launched As France’s President Emmanuel Macron in mid-January the “grand débat national”, has aroused above all skepticism. Macron wanted to listen to do what he had promised to the citizens even before the beginning of the yellow West-protests again and again:. Doubters have claimed that the President know all of the “gilets jaunes” denounced problems for a long time. In fact, Macron had analyzed in his book “Révolution”, which he introduced in 2017, the French as a candidate for the highest office in the state, what brought the yellow the West, a year later, on the road: “today’s France is divided and torn. On the one hand, metropolises, on the other hand, France, which we often call the periphery. This peripheral France often lack the most basic public institutions, infrastructure, day care centers, cultural offerings.” What should it bring so if Macron moves to the countryside and in discussions listens to what he already knows?

endurance is

After two months of talk therapy ended yesterday the first round of the “grand débat”. To what extent the Experiment was a success is difficult to measure. In a survey conducted by the Institute Elabe, the French sound is hardly enthusiastic. 70 percent of respondents believe that the debate will not help to overcome the crisis. A “Figaro” commissioned survey reveals a more positive picture: Basically, it was the “grand débat” a good thing, say 70 per cent of the respondents. And 83 percent indicate that they have the impression that the French would get the Chance to Express themselves freely. However, in this survey, doubts are raised as to whether the talks provide solutions for the concerns of the “gilets jaunes”.

Last Saturday, had gone in the whole of France, only 28’600 protesters in yellow vests on the road. It remains unclear, however, what proportion of the “grand débat” on the Ebb of the protests. For nearly four months, the movement mobilized its supporters – a record in France’s fifth Republic. In the meantime, however, the endurance decreases with a growing number of Yellow jackets.

if you Look on the polls, but on the Numbers, is to grow the impression. More than 10,000 Meetings took place. On the Website of the “grand débat” on answered 1.4 million citizens questions to Ecology, control and democracy. In community centres came in the evening and on the weekend, people had the feeling that your opinion could count. It is this seriousness that the sceptical voices have been in the past few weeks, silent. However, it is precisely because of this seriousness, the end of the maneuver was expected to be this Friday not only with voltage, but also with concern. Although the majority of the French people that talk changes alone everything. But it would be bitter enough not to disappoint those minority, which was inspired by Macrons idea of an open exchange.

in the middle of April to draw Macron public consequences of the many proposals.

In the coming weeks, the inventory is about to begin: What exactly do the French want? There is a catalogue of demands in the yellow vests? A pressure of Macrons own analysis in its application to the book “Révolution” is created for the government? In mid-April Macron is to draw public conclusions from the hundreds of thousands of proposals. In each of his appearances, the President had spoken of the “concrete consequences”.

at the beginning of the week, Premier Edouard Philippe, to dampen the expectations sought now: “Who imagines, that at the end of the “grand débat”, a series of announcements, of truths, of the estimates the fundamental nature of this Exercise incorrectly.” Philippe had reacted from the beginning, behavior Macrons Initiative and more of the dangers than the opportunities seen. Now, he said in front of the Assemblée nationale: “It is quite simply, a sense of consensus. For this you have to look at things from a sufficiently large distance.” However, a consensus is not the same as a democratic compromise. You stand in front of “difficult decisions”.

The limitations of Philippe does not stand in contradiction to the contributions to the Debate from Macron. Again and again he had to face in front of citizens, local politicians and civil society actors openly stated, when he judged the situation to be different than the called.

So sass Macron three weeks ago, in the winter garden of the Prefecture of Bordeaux, the debate was broadcast live on television, and one after another of those present argued its Concerns and ideas. The mayor of the small town of Marsas told, for example, as the TGV Express train roars every ten minutes by their locality and the houses to Shake. One and a half hours long, the inhabitants of Marsas sitting in the slow train, to get to the 40 kilometers away, and Bordeaux.

flash cartoon

The speeding TGV needs for the route from Bordeaux to Paris, just half an hour longer. The history of the village of Marsas is like a flash cartoon of the much-described Breakup of the country in the big cities and the forgotten villages. Macron listens silently to all present, in the end, he responds to every single question. Yes, you have to invest in the local infrastructure. But: “France is a centralist remains of the state, we are created, we are not going to change.”

With such announcements has convinced Macron in the past few weeks, especially those who had voted for him in 2017 in the second round of the presidential election. And in the meantime, doubted their decision. “Macron has succeeded to mobilize its electorate again,” Jérôme Fourquet, Director of opinion research Institute Ifop. In his analysis, it shows that the people there have participated particularly actively in the “grand débat”, where the “gilets jaunes” found less pendants.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 15.03.2019, at 22:55