoric, we forget ourselves, we disperse, we ventilate.
“In recent days, his successor, Jean Castex, is trying - and not without difficulty - to structure the parliamentary majority.
Relations between LREM and the MoDem, in particular, have become tense.
Very much in demand, Edouard Philippe will be campaigning again for the senatorial elections on September 23, in the Eure, alongside his former minister Sébastien Lecornu.
On the 25th, the former head of government will participate in the re-entry of La République des maires in Angers, a network of center-right elected officials led by his friend Christophe Béchu.
This first public expression confirms, for those who still doubted it, that he intends to weigh and make his voice heard.
