'Extremely volatile': Far-right 'king-maker' as Macron sidelines election victor 'republican front'
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00:00That's how France is best known as the man who united the EU over the thorny issue of
00:06Brexit, negotiating a deal on behalf of Brussels.
00:10The question now is whether Michel Barnier can help unite a divided France.
00:15After months of political stalemate, President Macron has nominated the 73-year-old four-time
00:20minister as head of government.
00:23Barnier took on the role from the outgoing Gabrielle Attal at a handover ceremony this
00:27evening.
00:28Here's some of what the new premier had to say.
00:35In a few days' time, in just a few weeks' time, I will have the opportunity to speak
00:42before Parliament about the major legislative priorities and proposals on behalf of the
00:47new government.
00:49It will be a question of responding as best as we can to the challenges, the anger, the
00:55shortcomings, the feeling of abandonment, of injustice that permeates far too many of
01:01our towns, our neighbourhoods and our countryside.
01:06I'm thinking, ladies and gentlemen, of access to public services and schools will remain
01:11the government's priority, the schools of the republic.
01:16I'm thinking about day-to-day security.
01:19I'm also thinking about controlling immigration.
01:22I'm obviously thinking about work and the standard of living of the French people.
01:32Among the immediate tasks for Barnier, naming a new cabinet, preparing budget legislation
01:38and garnering enough support from a divided Parliament to avoid a possible vote of no
01:42confidence.
01:43Well, to discuss this and more, we're joined now by Ariane Beauguin.
01:46She's a professor of French politics at Northumbria University.
01:51Thank you so much for being with us on the programme this evening, Andrea.
01:54Firstly, what do you make of the choice of Michel Barnier for Prime Minister?
01:58He will be rather well known to viewers there in the UK.
02:03In the UK, yes, he is known as Mr Brexit and I don't think I'm going to exaggerate to say
02:11that he's loathed by some section of the British press, the more Brexiting press.
02:18I think he's probably more known in the UK than in France, even though he has had a long
02:24political career, but he's been quite in the shadow for the past few years, but he's definitely
02:31known in the UK.
02:32Yes, and we all remember that very first meeting between him and Davis when the British Brexit
02:43secretary who went to the first meeting with nothing in his hands, whereas Barnier was
02:48well prepared with a stack of files.
02:51And among the most pressing challenges that he faces will be garnering support, really,
02:55in the National Assembly.
02:58Will he manage to unite French deputies, do you think, particularly those on the left?
03:02They've already been very critical of this decision by President Macron.
03:06Yeah, I think we have to realise that today we have to hope.
03:11We don't know who is, to do what and how long it will last.
03:16So, you know, people outside of France shouldn't think that that's it, you know, France has
03:22now a prime minister, you know, business as usual will resume.
03:27No, no, no, no.
03:28This is only the beginning.
03:30What we know from today is that for now he's safe because the only bloc that said they
03:36would vote him out in a vote of no confidence is the left bloc.
03:41On their own, they can't vote him out.
03:43But the national rally, the far right has said, for now, we are not going to vote him
03:50out.
03:51We are waiting to see what he's going to say when he talks to Parliament.
03:54So there is always the possibility that as soon as October, he might be voted out.
04:01So it's very, very fragile.
04:03It's just the beginning of a very long and bumpy road.
04:08And no one really can say what's going to happen.
04:12It might last until next July when a new dissolution can be done, or it might be gone mid-October.
04:22So it's extremely volatile.
04:23We have a name, which is better than we had, you know, for the last 60 days.
04:29And do you think that he has perhaps Marine Le Pen to thank for his nomination?
04:33She seems to have played really the kingmaker role here, doesn't she?
04:36Yeah, she is.
04:37And that is very problematic, really, in terms of how representative of the results Barnier
04:46is.
04:47Because, if we remember, the winner of the election in July was the anti-far right Republican
04:55Front.
04:56And we now have a lot of MPs who are going, who were elected thanks to this Republican
05:03Front, who are now going to support a government that is kept alive by the very same far right.
05:11So the far right has become the kingmaker.
05:14Yes, they basically wield the power to, you know, the power of life and death, really,
05:21over this government.
05:22But obviously, this is today.
05:25We don't know who will be in the cabinet.
05:28We don't know if he's going to try and succeed to maybe widening it to the left.
05:34So the situation might be different in a week's time or in two weeks' time.
05:38But right now, today, yes, the far right is indeed a kingmaker.
05:42And what about Emmanuel Macron's position?
05:45He's faced a lot of criticism for dismissing the change that voters had hoped for.
05:50Yes.
05:51I mean, you know, I was expecting a prime minister from the left, not necessarily from
06:00the parliamentary, from the left currently in parliament, but from the broader left,
06:04to reflect the fact that, A, the left bloc is the largest bloc in terms of seats.
06:10They don't have the absolute majority, but they are the largest.
06:14And also to reflect the fact, to reflect a break in policies, because we have to remember
06:20that Macron's party was heavily defeated in the European election and then in the parliamentary
06:27election.
06:28Now, we can get, we could delve into the reasons why the left was not appointed.
06:34Basically, they didn't have the numbers to survive.
06:37But it will, you know, it is difficult, I think, for many voters to comprehend why Barnier,
06:45who is from one of the smallest party in French parliament, is the new prime minister,
06:51when the largest is nowhere near government.
06:55In other countries, more used to a proportional system, it might be common.
07:01But this is new to France, and I'm not sure yet how voters are going to react.
07:06And even Barnier himself, he's been critical of Macron in the past.
07:09He's described him as arrogant, solitary, and he was critical of his decision very recently
07:15to dissolve parliament.
07:16So what kind of relationship do you think the two men are going to have going forward?
07:20I wish I knew.
07:23I mean, in theory, it should be a kind of cohabitation, but not the same that we had
07:29in the past, when it was very clear that, you know, you had an absolute majority for
07:34another side.
07:35He is from the right.
07:37In terms of policy, I think we can expect similar policies to Macron.
07:41So I don't think there would be too many problems there, for example, not to get rid
07:50of the pension reform or on immigration.
07:53In terms of interpersonal relationship, I generally don't know.
07:57But I think what Macron really should do is take a step back, you know, focus on foreign
08:05affairs or, you know, diplomacy and see what, if Barnier can widen, you know, his support
08:15and see what happens.
08:16But, you know, at this, it's really too early to say what exactly is going to happen between
08:22Barnier and Macron.
08:23It will be very interesting to watch how it all plays out.
08:26Ariane, we'll have to leave it there for now.
08:28But thank you so much for joining us this evening.
08:30That's Ariane Beaucamp, professor of French politics at Northumbria University.