Michel Rousseau is the president of the Concorde Foundation, a liberal-oriented think-tank.
To discover
Find all the results of the legislative elections
Christophe Boutin, agrégé in public law, is a professor at the University of Caen-Normandy where he teaches constitutional law and the history of political ideas. He co-directed with Olivier Dard and Frédéric Rouvillois the
Dictionary of Conservatism, the Dictionary of Populisms,
and the
Dictionary of Progressivism
(editions du Cerf).
The presidential camp having obtained a relative majority in the Assembly, the higher interest of the nation requires the negotiation of a programmatic basis with the camp of the Republican right.
This time poaching people will not be enough to stem the risk posed by the far left.
The emergence of the dangerous ideas conveyed by Jean-Luc Mélenchon and their applications would ruin our country in a few months, scaring away entrepreneurs and investors, leading to the bankruptcy of hundreds of thousands of SMEs, leading to a surge of unemployed in 2023.
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The course set by this program would allow France to get through the next few decades while maintaining its status as a major developed country in a peaceful society.
What the camp of the president did not succeed perfectly as demonstrated these last years.
This agreement should enable France to meet five challenges.
The first challenge for this government agreement will relate to the reconstruction of our industrial fabric.
We have gone from 24% to only 10% of our GDP generated by industry.
This disaster in a few decades places us with Greece, dead last in the European class.
The national interest must set itself an objective: to reach 20% before 2045. We must make it a national cause in order to give ourselves the means of success.
The general level of remuneration of employees in our economy, better control of the trade balance, the revival of activities in our territories, more active research and therefore ultimately the strengthening of national independence will depend on it.
A first effort has been made but insufficient;
the final project should amplify this effort.
Production taxes will obviously have to
The electricity mix only satisfies large companies, investors and promoters for many foreigners, whose enrichments are spectacular to the direct detriment of the French consumer and taxpayer.
Michael Rousseau
The second challenge concerns energy supply and the future cost of kWh.
The French have just discovered that their electricity bills are increasing very quickly (they are aware that unpleasant surprises are to come) while the State, to limit the increase, has had to commit 16 billion euros on its side.
This electricity mix only satisfies large companies, investors and promoters for many foreigners, whose enrichments are spectacular to the direct detriment of the French consumer and taxpayer.
An important step has been taken by the outgoing majority to find an electrical "mix" capable of ensuring, for the next decades, the competitiveness of our companies and the preservation of the purchasing power of our compatriots.
In our emergency situation,
The third challenge to be met is the reduction of public expenditure.
Even in a period of “whatever the cost”, comparisons with other countries make it possible to assess the efforts to be made.
56.5% of GDP in public spending compared to 44.5% in Germany creates a significant handicap for our economy, not to mention the 30.3% of public spending in South Korea.
France will have to carry out a broad audit of social spending, an area in which we are world champions since it represents nearly 15% of total global social spending.
In this area as in the others, it will be a question of setting a reduction target for this expenditure over ten years, ie two five-year periods, to return to the level of our main competitor, Germany, around 44.5%.
With respect to officials,
The fifth challenge will have to respond to the strong expectation of public opinion regarding two vital problems: border control and security.
Michael Rousseau
The fourth challenge that we encounter will consist in seeking the necessary measures, essentially fiscal, to revitalize the territories and restore to the isolated populations a standard of living capable of compensating for the absence of public services, no doubt by reintroducing the notions of "free zones".
Finally, the fifth challenge will have to respond to the strong expectation of public opinion regarding two vital problems: border control and security, it will be necessary to organize a referendum on these two subjects to guarantee peace and prosperity in our country.
Meeting these vital challenges for the standard of living of the French people must give a constructive state of mind to our rulers.
It's time to solve problems that our society encounters and which are often postponed in time.
Negotiations, government agreement or not, the presidential camp should be inspired by it.
