The Romans, builders of the empire but also a joyful people, loved celebrations and festivities. In fact, in ancient Rome, there were only 55 working days, the rest being religious festivals and just as many opportunities to rejoice by celebrating the gods.
But only one festival allowed all sorts of excesses, as an old proverb reminds us well of this custom and mindset: semel in anno licet insanire (once a year, one can go crazy).
Moreover, Carnival originally was a licentious festival after the Saturnalia when everyone would have fun and slaves would play at being “liberti” (unfortunately for them, only for a short period!), a kind of “happy ending” after the homage to Saturn before getting back to business for some and labor for others!
What’s all this for?
Well, fortunately, we are in the middle of the Carnival period because this story about the supposed “privatization” of Nice airport (Article 49 of the Macron law currently under review at the National Assembly) would classify in “semel in anno licet insanire”.
Between vaudeville and operetta, everyone will choose according to their tastes!
Thus, the deputies adopted on Thursday evening in the first reading Article 49 of the Macron bill, authorizing the privatization of the majority of the capital of the company Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, of which the State currently holds 60%.
The deputies rejected the amendments brought by Christian Estrosi. The deputy-mayor of Nice specifically advocated for a preemption right for local authorities and for a minority, rather than majority, sale.
Christian Estrosi almost turned it into an obsession, and embarked on a battle against the Macron law like Baron Munchausen, with other political parties joining in but each with their distinctions and “yes buts”, the economic world represented by the Chamber of Commerce (which holds a 25% stake in the Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport Company) presenting its desiderata for the specifications, a referendum that will have no legal value, at most consultative, and even then…
But, not stopping there, the referendum promoter (the City of Nice) invented a new procedure by posing the question (do you want…) while orienting the response and asserting falsehoods (you are being robbed!). How could one not answer NO?
Where have you seen this before? Nowhere else! Even in the most undemocratic situations, appearances are saved, or at least they pretend to be!
So, why this trickery?
In fact, the Macron law simply provides the possibility for the State (holding 55%) to sell up to all of its shares (read carefully, paying attention to the nuances!) in the Aéroports NCA company that manages the (very important) land services of Nice, Cannes-Mandelieu, and Saint-Tropez-La Mole airports.
The scope of territorial interests is rather expanded compared to just the city of Nice and its residents…
So why a consultative referendum if not to transition from popular to populism and play the patriotic fiber on a local scale, defending the citadel against the hidden-faced invader.
So, let’s state one truth among many lies: air traffic and all the equipment necessary for its operation (runways, control tower, etc.) are under the jurisdiction of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation and are not part of the concessionaire’s assets. In short, planes will continue to take off, fly, and land regardless of the future concessionaire!
Secondly: an “international airport” is touted, but then the opinions of only the inhabitants of Nice are requested. Do the other inhabitants of neighboring territories not have the right to express their opinion?
And why not ask the opinion of the 11.7 million travelers, since they, like all customers in a commercial activity, create the value of the concessionaire company (and not the people of Nice!!!) and ask them, for example, if the status (public, private, local authorities) of the airport concessionaire influences their travel choice? Afraid of a “burst of laughter”?
So why all this? Why not wait for the State to launch a sale procedure with some safeguards to avoid the ambitions of speculators, for the suitors to present themselves, and for them to be judged on their profile and industrial plan?
Why set up this burlesque opposition by leading the people of Nice to believe things that simply cannot happen… like the theft of “their” airport!
Christian Estrosi, former Minister of Industry, perfectly possesses the knowledge and experience of these operations. He knows all the codes… So why engage in this challenge at the risk of firing a blank?
A referendum that is not one, further influenced by this question/answer system worthy of certain so-called popular democracies. An expensive communication operation with false messages as if the people of Nice were pigeons with insufficient personal discernment.
An obvious divide between this call to Nice patriotism and the behavior of the consular business community that chose to question Minister Macron on the industrial strategy and governance conditions.
Finally, there was a much simpler act that met all the conditions: take out the checkbook and bid for the purchase.
“Not too much zeal,” recommended Talleyrand, a worthy successor to Machiavelli and a recognized master of diplomacy and its intrigues.
Apparently, his recommendation was not well followed on the side of Nice International Airport…
