To be clear, the start of the vaccination campaign is a failure and even a fiasco. Pandering to the anti-vaccine movement by suggesting that their caution was legitimate and even scientifically based was a major error that only increased public distrust.
But what can be said about the attitude of the opposition, from the far left to the far right, including the so-called “government” parties: a motley army of chameleons.
Initially, these political leaders, almost all of whom were convinced of the necessity of the vaccine, refrained from praising and promoting the vaccination campaign to maintain an opinion considered a future electoral reserve. The silence was deafening.
The only manifestation from the opposition was to defend the anti-vaccine stance on the issue of the health passport. It was considered a major infringement on freedom. In fact, this amounted to elevating the right to infect others to a human right. The government, once again, gave in within less than a day.
But the best was yet to come. Noting that everywhereโabsolutely everywhereโin the world, the vaccine is celebrated as The remedy and that the first millions of vaccinations were carried out without significant incident, the opposition began to anticipate a probable shift in public opinion in the face of patent evidence. Consequently, our chameleons changed colors: they occupied television platforms to highlight the delays in France’s vaccination efforts.
The current power will not, evidently, receive the Oscar for best governance, but with such opposition in front of them, they do not really have to worry about their electoral future.
Patrick Mottard, PRG
