Presidential: for Gaspard Koenig, simplification “is a question of social justice”

Simplification, one of the new themes of the presidential election? Guest of Sonia Mabrouk’s interview on Europe 1, the philosopher Gaspard Koenig detailed part of his program, including according to him a necessary simplification of the French administration. An observation that the candidate made in the field: “This summer, we traveled the territory and held meetings on the issue of simplification.” After having collected numerous testimonies, Gaspard Koenig believes that “this subject is not addressed from Paris, because it does not affect people in their flesh”.

A social justice issue

Simplification “is a question of social justice” according to the philosopher, quoting the anthropologist David Graeber, who assures that “complexity favors insidersthose who are initiated, inside the system and leaves the others deprived in a situation of legal insecurity”. A situation “which undermines the rule of law” according to him. “When one is close to the centers of information and power, we always have a solution to find our son in the normative labyrinth”, he assures us, while recalling that the Council of State regularly insists on the inflation of standards in France.

A “feminist subject”

This injustice in the face of standards seems to affect women more, according to the candidate. “It is often in the couples of entrepreneurs, in the couples of farmers or in the couples quite simply the woman who does the paperwork. Before the women were at the seamstress, now the women are at the CERFA”, affirms the candidate of the “Simple” party, of which he is the founder. According to him, the subject of simplification is therefore “also, fundamentally, a feminist subject”.

Put officials back in the field

Gaspard Koenig also believes that the simplification of standards requires “putting civil servants where they are most useful and happiest, that is to say in the field”. And to affirm that there are “both far too many people who make the norm”, and an absence of state services in certain territories of France. With “Simple”, the philosopher proposes in particular to open citizen’s houses throughout the territory “with officials who will be referents, who will be human beings and not computers”. For him, “simplification is not only the codification of law, it is also local autonomy”. A real social project for the candidate.