Patrick Mottard, who with his movement Gauche Autrement was part of the coalition for the list “A Different Future for Nice” led by Patrick Allemand, reflects on last Sunday’s election:
“In this post-election week, the media are analyzing the results. Therefore, to avoid any inaccurate interpretation, it was important to take stock after the Nice Municipal elections.”
First of all, regarding the defeat “As I said on Sunday evening, it is extremely serious. There would be nothing worse than to downplay or relativize it.”
For its magnitude and the force of the blue and brown wave at the national level: “This certainly impacted the results in Nice. But it does not explain everything, far from it. If only because the Azurian left achieved some great performances in the department in Biot, Grasse, or La Trinité… Historically, it has been proven that parallelism is not a fate. The last legislative elections in Nice were mediocre for the left in a context of a national pink wave. Conversely, in the 2001 municipal elections, we almost won despite the morose national results for the left.”
Regarding the question of individuals: “The question must of course be raised after each defeat. It is unavoidable. But make no mistake: the problem is deeper. A night of long knives, or small penknives, will solve nothing if the organization itself does not challenge itself.”
“Indeed, we are facing the collapse of a system that has isolated itself by gradually cutting itself off from its electorate and the population. Everything must be put on the table: structures, strategies, attitudes.”
At a minimum, if we want to reconnect with the left-wing public, we will need to multiply procedures like Primaries (those that allowed Barack Obama to emerge in the USA). Very clearly, for essential choices, the voter, the citizen, must take precedence over the party machinery. A participatory method for preparing municipal councils would, for example, be a good test of this will to dialogue with the population. As an electoral minority, the local left can only consider success by rallying together. The conditions for this must be created imperatively from the first round.” Analyzes the former socialist.
Time seems to be running out, and Patrick Mottard seems to have a small idea for future electoral meetings: “The deadline for the cantonal and regional elections will be very important next year. It may allow experimenting with new methods, bringing forth a new generation, and correcting Sunday’s disastrous result.”
To be continued, then…
