While the executive has been urging the French for several weeks to make efforts regarding their gas or electricity consumption, some members of the government want to show that they too are restricting themselves.
Give the example. In the midst of the energy crisis, the government did not fail to hammer home a message: tensions over the supply of gas and electricity and increases in energy prices will continue, the French are called to energy sobriety, and therefore to implement eco-gestures this winter. Main recommendations: do not use the air conditioning too much or turn down the heating to have an interior temperature of around 19 degrees. As if to make these restrictive measures more acceptable, some members of the government did not hesitate to answer questions about their personal efforts in the face of the current crisis.
Read alsoEnergy sobriety: a majority of French people in favor of limiting heating to 19 degrees, according to a survey
While some gestures are in line with government advice, others have been more subject to mockery. Even to derision. This is particularly the case for the Minister of the Economy: guest of France Inter on Tuesday morning, Bruno Le Maire explained in an original way what he was going to do to limit his energy consumption. Asked when his ministry will turn on the heaters, the boss of Bercy indicated, in a very serious tone, that the latter will only be activated when the temperatures “will be below 19 degrees.»
«We won’t be below 19 degrees, so you won’t see me with a tie anymore, but with a turtleneck, affirms, without irony, the minister. I think it will be very good, that it will save energy, show sobriety.” According to him, “it’s the most efficient way to spend the winter without having to turn off the electricity for anyone.“A few hours later, and while the little sentence had already caused a lot of ridicule on social networks, Bruno Le Maire posted a photo of him, in a turtleneck, sitting and smiling at his desk. All in derision.
At the end of August, it was the turn of the government spokesperson to bear the brunt of this energy rigor. Guest of France Info, Olivier Véran faces a question which he obviously did not expect. He hesitates but answers anyway. “Many things have changed. First, I had a portable air conditioner, not in my minister’s office, but in the apartment I occupy: I put it on extremely rarely“, had underlined Olivier Véran. Adding a little embarrassed: “There are daily efforts, so obviously the light, we didn’t wait for today to do it, you have to turn it off when you’re not occupying sites, you also avoid lighting the outside when it’s is necessary.Before concluding with a pirouette. “Rather than giving you a measure or two or personalizing the thing, there will be an important step for the French, it is the presentation of our roadmap for our energy sobriety“, had thus cleared the spokesman of the government.
Matignon “be careful not to heat up too early”
At the start of the week, finally, it was the Prime Minister who had to show what she had changed in her habits. On BFMTV on Monday, Elisabeth Borne indicated that Matignon had not put “air conditioning this summer» and that its services remain “attentivenot to heat too early». «Then, we will apply the rule that has applied since the 70s, to have a heating at 19 degrees», had specified in particular the head of government. If Elisabeth Borne, like the other members of the government, wants to set an example by limiting her energy consumption, the Prime Minister also wants to reassure.
In the event that the outside temperature is below the recommended 19 degrees, the heaters should then be put into service to reach this minimum and maximum threshold. Small communication details that want to avoid controversy, such as when Emmanuel Macron appeared this summer on a jet ski or when the lights of certain ministries remained on all night. Faced with the current energy challenges, too little sobriety within the government could then appear incongruous for many French people.