Bayrou endorses 2025 budget without a vote, encountering a motion of reprimand
Alrighty, buncha shenanigans going down in the City of Lights. François Bayrou, the French centrist prime minister, has tossed the ol' 2025 Budget Bill into the ring without a vote and that's causing quite the ruckus. The left and the far-right are gettin’ ready to present a motion of censure, which'll be voted on next week.
Now, that puts ol' Bayrou in a tight spot, much like his conservative predecessor, Michel Barnier, found himself in. Guess they say history tends to repeat itself, eh? With no majority in the National Assembly, Bayrou's future hangs in the balance, caught between the socialists and the far-right.
"No country can live without a budget, and France is no exception! For the first time in almost 70 years, our country has no budget in February!" Bayrou exclaimed in the National Assembly. He went on to warn that public action will be affected, as hiring and investments will grind to a halt with no budget in place. What an absolute clusterf*ck, eh?
On the bright side, the ol' budget bill allows the public deficit to shrink to 5.4%, with a 0.9% improvement in GDP and an inflation rate of 1.4%. Bayrou insists that it’s been negotiated with all groups, and they managed to reach a balanced budget. So, he’s asking for everyone to get on board and approve the thing as a sign of responsibility and stability for the French citizens.
Well, guess we’ll see if that happens or not. If the motion of censure presented by the left passes, the budget will not be approved. The Socialist Party’s leadership hasn't said they'll support the motion, but some of their deputies have hinted they'll break voting discipline. That's all up in the air, though. The far-right hasn't made a peep about their plans, and they might hold the key if the number of socialist deserters is high.
In a nutcracker twist, the socialists' decision breaks the left-wing electoral alliance that formed the largest parliamentary group, with 192 deputies grouped in the so-called New Popular Front. La France Insoumise, a left-wing political party, was the most critical of the decision, alleging that the socialists see their association with Bayrou's government as a done deal.
If you’re thinkin', “This sounds awful-ly familiar,” it’s probably because it kind of is. The socialists have open wounds and are throwin’ shade left and right, accusing each other of supportin' the most austere budget in the country's history and alignin' with a policy that, they claim, "degrades public services.”
They are also trying to distance themselves from the Executive and have threats of another motion of no confidence up their sleeve, but this one won't be about public accounts. Instead, it’ll focus on what they perceive as the “Trumpization” of the government, after Bayrou spoke of "migratory submersion.”
In other French news, lemme share a fun tidbit. A 25-year-old man’s dead and his 17-year-old brother’s injured after a brawl in Valencia. The Analysis Committee of the Blackout held its second meeting this Saturday, and the dioceses of Lleida are hopin’ the new pope will continue Francis’ open-minded line. Stay tuned for more updates on this wild rollercoaster of a ride called French politics!
- The French centrist prime minister, François Bayrou, is facing a similar predicament as his conservative predecessor, Michel Barnier, due to a lack of majority in the National Assembly.
- Bayrou's budget policy-and-legislation is causing a division within the left, with some deputies hinting they might break voting discipline.
- The far-right, who might hold the key in the voting, has not yet declared its intentions concerning the budget.
- The Socialist Party's leadership hasn't supported the motion of censure, but alleged open wounds and accusations of aligning with an austere budget and degrading public services suggest an ongoing internal conflict within the party.
