It has long been said by some of Emmanuel Macron’s opponents that he is a president who ‘governs by fear’. It began with his management of Covid five years, when he imposed on France one of the most stringent lockdowns in the world. ‘We are at war’, he declared in a televised address to the nation on 16 March.
Now he is at it again, issuing dire warnings about the possibility of war just as America, Russia and Ukraine have started talking about peace. There is still a long way to go before the conflict in Ukraine ends, but the President of France appears pessimistic about the chances of peace.
Whether the young will flock to the colours is a moot point
To that end, his government has announced that every household in France will receive a survival manual in the coming months. The 20-page guide will explain what to do in the event of an armed conflict, a natural disaster, another pandemic or a radioactive leak. ‘The aim is to tell the French people to be prepared for any eventuality, not just armed conflict,’ said a member of the government. ‘France’s doctrine is deterrence, [so] it would be counter-productive to focus solely on armed conflict and to put it solely in the minds of the French people.’
Among the pearls of wisdom that will be included in the book is the recommendation to have some paracetamol and bandages in one’s medicine cabinet. In the event of a nuclear leak, it’s advised to close all doors. The manual has been ridiculed on social media, with more than one wag wondering if the money wouldn’t be better spent on a guide to surviving Macron until 2027.
On the question of how much the project will cost, one journalist enquired with a printer and was told a 20-page booklet delivered to 30 million households would come in at around €6 million (£5 million). What’s €6 million to a country already €3.3 trillion (£2.8 trillion) in debt?
Ten years ago, another set of survival instructions was issued to the French. Entitled ‘Reacting in the event of a terrorist attack’, this guide was launched in the wake of the Paris massacre of November 2015 when 130 people were killed in bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall. The advice was relevant – as last month’s Islamist attack in Mulhouse demonstrated – and it was distributed online and in newspaper advertisements.
The survival manual is the work of the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security. They have dismissed suggestions that it is any sort of war guide, similar to the one issued to Swedes last year. Sweden’s manual was called ‘If Crisis or War Comes’ and advised citizens about preparing for and surviving war and terrorist attacks.
Macron’s strategy is to portray himself as the Republic’s ‘protector-in-chief’. He did it during the Yellow Vest crisis in 2018, he did it during Covid and he’s doing it now. His critics may accuse him of fear-mongering but his strategy resonates with a section of the population: the middle-class over-60s, his core supporters from the very beginning. It is for them he presides.
On Tuesday, the President visited a military air base in eastern France and promised ‘important decisions for our armed forces’ in the weeks ahead. He was photographed encircled by air crew in combat uniform with two fighter jets in the background. It’s what the French call the ‘effet drapeau’ [flag effect]. The survival manual is part of this strategy, and there is information within about signing up to be a military reservist.
Whether the young will flock to the colours is a moot point. This generation of French is more cynical and less deferential than their parents and grandparents; call it the internet effect, which has enabled them to access news and opinions from alternative media, as opposed to the mainstream media, much of which is owned or subsidised by the State.
Many of the young haven’t forgiven Macron for his response to Covid, when he confined the French to their homes for the best part of a year. As he admitted at the time, ‘it’s tough being 20 in 2020’. It’s tough being 25 in 2025. From a ‘war’ with Covid, now the young are being warned to prepare another conflict.
Comments