A festive afternoon featuring a musical show – what a pleasure it is to attend the performances of the young dancers from the Young Dream group – and a convivial moment with some refreshments, interspersed with a speech by Patrick Allemand who did not want to miss the opportunity to organize this New Year’s ceremony, which has now become a tradition in this multi-ethnic neighborhood where problems do not erase the humanity of relationships.
“We will do all this together because today in this room, I see only the people of Nice, loving their city and proud to be from Nice. That is the energy of Nice.” – was the reminder that while alone everything is difficult, together everything is possible.
This reference was the most beautiful part of the speech by the candidate who – since 2017 and the collapse of the Socialist Party, of which he was the departmental manager and a regional leader for a long time – has decided to engage in politics through the citizen platform Nice au Coeur, in the name of which he is running in these elections.
These are difficult elections that will take place in a context of economic struggles, social tensions where simplistic solutions, harsh words, and the quest for emotion instead of reasoning are there to radicalize voters.
Then there are his own weaknesses that rhyme with his own responsibilities, which represent a handicap.
The divisions of the left, its inadequacies, and delays in analyzing and developing a new political offering in line with modern times, and jealousies between small leaders, are well-known.
The difficulty in playing a vigorous opposition role in a city that is sociologically right-wing and the need to be content with playing the critical conscience and occasionally securing some small victories without changing the balance of power, this is also familiar.
The prospect of launching an electoral campaign with the near certainty of achieving a minimal result that will be the subject of more criticism than congratulations and thanks is also familiar.
But what will remain is having taken advantage of the opportunity – in these times when human principles and values are fading and often give way, as the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes said – to “homo hominis lupus,” highlighting the basic values of the city and good communal living that “Nice, a global city, has been for so long and that […] each of us holds a part of our common history.”
That, among the extravagant promises that various candidates will throw around without restraint over the coming weeks, will be the most compelling result.
And it further highlights the last phrase of the beautiful song that introduced Patrick Allemand’s speech, “Aux arbres citoyens,” which says
It is high time we propose
A world for tomorrow
This will also be the best response to the introductory questions posed by Patrick Allemand to justify his candidacy: am I still useful to the left? am I still useful to Nice?
