In front of his numerous fans and elected officials gathered in a Nice palace, Eric Ciotti—dressed more as the elected deputy of the 1st constituency of the Alpes-Maritimes, which encompasses a large part of Nice, and less as the former president of the departmental council (and still a vigilant mentor to his successor, Charles-Ange Ginésy)—presented his well-wishes and took the opportunity to deliver some direct and other… indirect messages.
While the general political part of his speech held no surprises—his firm opposition to the president of the Republic and the government manifests as a catalog of anathemas (“Emmanuel Macron has endangered the Nation and degraded the presidential function.”) or (“The tax revolt affecting our country is legitimate. We can no longer accept that France is the most heavily taxed country in the world.”) and proposals limited to affirming the principles of “order and identity”—the section applied to the local context was more flavorsome.
Behind a formal facade (“I extend sincere personal wishes to @cestrosi, but I refuse to reduce our differences to a quarrel of egos or individuals.”), his remarks took on the form of an indictment.
“#Nice06 is the only major city in France where the population has decreased since 2011, which is not a great sign of dynamism. It’s also the most indebted major city in France with 2 billion euros in debt.”
“I have always told you the truth, and no one will prevent me from speaking it, especially when this truth is unwelcome. #Nice06 has experienced successes that we have supported with the department: the tram, the stadium, or the green corridor… but also difficulties that cause suffering to the people of Nice.”
“I make a wish to @cestrosi: that he listens to the angry citizens of Nice. I solemnly ask him to cancel the metropolitan tax that weighs on their purchasing power. This reduction is anticipated by the people of Nice, and I anticipate it too. It will constitute a true olive branch for #Nice06.”
What can be said? As for cordiality, there is better!!!
The audience expected to hear some words about the potential candidacy for the 2020 municipal elections…, they were disappointed!
It was not yet the moment; the secret remains well-guarded until the 2020 well-wishes.
