In conclusion of the LR National Council in Menton this Saturday, Laurent Wauquiez defended the relevance of his direction and criticized “the two Europes without solutions”: those of the extremes “who want to isolate France” and that of Emmanuel Macron “who wraps himself in the incantation of a federalist Europe disconnected from realities.”
The Nice deputy Eric Ciotti, who has wholeheartedly embraced the cause of the LR president, aligns fully with this approach and goes even further: “With Laurent Wauquiez, we have a leader, we have a direction, and now we have a project. We will win the European elections by talking about France, its culture, its identity, and therefore its destiny.”
Upon hearing these proclamations, some may have felt chills thinking about the declarations of loyalty and optimism that the same Nice deputy expressed during other elections, where his “favorites”—François Fillon (post-presidential UMP election 2012), Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP primary for the 2017 presidential election), François Fillon (2017 presidential election)—suffered bloody setbacks.
To conclude that… we leave the conclusions to the superstitious!
The deputy also urged for “courage and an end to naivety in the face of immigration, so that France remains France.”
The new deputy vice-president of the party (number 2), and probable lead candidate in the 2019 European elections, Jean Leonetti advocated for the reconstruction of LR through “a project for France and Europe.”
Considered a mediator among the various factions of the party, he sees the glass as half full rather than half empty: “Unity is the richness of diversity.” The mayor of Antibes defended the European ideal “in respect of borders that protect the most modest,” through a “Europe of grand projects that make us proud to be a part of it.”
“I would like that we can continue to say I am European because I am French,” he stated.
Christian Estrosi, occupied with the inauguration of tramway line 2, made just a brief appearance to avoid any misinterpretations in case of absence. The courtesy visit was also a message for those who poorly tolerate his “Macron-compatible” position and are calling for clarification with the aim of his exclusion from the party for “deviationism.”
To these “hardcore” supporters of the strict line, the indirect response from the mayor of Nice is simple: hic manebo optime!
