The restaurant Vin sur Vin, for the duration of a lunch, became a gathering place for the local media, and around the same table, one could find Nice Matin, France Bleu Azur, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Kiss FM, Nice Rendez-Vous, AFP, RCF, Métro, Radio Shalom, Nice Television, TSF, RTL, Reuters, iTélé, France 3 Côte d’Azur, Sipa Presse, Sophia Net, and Nice Première, all responding to François Bayrou’s invitation.
Overview of the topics discussed and François Bayrou’s responses:
Ségolène Royal: “She is part of this generational change coming with Nicolas Sarkozy and myself. We have the responsibility to offer the French a different approach from the one that has led to so many failures until today. Behind Nicolas Sarkozy’s figure stands the UMP with the division for power, and behind Ségolène Royal’s smile, we find the PS. I propose another approach by forcing the democratic political forces to break out of the antagonism in which they have been stuck for 25 years. We live in a country where there are 4 million true unemployed people and people sleeping on the streets. We are at a breaking point.”
His policy: “I want to break out of this sterile situation by proposing a real path of openness. What I think is that we need everyone, both right and left, to come together to rebuild a France that is in poor condition. A long five-month campaign is looming, and as usual, they will try to predict the second round in advance, but let’s not forget that the French people are the real decision-makers on election day. The center is now coming together in Europe, and Romano Prodi in Italy is a striking example of renewal with his alliance party. The same is true in Belgium and Luxembourg. I think that between DSK, Michel Rocard, and myself, the differences are minimal. We have, in France today, political opponents who could work together, which is what I propose concretely to make France stronger.”
Legislative elections: “The UDF will indeed present a candidate in every French constituency, and the same will apply in the Alpes-Maritimes. It’s democratic competition. Every major political party fields a candidate in a constituency, and the UDF will be among them. We want to present real renewal with gender parity in the candidacies.”
His campaign: “It will be an enthusiastic, decentralized, on-the-ground campaign… with a new style.”
A new majority: “I hope for a new majority, capable of making democrats from all sides work together, and which can only exist around a centralizing element, capable of bringing everyone together. I could work with 50% of UMP leaders and 50% of PS leaders. We are going to build a new political France. We don’t want this perpetual fighting that no longer makes sense. Ségolène Royal’s discourse is very close to Nicolas Sarkozy’s; it is not a duel but a duo.”
The press: “There is a great closeness between the big press group leaders who are also State clients or suppliers. This clique plays Sarko-Ségo or Ségo-Sarko, claiming that the first round is already decided. I even heard that I was going to favor Jean-Marie Le Pen.”
Jean-Marie Le Pen: “The republicans have nothing to fear from him. Just listen to him. He says: expel the foreigners, leave Europe, restore borders, abandon the Euro, and abolish income tax. If you combine all this, you can assess the risks for France. Presenting only the PS and the UMP boosts his candidacy. Regarding his endorsements, it’s his fifth campaign, and he uses the same ploy each time.”
Internet: “I am passionate about this tool. I immediately took the web seriously and spend many hours a day using the web. The web will be a strong component of all upcoming elections. It is the ultimate alternate medium because on the web, one searches but also transmits information. Wikipedia is an example, with an interactive encyclopedia evolving every day.”
Economy: “Strong support must be provided to small businesses to enable them to hire. I propose three axes: 1- simplification of social and fiscal procedures, 2- Reduction of charges by proposing no charges for the first two employees for 5 years, and 3- A reserved share of public markets.”
Medicine: “Unlike Ségolène Royal, I don’t want to impose regions on young medical graduates. I propose instead scholarships to attract these young professionals to settle in regions with a significant need for doctors.”
35 hours: “It is not a mistake but a real phobia. I propose instead to reorganize overtime hours.”
