It is known that the mayor of Nice is a man of intuition and action, sometimes even reaction. It’s understandable, then, that he wants to take advantage of the current economic and moral crisis to profit from some easily “sellable” ideas to a distressed public that is looking for solutions to what is happening around and above them, which they feel they cannot or do not know how to control.
Therefore, putting one’s hat on an empty chair is always a good choice but it remains purely tactical, whereas it is only with a good strategy that one could (re)emerge to find a better general situation.
We tend to forget the origin of this crisis: The implosion of a deregulated financial system, riddled with engineering built on air and bearing no relation to the productive economy. This effectively dragged the real economy into a “global” recession.
France has no choice but “more” Europe, more shared sovereignty to make progress in economic governance and its external projection. This through the pooling of certain areas of sovereignty.
For this, the objective must be clear: To have a highly competitive economy that rewards hourly productivity, excellence in the final product, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit.
And above all, preserve the social cohesion, solidarity, and freedom that make up our identity as Europeans. Wir sind zu unserem Glück vereint (our fortune is that we are united), said the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas.
And if in the short term we can advocate for necessary budgetary austerity, it is essential to consider long-term reforms capable of promoting wealth creation.
This “Made in France” (which is in fact a “Buy French” disguised due to European regulations, given that the single market has been in effect since 1992!), this “every man for himself,” does not necessarily go in the right direction: Nationalism (because continuing down this path we will have Buy British or Compra Italiano) is an explosive mix that accelerates impulses and introduces more confusion than utility in the debate of ideas that require a genuine vision and not superficial measures.
Therefore, confusing the instrument with its objective as well as ideology with the empty covering of ideas does not achieve much, even if it may give the illusion of having found an answer that likely needs to be sought elsewhere.
This “Made in France” thus has the flavor of long-standing patriotism, out of its time. But this is no longer the time for nostalgia but rather for audacity: We must know how to look ahead, towards the future!
Christian Estrosi should become the hero of this approach, admittedly difficult but ambitious, rather than initiatives that may have immediate popularity but fall short in the long term.
