The legislative coproduction and its limits

The Assembly completed its work yesterday and the Senate will stop today, once passed the amending Finance Act of 2009. At the end of a year which saw the entry into force of the institutional reform giving new powers to the parliamentarians, 44 laws have been definitively adopted, such as the recovery plan, the Act, the Grenelle of the environment, the hospital reform and that of the public broadcasting program. Other reforms of importance was particularly discussed within the majority. Last night, to General surprise, the laws of the Assembly commission rejected legislative redistricting in the département of Moselle.

Pugnacious Senate.The last quarter was marked by the combativeness of the Senators of the majority. On the reforms that concern them in the first place as the removal of the professional tax (in the mode of compensation has entirely rewritten in connection with the Assembly). But also on tax niches, the decline of the VAT in the catering or relations with the Switzerland, binding the Government in lengthy negotiations to obtain a return back. "The Senate has become the House of the debates and the Assembly Fhambre for registration", told the socialist MP Alain Vidalies, forcing a little line. Nevertheless, the lack of connection between the Presidency and the Senate gives Senators a little more freedom to MEPs. The desire for independence of Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Gérard Larcher promotions to the Presidency of the Senate (in 2008) and Gérard Longuet at the head of the UMP Group (in July 2009) gave more resonance to their public positions. "Nicolas Sarkozy does not support denying change." He wants to act. "If you make him a solution, it follows you", provides Gérard Longuet. The leaders of the majority in the Senate are often the absence of an absolute majority of the UMP to convince the Executive to drop ballast. For example, Gérard Larcher just to prevent that there is "no majority" to vote the text on the mode of election of the future territorial advisors who will be considered late 2010 or 2011.

The "legislative co-production" and its limits.The leader of the UMP deputies, Jean-François Copé, emerged as a compelling the majority to the point of annoy number of Ministers. "He too!"one of them per tonne. But MEPs use in full the new powers granted by institutional reform Ministers should definitely spend more time in the Committee, whose work influence the State of the text discussed in the Chamber. The year was marked by broncas of a part of the Group (and left) on the law Hadopi, the scope of the tax shield and Sunday work, significantly watered-down text. The shared agenda requires the Government to a few stunts but the majority group regularly turn of his time to the discussion of the many texts of the Executive. And bills of the UMP group are often sought by the Government (is the case, inter alia, that on the tapes), or in annexes topics. Is it for this reason that Jean-François Copé has announced that it would file as soon as a back-to-proposal for a law prohibiting the wearing of the full veil The leader of the UMP Deputies is obviously of the parliamentary mission on the subject which must make its conclusions late January.

The PS takes the opinion to witness.Impossible now for the Socialists to take the debate on legislation by multiplying the amendments since the review time was framed in the wake of the institutional reform. At the time, PS members have made their voices heard through "beatings": "Marseillaise" sung at the foot of the perch, boycott of current issues, express mobilization of elected officials PS for the UMP in the minority... Ministers saw a "rupture of the gentlemen's agreement" expected to prevail in the Parliament, but opposition MPs there found a way to take the opinion to witness her images in the "20 hours", failing to influence the content of the Bills. Same will mean different, the PS Group fueled the fall the controversy on the expenditure of the Elysee for surveys, pointed to by the Court of Auditors report. The Director of cabinet of the head of State, Christian Frémont, had to be explained before the Board of finance, a first. On the other hand, the Socialists clashed with blockade of the UMP when they claimed a parliamentary investigative commission. They were forced to expand their application to the set of polls financed from public funds hope to succeed.

Incidents of vote and change of Minister.By three times this year, the UMP has been developed in a minority in Parliament. The two incidents of autumn (one to the Assembly on the taxation of the banking profits, the other in the Senate on the legislative redistricting) were due to "technical" errors More consequences was dismissed April 9 at the Assembly of the draft law Hadopi (on illegal downloading) or UMP members number in the Chamber because it reflected the reluctance of the elected representatives of the majority party to it by the head of State. Nicolas Sarkozy has not forgiven him for the Secretary of State for relations with the Parliament Roger Karoutchi and the Minister of Culture Christine Albanel, who have lost their position in the reshuffle of June. Financial sanctions against members of Parliament too often absent have been specified. Act Hadopi, it was poorly passed to the Assembly (44 members of the majority failed) before be censored by the Constitutional Council, forcing the Government to submit a new version of the text ultimately adopted.