Romain Cardelli, a former Front National fellow candidate in the Alpes-Maritimes and current supporter of Les Républicains during the 2015 regional elections, is the creator of “Génération optimiste,” a political association created with the aim of guiding public actions and reflecting on national issues affecting the youth.
Nice-Premium: What actions will be taken by your think tank?
Romain Cardelli: Génération Optimiste is primarily a political club that will ensure the monitoring of all current events concerning young people: it is important to raise awareness about daily life to better understand the issues that deserve attention. We will be attentive, for example, to the annual budget allocated to higher education and Research, the resources provided for apprenticeship, the evolution of Education policy.
To these realities, we will frequently oppose concrete ideas and proposals, always based on thorough work. No idea will be disregarded. I am convinced that in order for a policy to be effective, nothing should be dismissed out of hand on principle. I have only one condition, but it is significant: to believe in France.
Beyond this work, we wish to organize conferences and debates, for example with speakers from civil society and political figures attentive to young people. There is a lot of distrust towards political representatives today, a significant number of young people abstain, and very few are engaged. Direct, concrete, and effective dialogue without intermediaries is a way to counteract this situation. Young people having very negative preconceived notions about their governance system, sometimes even about the Republic itself, is an extremely negative foundation. Génération Optimiste also exists to create connections.
Nice-Premium: How many members does your organization have and from what political background do they come?
Romain Cardelli: I wanted to manage the association with two young women fully concerned about the issues: Manon Miretti is the spokesperson for the association and has just completed a master’s in Law, Sophie Bernard is the general secretary and has just completed a master’s in Geography. The job market situation is not simple for any of us.
Regarding the members, we currently have about ten based on the University Life 06 collective that I led.
Political background? There is none, and I refuse to operate that way: it doesn’t matter how each person views engagement in the association. Most young people are not activists for a political party, and it is mainly those who distance themselves the most from politics to whom we must speak. And why not convince them?
Personally, as I’ve mentioned, I have clearly committed myself to Les Républicains and Christian Estrosi because they represent my values. But a young person who is a member of the Socialist Party is just as welcome at Génération Optimiste, even if we must be realistic about the record of this party at the head of the State. The goal is to focus on substance.
Nice-Premium: Why do you support the local policy of Mayor Christian Estrosi?
Romain Cardelli: He is a Mayor, and today a Regional President, extremely determined, who has demonstrated the effectiveness of his political action. It is refreshing to see someone so dedicated to their territory, while politicians are often criticized for their lethargy.
Nice has changed, Nice has become more beautiful, Nice is becoming a genuine student city, with a University recently certified with the Idex label (University of Excellence) proving that our territory is dynamic and its actors are ambitious. The Plaine du Var project also offers wonderful prospects for young people who wish to work in our region, a region that will benefit from Christian Estrosi’s employment program over the next six years.
Let’s be clear, I would not have remained in the political fight if we didn’t have, in our midst, a personality and a team of such quality, who inspire a strong desire to contribute. I fully intend to continue doing so.
Nice-Premium: Why is it important for you to create a political think tank?
Romain Cardelli: Beyond my own commitment, I believe it is essential that we restore dialogue between politicians and citizens throughout our country. I am deeply convinced that we need to talk more about France and our shared destiny, this sense of belonging where there can be no division based on skin color, origins, social status, or individual opinions. Creating this think tank is also about uniting around France as an issue of future and optimism.
To achieve this, we need to propose a France that emerges from decline and no longer drives its children away, to those who are and will be honest and sincere political leaders. Our generation must not succumb to pessimism but must grasp the tools at its disposal to determine its destiny. There’s so much to achieve!
