The final stretch before the deadline of next Sunday when the harsh reality of numbers will replace each one’s hopes.
After giving the floor to the representatives of the major parties, those who will likely be in the running for the second round, here we are speaking with Gaël Nofri, one of the political figures of the new generation.
He represents one of the minor parties, which will not be on the starting line for the final stage of the race, but whose small capital of votes could be decisive for a competitor to push ahead of the others at the finish line.
Nice Premium: Gaël Nofri, how do you feel about this election?
Gael Nofri: It’s difficult because of the context, of course, but also and perhaps especially because of the politico-media life that contributes to the despair of our fellow citizens.
NP: Why?
Gael Nofri: Because they want to impose a second round before the first. By making this election a three-way match between the PS, the Republicans, and the FN-Identitarian, the media – and primarily those funded by the taxpayer – contribute to the idea that we are at an impasse. For 30 years, the men of the system have done nothing to meet the expectations of the French people. The real problems have been denied and abandoned to the National Front.
NP: Could it be the solution to the “real problems”?
Gael Nofri: I sincerely believed it. I thought the FN could become the right answer, but it is far from being a bearer of solutions; it wallows in observation. The severe fracture affecting our society, it sees it as an opportunity for a civil war it desires; they do not want to reconcile the country as evidenced by their alliance with the Identitarians. As Charles Pasqua said, we share with them the essential observation, but the solutions are a different matter.
NP: In other words?
Gael Nofri: We embody a sovereignist right. We advocate especially for a strong state, the return of border controls, the end of the Brussels’ Europe, and the judicial laxity inherited from May 68. We have a strong idea of France that has never varied over time and elections, while the National Front, which presents itself as a republican, patriotic, and unifying party, now incorporates elements from the Identitarian movement whose ideology is in total contradiction with its program: Europeanism, regionalism, racialism. All these data mean that we present a fundamental difference not in the analysis but in the responses we provide! We are therefore the only credible alternative on the right to rally the patriots of our region!
NP: Precisely regarding this alternative, what are the main lines of your program?
Gael Nofri: They are multiple: security, transport, sustainable development. But, first and foremost, and above all, returning to a sound financial management. The budgetary drift of the outgoing Left majority has led us to a wall: clientelism has driven the operating budget to 1.7 billion euros, the debt has been quadrupled, and crazy investments like the 70 million for the Villa Méditerranée, the Marseilles palace of Michel Vauzelle, have burdened the budget.
NP: As for sound management, does it involve budgetary austerity?
Gael Nofri: We want to reduce operating expenses, not investment ones, which we will maintain at a coherent rate. The Region has created masses of civil servants, and the numbers are excessive. We will have to initiate a non-replacement process for retirees. Today, we can no longer accumulate promises to buy votes; the budget must be constructed based on revenues. It will be “good father” management.
NP: You frequently highlight transport issues, what are your solutions?
Gael Nofri: The problems are numerous, insecurity, outdated equipment, threatened lines, series of delays and cancellations. Our TERs are the least efficient in France, and our lines have lost performance: since 1998, we have lost more than half an hour on the Marseille – Briançon route, for example. To act effectively, we want to establish a multi-year investment plan concerning equipment renewal, line modernization, and implementing a train and station surveillance system. This plan will need to be well-thought, cost-calculated, and spread over time based on our financial capabilities. I add that the security of stations requires securing their surroundings in connection with the Police, the City Hall, and the District Attorney.
In terms of transport, nothing will be left aside because an organized and accessible territory is a valued one.
NP: And economically speaking?
Gael Nofri: Our region has massive potential, but it is unfortunately not supported by public policies. Craftsmanship, commerce, and agriculture are fragile sectors; therefore, we need to promote short circuits, adapt call for proposals procedures to SMEs. In our department, the OIN of the Var plain must revert to being a site to host more efficient companies in terms of green economics, not large stores like Ikea. Banks must also grant facilities to businesses likely to be strongly impacted during this festive period by the threats of attacks in PACA. It is the Region’s role to act as a guarantor for them!
NP: What is your position on the Christmas crèches, which are currently the subject of intense debate?
Gael Nofri: It would be malicious and dangerous to want to erase the 2,000-year Christian heritage of our nation for mere communitarian inclinations. Our republican secularism can only be conceived in this context. Such a debate is therefore unnecessary, and I am obviously in favor.
