The hall was full of supporters who came to hear what they expected: an uncompromising indictment against the “bad” policies of the socialist government!
This large audience, mostly composed of seniors, was the ideal public for this type of address by the President of the General Council and, even more on this occasion, by the deputy of the 1st constituency of Nice, not to mention the (temporary) title of President of the Support Committee for Christian Estrosi’s candidacy for re-election as Mayor of Nice.
Christian Estrosi, whom naturally praised in the most laudatory terms, the 2013 achievements of the one who was his collaborator and right-hand man before flying on his own to become a deputy, his successor at the General Council, and perhaps in the future, a future Minister or a future Mayor of Nice?
The audience, being firmly anchored to the right, was not disappointed with the analysis and remarks (a bit lengthy, for once) of the speaker.
Everything was addressed: From the catastrophic situation of a country “that is not doing well,” to the triple economic, moral, and social crisis depending on “the amateurishness and hazardous actions of the President of the Republic and his government.”
And following on, the fiscal hammering (“it is imperative to massively reduce public spending” and “to be mobilized against social fraud”), security (“there is a need for a pause concerning Madame Taubira’s projects”), societal issues (“it is necessary to protect secularism against communitarianism”), authority and its values (“it is essential to maintain balance between rights and duties” and “it is urgent to reform the laws to prevent irregular immigration”).
Arguments and slogans which, one can easily imagine, sounded like a perfect symphony to the ears of an audience that could not have asked for more. Certainly, one might wonder, from a politician of his experience, stature, and cultural spirit, if something more structured might have been expected… but indeed, the context was not quite conducive.
The pragmatism (and cynicism) of politics demands it: you must tell people what they came to hear. The rest (The who, the what, the why, and the how) matters little.
In the presence of numerous officials, Eric Ciotti concluded by reaffirming his commitment to shared ideas but above all recalled the feeling of hope: “The time for good politics will come, 2017 is not so far away!”
