“I support the government’s policy, but I reserve the right to disagree on certain measures: in this case, I am against the privatization of Nice Airport,” said Patrick Allemand under the label of First President of the PACA Region, shareholder of the airport company to the tune of 5%, and president of the socialist-green-left opposition group otherwise in the Nice municipal council.
Thus, after Christian Estrosi’s “vigilant support” for UMP president Nicolas Sarkozy, here is Patrick Allemand’s “ร la carte support” for the socialist government, of which Emmanuel Macron is a part as Minister of Economy.
The reason given is the same as his usual political adversary but ally for the occasion, the Mayor of Nice.
Both are adamant: except for public management of the airport, there is no salvation for the attractiveness of the area and its economic development. The highways and other privatizations would be the example.
Where both of them learned that! It will probably remain a mystery because the attractiveness of an area is measured, everywhere else, by the capacity to attract capitalโฆ Unless, maybe, the political world of Nice and the Riviera prefers as an economic model… self-sufficiency!
Moreover, the First Vice President of the PACA region is adamant: “Michel Vauzelle has confirmed that the Region will not sell its shares even if they could be valued at โฌ80 million (5% of an estimated company value of โฌ1.6 billion).
Once this aspect is settled, Patrick Allemand harshly criticizes the Mayor of Nice and his statements: “The referendum has no place: firstly, the NCA Airports company manages the concession of Nice, Cannes-Mandelieu airports, and the Saint-Tropez airfield. Secondly, the impact of these airports’ activity goes well beyond the city of Nice, the department, and affects at least the entire French Riviera and even up to the regions of Genoa and Turin, which do not have major international lines. On what grounds should the people of Nice be the only ones to decide when the City of Nice is not even a shareholder of the company?”
However, this referendum (as it has been called by the Mayor of Nice) and which would rather be a public consultation, would have no legal value but would simply be a political propaganda act by Christian Estrosi: The poor people of Nice who oppose the evil government that wants to dispossess them of “their” airport.
A month away from the departmental elections, admit that it’s not bad at all!
But, by pronouncing the word referendum, didn’t Christian Estrosi open Pandora’s box?
Indeed, Patrick Allemand seizes the opportunity to return to the issue of the tunnel for the Line 2 tramway: “But how โ he said indignantly โ I requested a referendum which I was entitled to ask for with the force of 17,000 signatures collected and for a subject that directly concerned the people of Nice and Christian Estrosi contemptuously refused it. Now, he wants to organize one that only partially concerns the people of Nice, and which is requested by a single person: himself. It’s pure political politicking and I say it loud and clear: stop the demagoguery.”
The confrontation will be interesting at the next City Council meeting between the two adversaries who think the same way: Christian Estrosi could say to Patrick Allemand: “Patrick, I love you,” and hear in response the well-known “Christian, neither do I.”
After all, Christmas is the celebration of peace, isn’t it?
