The Socialist Party hesitates, La France Insoumise fulminates: the left divided before the vote on the motion of censure

Jérôme Guedj and Olivier Faure (in front), Boris Vallaud (between them): discussions are taking place at the PS. MAXPPP – Thomas Padilla

Submitted by La France insoumise, it will also be voted on this Thursday by the Greens and the PCF. While François Bayrou is making multiple gestures towards the PS, particularly on pension reform.

What revision for pension reform ? Resetting, rewriting, suspension, justification ?

It is no longer clear that the Prime Minister has given it a new meaning, following a change of direction made only 24 hours after the one indicated in his general policy statement on Tuesday.

François Bayrou has indeed suggested that a new bill to modify the 2023 pension reform would now be possible, even “without a general agreement” from the social partners.

Reassuring the socialists ?

“A situation may arise – and it is perhaps likely that it will arise – in which margins for progress, movement, change, adaptation will have been identified without there being a general agreement”, justified the Prime Minister during the question-and-answer session with the government at the National Assembly this Wednesday.

“If this is the case, we will propose a text that will include these adaptations and we will submit it to the Assembly”, he added.
This is enough to reassure the angry socialist deputies (Olivier Faure and Boris Vallaud had strongly suggested this on Tuesday evening) after François Bayrou's general policy statement ? See.

Who is voting for the motion of censure ?

Because while we know more or less precisely the identity of the groups that will vote this Thursday in the National Assembly for the motion of censure of the government tabled by La France Insoumise (the parliamentary groups of LFI, the environmentalists and the communists, while the RN has already assured that it would not vote for it), uncertainty remains in the socialist party. Especially after the Prime Minister's latest concession, which could finally encourage a majority of the 70 PS deputies to move towards a non-censorship agreement.

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“Some progress, but insufficient”

“We have noted some progress, even if it remains insufficient” however appreciated Kamel Chibli, vice-president of the regional council of Occitanie and member of the national office of the PS. Who listed them: “The end of drug reimbursements, the non-implementation of the electricity tax, the abandonment of the unfair alignment of waiting days for civil servants with the private sector, the reindexation of retirement pensions, all this already puts several hundred euros per year in the pockets of modest households, not to mention the end of the taboo on the retirement age and now the possibility of a text in parliament on pensions. And, now the cancellation of the elimination of 4,000 positions in National Education”.

“Intelligent and constructive opposition”

And the elected representative from Ariège affirms that the socialists “are trying to form an intelligent and constructive opposition. What counts are the victories that we are going to obtain, text by text, to improve the lives of the French. And it is not censorship that will help!”

Christian Assaf from Gard, president of the socialist group in the general council, is of the same mind: “Even if the account is not there, to say the least, the instability of the country forces me to see the glass half full. As it stands, for want of anything better, I therefore recommend that we do not vote for censure, that we let its luck to this government on the eve of the budget discussions. Let it present its budget and we will see.”

Mélenchon's anger

Because, Christian Assaf points out, “the question of whether or not to censor him will arise on multiple occasions. Censoring him on a general policy statement is excessive, and it's not what the country needs right now”.

A position within the PS that reinforces Jean-Luc Mélenchon's anger towards his PS allies within the New Popular Front: “All those who do not vote for censure are leaving the NFP agreement so we are putting options on their constituencies” he threatened. In other words: LFI will invest candidates in the constituencies of socialist deputies who will not vote for censure.

Kamel Chibli drew the conclusion that he believes is necessary: “We have no future with such a radical left, which locks itself in its cave, it is irresponsible. It is further proof that we have nothing to do with them!”

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