Doing the Math; The Decline of Institutions and the Court of Auditors

France. There was a time when assuming very high-level responsibilities required considerable merit, many years of experience, and such integrity that it wasn’t even mentioned because it was simply taken for granted.

As the Republic weakened and became mired in backroom deals and hallway negotiations, the petty, the insignificant, and the trivial began to emerge.

This is what happened at the end of the Third Republic (1870–1920), which came to an end by granting full powers to Philippe Pétain—as a result of what De Gaulle called a political party system lacking substance, whose main activity centered on distributing positions and perks.

Exactly. Starting with De Gaulle, under the Fifth Republic, we have witnessed a gradual decline in the quality of political leaders, which reached its lowest point with Sarkozy, Hollande, and the current president, Emmanuel Macron.

Sarkozy was ultimately convicted by the courts and, despite numerous legal maneuvers, served a month in prison—not to mention the years he’ll be required to wear a police-monitored electronic ankle monitor. As for Macron, Arnaud de Montebourg—a lawyer and former Minister of the Economy—has just described him as “the man selling France off in pieces” and an agent of foreign financial interests. Unbelievable!

Macron, one of whose main challenges is to prove that he has any stature and that his time at the Élysée Palace will leave nothing but regrets, is handing out positions and perks in an attempt to secure some future influence.

One such move set the Republic’s foundations creaking, even among his few supporters: the nomination of Amélie de Montchalin, the current Minister of Public Accounts, as president of the Court of Auditors.

Amélie, 41 years old, with a superficial background and a meager, ethereal lack of experience, would go on to lead an institution whose origins date back to Philippe-Auguste in 1194 and which brings together a pantheon of seasoned figures with deep knowledge and solid reputations.

The Court of Auditors is an administrative financial body responsible for verifying the regularity of public accounts—including those of the State, national public institutions, public enterprises, Social Security, and other agencies.

Just a minor detail: since she is, in the current government, the one in charge of preparing the budgets, by some twist of fate she will also be responsible for verifying the regularity of those very same budgets. Amélie will be overseeing herself and the president who appointed her. Isn’t democracy beautiful?

A few days ago, Amélie de Montchalin spoke before Congress to deny that the powerful, the billionaires—in short, the regime’s friends—do not pay taxes:

“It is not true that tens of thousands of wealthy French people pay no income tax; there is no document at Bercy (the Ministry of Finance) to prove it.”