“I gave clear instructions: not to be more than two hours, two and a half hours from Paris and to be reachable at all times. Did Mr. Blanquer respect these instructions? The answer is yes,” said the Prime Minister to journalists, on the sidelines of a trip to a Parisian brasserie.
© Jacques Witt/SIPA
Castex Blanquer
Jean Castex defended Jean-Michel Blanquer on Tuesday following the controversy over his vacation in Ibiza , ensuring that the Minister of Education had “respected” government instructions and that his removal had not hindered the progress of the State. “I gave clear instructions: not to be more than two hours, two and a half hours from Paris and to be reachable at all times. Did Mr. Blanquer respect these instructions? The answer is yes,” said the Prime Minister to journalists, on the sidelines of a trip to a Parisian brasserie.
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“Could the ministers take a few days off during the Christmas holidays? The answer is obviously yes, if only to be ready for the start of the school year,” he explained. In addition, the Minister of Education “went on vacation for a few days at a time when all schools, colleges and high schools were closed,” he said.
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The state apparatus worked
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“Did the fact that Mr. Blanquer or certain colleagues were on vacation prevent us from taking the decisions as soon as we had the material and the necessary elements? The answer is no, the state apparatus worked” , recalled the head of government. In the followingnoon, Jean-Michel Blanquer said he “regrets the symbolism” of his vacation in Ibiza, from where he announced the health protocol in schools before the start of the school year in January. The revelation by Mediapart of this stay aroused a wave of criticism, weakening the Minister of Education already undermined by a very well-attended strike. The left called once more for his resignation, while the teachers’ unions, indignant, pointed to a “terrible symbol”.
