A campaign ? Which campaign? This Thursday, April 25, we had to wait almost two hours for Emmanuel Macron to evoke, from the large amphitheater of the Sorbonne, in Paris, the crucial date of June 9. The head of state’s sweeping speech, warning about the ” danger of death “ of a Europe ordered to arm itself militarily, economically and culturally in order not to disappear, is about to end when the President of the Republic calls – finally – on his audience to mobilize on the day of the European elections.
“We are living in a decisive moment”he warns, from his desk covered in blue, white and red edging. “On June 9, Europeans will choose their future”, he said, calling for a reconnection with “audacity” rather than staying “shy” faced with the rise of “nationalists”.
The list of the presidential camp, led by Valérie Hayer, shows, in poll after poll, a delay of more than ten points compared to that of the far right led by Jordan Bardella, head of the National Rally (RN). The dynamic is so bad for Macronie that the left, led by Raphaël Glucksmann, currently in third position, imagines itself taking second place in this election so dear to Macronist DNA. The words of the Head of State, seven years after the first founding speech of the Sorbonne which had galvanized his people around the European flag, were therefore awaited as the Holy Grail by supporters and activists.
Reviving the pro-European momentum of 2017
But Emmanuel Macron did not seek to fight against his adversaries. No allusion was made to the left-wing opposition, which seems to be eating away at its electorate, offended by the pension reform and the “immigration” bill. And not once has the name of the RN been pronounced. If the President of the Republic targets the “nationalists”, it is to call his own camp to order. Certainly “European ideas have won the Gramscian fight”he emphasizes, but the Old Continent can perish through “trick of history”. Understand: the danger is less visible, no one dares to talk about leaving Europe or the euro anymore, but ” they “he said, referring to the extremes and the Eurosceptics, no longer want to respect the rules and do not hesitate to “flouting the foundations” of the European Union.
In front of the image of an Eiffel Tower in the colors of Europe, of a café terrace supposed to illustrate the identity of the Old Continent and the disappearing sea of ice – since “talking about Europe is always talking about France”he said – the head of state seeks, above all, to mobilize his voters. “The subject is us, and ourselves”had theorized the tenant of the Elysée the day before, during a lunch aimed at refining, with his troops, the last details of his speech.
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