Michel Barnier evokes “modest people” during the transfer of power and provokes indignation from the left

Michel Barnier: Complaints For the “People Below” Provoking Heated Reactions on the Left

\n\nMichel Barnier, former Brexit negotiator for the European Union, provoked a wave of criticism from the left during his transfer of power, by declaring that he had a thought for the "people below". \n\n

Controversial remarks

\n\nMichel Barnier chose to speak of "the people at the bottom" during his handover speech, an expression which triggered a series of indignant reactions on the left. Indeed, critics quickly seized on the term, deemed contemptuous and disconnected from social reality.\n\n“I would like to spare a thought for the people who are down there, for the people who are suffering, for the people who are alone,” Mr. Barnier declared during his speech. The use of this expression which highlights social inequalities has often been attributed to the left, notably to Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister.\n\n

Strong Reactions on the Left

\n\nThe use of this term by Michel Barnier has angered the left, several of whose political figures have stepped up to denounce a vocabulary considered contemptuous. \n\nThus, the National Secretary of the French Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, quickly reacted on Twitter, writing: "Michel Barnier wishes a thought for the 'people below'. Why not simply say the workers, the employees, the precarious, the poor?"\n\nThe leader of La France Insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, also expressed his indignation on the same social network: "The 'people from below' as Michel Barnier says are those who suffer from the system that he has always defended in Brussels and Paris."\n\n

A delicate subject to manage for Michel Barnier

\n\nFaced with the controversy, the entourage of Michel Barnier tried to minimize the reactions, recalling that this expression had been used by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a left-wing political figure. \n\nHowever, the sensitivity of the question testifies to Michel Barnier's difficulties in addressing the working classes, an electorate that he will have to convince if he wants to run for the presidency of the Republic in 2022. \n\nIt is therefore crucial for Michel Barnier to take care of his communication in order not to create misunderstandings likely to alienate part of the French people. The challenge will be significant for the former Brexit negotiator, who will have to show that he is capable of understanding and responding to the concerns of “the people at the bottom”. \n\n