POLITICS – Like Voldemort, but in economics. In light of the public deficit figure revised upwards to 5.5% of GDP, well beyond Bercy’s forecasts, the government found itself under heavy fire with questions relating to the economy this Tuesday, March 26 in the National Assembly. And the Prime Minister let slip an almost forbidden word: ” rigor “.
Gabriel Attal responded to Olivier Marleix, president of the LR group who was indignant at “carelessness” of the government on the management of public finances. To which Gabriel Attal responded by mentioning “the economic slowdown” facing which “ “We obviously need great rigor in the choices we make.”
Rigor ? Since it was used by François Mitterand to announce the famous economic turning point of 1983, the word should be avoided by a government because it is associated with bad news for the French wallets – at the time, it was notably translated by an increase in compulsory contributions. Same in 2011 with the increase in VAT by the Fillon government and the Valls plan in 2014.
When Le Maire responded “responsibility” rather than “rigor” or “austerity”
The use that the current Prime Minister made of it this Tuesday is not entirely identical to that of the former President of the Socialist Republic. But proof that the term remains sensitive, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire himself carefully avoids using it. In November 2023, invited to choose between ” rigor “ And “austerity” to qualify his budgetary policy, he responded ” responsibility “. On RTL this Tuesday morning, he refuses even to talk about “screw tightening”.
“When you have less revenue, you have to adjust your expenses and I think the French have understood this very well,” for his part argued the head of government in the hemicycle. The subject of the budget is highly sensitive for the executive, as evidenced by the meetings and dinners organized at the state summit in recent weeks.
The central question is: how to limit the damage and make up the shortfall? Everyone has their own proposal, between reform of a social model “too generous” (Éric Ciotti) and tax on the rich on the left. In Bercy, only one certainty at this stage: no question of increasing taxes whatever they may be, insists Bruno Le Maire, at the risk of alienating part of the majority.
The Prime Minister mentioned to the Assembly a possible “ unemployment insurance reform”, because “the more French people we have working, the more possibilities we will have to balance our finances”. He is due to convene a government seminar on this theme of work on Wednesday morning in Matignon before being questioned by TF1 on the 8 p.m. news. Bruno Le Maire also suggested that the heads of the parliamentary groups meet in Bercy to discuss different avenues for savings. “If there is one point on which we can agree, it is that debt is a sword of Damocles over our country and that the sovereignty of a country is obviously its capacity to get out of debt”argued the Prime Minister.
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