The José Bové Show
“José arrives” at precisely eight o’clock, amid blaring sirens. Facing an audience of leftists, undecided or convinced, his show sometimes adopts a lighter tone. La Sardine and her dog Gary open the event. This poetess, a former activist of the Blue Devils, somewhat timidly recites an anti-liberal poem. “He says somewhat the same things that I do in my texts,” confides this quirky woman from Nice, explaining her commitment. A Chechen couple without papers, facing deportation, speak out. Their request for regularization has been rejected, and they face the risk of being sent back to their war-torn country. An intermission, marked by a jazz concert, offers a chance to sample fair-trade products, such as “Corsica Cola” (a soda with natural flavors). There’s also time allocated for signing up for carpooling, in respect for the environment.
But, “don’t go, José is coming back!” After an electrifying farmer’s rap, indeed, José returns. The audience present could transmit their questions, ten of which were asked to the candidate and the personalities present: Bruno Della Sudda (Nice city councilor, Alternatives), Rémy Jean (United LCR), Nordine Iznasni (Immigration Suburbs Movement), Edgar Malausséna (Mayor of Villars sur Var, AlterEkolo), and Claire Villiers (Citizen Alternatives). Matias, in his twenties, came because he is interested in anti-globalization, against the profit logic and for the happiness of everyone. “What interests me is that he doesn’t monopolize the dialogue; there are speakers who don’t necessarily share his views. I would probably vote for him.”
When José Bové speaks, it is to present his anti-liberal alternative. He denounces the “republican monarchy,” established by a head of state, who imposes his power over the laws, the magistrates, and the nuclear arsenal. “People are tired of everything being predetermined.” To “restore dignity to the voting process,” he outlines proposals: full proportional representation in elections, a ban on holding multiple offices, gender parity in all elections, and the establishment of citizen oversight, allowing citizens to recall their elected officials. This is participatory democracy as seen by José Bové, which “should gradually enable citizens to reclaim all the levers of power.”
