Faced with the risk of load shedding in January, the executive gropes in its handling of alarmism and transparency. To the point of stuttering in contradictory messages.
by Ivanne Trippenbach
When the cat runs on the roofs, the mice dance on the floors. The government knows the deceptive adage: presidential lightning is often falling from abroad. Thursday 1 er December, Emmanuel Macron trins to old friendship between France and the United States, in a White House in celebration, as on the roof of the world. The image does not fly over the Atlantic: in France, we only speak of hypothetical power cuts. First warning. “Do not panic, it is useless,” said the head of state on TF1 on Saturday. “We must not give in to panic!”, He said in his interview with the Parisian on Sunday. The government works for scenarios, he repeats, “it’s its duty”.
Three days later, since Albania, this time, the President of the Republic is lightning. “The scenarios of fear, not for me!” He thunders in front of the cameras, Tuesday December 6, by assigning another duty to the executive. “The role of public authorities is not to transfer fear, nor to govern by fear. The role of government, ministers, operators is to do their job to provide energy”, he reprimands. “It’s not to start scareing people with absurd scenarios (…). Stop it!”
The lightning is launched after a spokesperson for Enedis, the day before on the BFM-TV set, set fire to the powder. Patients under artificial respirator will be “delespable” and “non-priority,” he said. This is the plan. But it is also expected that the 4,000 people at high vital risk who would suffer a load shedding be called upstream. And, if their equipment is not independent, that they are carried out in the hospital. Too late, the controversy is there.
anxiety of the French
Could the government avoid it? Here is awarded the tormented report of power to public information in the face of crises. While the winter cold settled two weeks ago in the Council of Ministers, the head of state asked members of the government to prepare the population for possible cuts. Without revealing all of the back kitchen, he insisted, to avoid panic.