The left in Nice is divided. The choice of EELV for an independent list with the Independent Ecological Alliance is a political nonsense, all the more regrettable as it comes at a time when traditional parties and citizen movements were ready to rally under the ecological banner to address the climate emergency.
But that is not the main issue: even if all the traditional left-wing parties were united and fully mobilized the votes of their respective members, it would not change the local political balance. Mobilizing left-wing abstentionists is the only possible way to put an end to the reign of social inequalities, xenophobia, and the every-man-for-himself attitude in our city.
Proposing an alternative on the left doesn’t simply mean shifting the policies of Christian Estrosi a few degrees to the left. It is a paradigm shift to rethink municipal and metropolitan politics from the ground up:
An ecological paradigm shift: to curb the production of greenhouse gases, ozone peaks, and particulate pollution, to re-vegetate the city, to fight against land artificialization, to develop an ecological transition strategy for the local economy at the metropolitan level, to finally promote the quality of life for all residents.
A social paradigm shift: making Nice a city of hospitality where real action is taken against poverty instead of stigmatizing the poor, the homeless, the Roma, migrants, those in disadvantaged neighborhoods, and minorities; implementing solidarity policies towards seniors as well as youth, middle classes, and especially single mothers; pursuing ambitious and transparent policies for early childhood and housing.
A citizen paradigm shift, a prerequisite for any future municipal policy: finally giving real decision-making power to the people of Nice. Ending sham consultations, puppet neighborhood committees, and absurd decisions made against common sense; citizens must be involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of municipal policies.
These paradigm shifts are possible; anonymous citizens in Nice are only waiting for a signal to initiate the cycle of political renewal in Nice.
I am frequently asked if I will be a candidate in the municipal election. I am not going to announce a personal candidacy or form a list centered around one person. I believe in collective intelligence and have been working for years to foster democracy, humanism, and solidarity in Nice. I have been part of a citizens’ assembly for the municipal elections for several months and I respond favorably to the call for unity made by the Nice Communist Party.
Let’s not resign ourselves! Regardless of the form it takes, we will quickly find, together, a way to offer an alternative to the people of Nice for the municipal elections in Nice in 2020.
David Nakache, All Citizens
