Parliamentary niche: despite the support of LR, the RN leaves empty-handed

History was already written this Thursday, October 12. The deputies of the National Rally (RN) were unable to have any of the texts they had presented adopted, during their parliamentary niche. They had little hope of doing so. But as Sébastien Chenu, RN deputy from the North, often likes to point out, “you never know what happens during these days”.

Marine Le Pen's RN was only able to present its first five texts, on endometriosis, the abolition of family allowances, energy prices, inclusive writing and help for working students. The discussions were too long to allow the frontists to unfold their entire agenda. Two texts could not be debated: the resolution to give political asylum to activist Julian Assange and the strengthening of controls on foreign minors. The legislative proposals fell one after the other, withdrawn by their authors, because “emptied of their substance” due to deletion amendments.

There was still a major change compared to the last niche day of the RN group. This time, the Les Républicains group announced three times that it had decided to vote for the frontist initiative: regarding the text on endometriosis, on the law requesting the abolition of family allowances for parents of criminal children, and the ban on inclusive writing.

Problem: LR deputies did not come in large numbers to vote on the texts. Largely annoyed, Marine Le Pen sent out a message on the social network full ranks of deputies.” There was actually no one on the LR benches.

The debates did not take place in the greatest calm, far from it. It started with the first text presented by the frontists: that on endometriosis. The deputy Europe Écologie-Les Verts (EELV) Sandrine Rousseau is violently attacked by the RN deputies, accusing the elected frontists of adopting “the cuckoo strategy”. “They take our fights, they take our struggles, they take our words,” she chanted before recalling that “the environmental group will oppose this law”. The environmentalist then turned to the benches of the presidential majority. “A resolution was passed here thanks to Clémentine Autain. All it took was a decree, just a decree, for the RN not to present this law. Where is the decree?” she asked.

The Insoumis also lit the fuse. Mathilde Panot attacked Marine Le Pen's troops head-on, accusing them of being "a scam". “You are the worst adversaries of women’s rights,” she said. Before Marine Le Pen gave her a scathing response: “Your friends, Madame Panot, they throw the bodies of women behind pick-ups, they spit on them after raping them and after dismembering them.”

Throughout the examination of the text, the attacks multiply. The vocabulary is flowery. Jean-Philippe Tanguy accuses the Macronists of “shabby postures”, “arrogance”, “incompetence”. “In law, we are not judged twice for the same bullshit,” he tells them while Marine Le Pen laughs.

A little later in the day, it was the turn of environmentalists and socialists to make themselves heard. Benjamin Lucas (The Greens) raises his voice: he criticizes certain Macronists for having applauded Marine Le Pen on Tuesday after her speech on Hamas and Israel. Indignant reactions on the benches of the presidential camp. Tone up.

The president of the Law Commission, Sacha Houlié, is getting annoyed. “Small strike,” he says to the ecologist. Outrages on the benches of the Nupes. “You can’t say that,” the socialist Arthur Delaporte gets angry. “You too are a little hit,” MP Renaissance replies. The discussions become heated and the session is interrupted. Several Assembly officials intervened to restore calm. “Too much testosterone, they all have to come down,” comments a Macronist, disappointed by the spectacle on both sides.

The only moment of this long day when Marine Le Pen came to the four columns, the place of exchanges between parliamentarians and the media, was to comment on Emmanuel Macron's speech. “We are here in a form of mush, which in times as troubled as we live in, can be counterproductive,” she argued. And to analyze: “The reality is that, when we read between the lines, the President of the Republic comes to say that, given the importance, perhaps, of Islamist networks in our country, we cannot cannot envisage waging an effective war.