Andrew Bolt: Emmanuel Macron’s minion must be put in his place

Scott Morrison must put the French ambassador on notice, because trying to whip people up to oppose their government can never be allowed by a diplomat.

France’s ambassador is asking to be booted out of this country. How dare he try to punish the Morrison government by meddling in our domestic politics?

Seems France is still hankering to be the big colonial power under President Emmanuel Macron.

But our government should grow a spine and stand up to this little Napoleon. It could start with giving ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault a whack for his speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday.

Thebault was pulled out of Australia in protest at Prime Minister Scott Morrison tearing up a deal to have France build 12 diesel subs, opting instead for better nuclear ones from Britain or the US.

French Ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault. Picture: Gary Ramage

Now Thebault has come back with two jobs, he claimed: to defend companies that were dudded by Morrison’s decision, and to “help redefine the terms of our bilateral relationship” after this “breakdown of trust”.

But his speech suggests Thebault came back with a third mission: to punish the government and demonstrate what happens to any country that dares embarrass Macron.

Macron, you see, is in trouble. He faces an election next year, with his two big rivals on the right and even further right – Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour – and cannot afford to seem a weak promoter of French glory.

But to have pipsqueak Australia rip up this contract in Macron’s face, with little warning! Unbearable!

And to also have Britain deny some fishing licences to French boats! Another insult, with Macron now threatening terrible reprisals against the English.

So there was Thebault to make an example of us, too. In his speech he went through all the complaints against Morrison’s decision – that he’d given France a “stab in the back”, and had lied to Macron – as Macron claimed on the weekend.

Emmanuel Macron, pictured with Scott Morrison, is in trouble and cannot afford to seem a weak promoter of French glory. Picture: Adam Taylor

Yet when pushed for evidence, Thebault conceded his president may actually have misspoken: “Maybe there is a difference between misleading and lying”.

I’ll say. Turns out Macron may be the real liar here.

But then Thebault in his eagerness to punish Australia stepped right over the line.

He painted himself as a friend of the Australian public and businesses, even the National Farmers Federation, saying they demanded more action on global warming, and needed a “strong, compelling national drive”, obviously from Morrison.

Playing domestic politics like this – whipping up people to oppose their government – is a huge no-no from a diplomat.

Morrison should give Macron’s minion a warning: once more and you’re out.