on January 14, 2007
upon his nomination as
the Party’s official presidential candidate.
My dear friends,
At this very moment which, as everyone can guess,
is so important for France, I am so overwhelmed by my feelings that
I cannot find strong enough words to express them. I would simply
like you to accept this as a testimony to my sincerity, and my friendship.
(...)
All my life, I have had a dream of serving France,
my country, my homeland. Today, thanks to you, I have started fulfilling
this dream. The only thing that counts now is that the immense crowd
that have gathered here are looking only towards one aim, the victory
of France. Yes, my dear friends, together everything is possible.
I have changed. I have ceased to be the man of a single party, even
if it is the first party of France. My France is the France of all
French people without exception, and I am holding out a hand to
those who vote for extreme parties, as well as to the workers who
believed in the left of Jean Jaurès and Léon Blum
and who no longer recognize themselves in the immobile left that
doesn’t respect work. The trials of life have transformed
me. One cannot understand the pain of others if one has not felt
it oneself. (...)
I want to be the President of France who will
fulfil his promises. So I want to let you know my plan for my country.
(...)
I want to be the president who increases people’s
purchasing power. Salaries are currently too low and prices too
high. I want all overtime pay to rise by 25% totally tax-free for
both employees and employers, whatever the size of the firm. Working
four hours overtime a week tax-free means € 1,980 net at the
end of the year for any worker earning the minimum wage (“SMIC”).
I want our economy to be more dynamic and more prosperous, so that
all wage-earners will have more high-skilled and better paid jobs.
I will not increase taxes because this would reduce people’s
purchasing power. (...)
I want to be the president who revives the work
ethic, merit and success. I want those who work hard to earn more
than those who live on welfare. I want to encourage all those who
want to work as much as they want, the students and the working
mothers who need day care for their children, and to allow people
to choose their retirement age or to go on working once they have
retired if they so wish. This is how we will overcome the problem
of the 35-hour week. And I will eliminate inheritance tax so that
everyone will be able to bequeath the fruits of a life of labour
to their children. (...)
I want to be the president who enables every French
citizen to own his or her house; because this is everyone’s
dream and it is the best form of security for their family. I want
to allow people to get mortgages even if they have no starting capital
or live in subsidized housing. I will create a tax-credit on mortgage
interest, so that young families will get off to a good start in
life. (...)
I want to be the president who guarantees perfect
democracy. French citizens no longer trust politics. So I will adopt
a policy of openness, with fewer ministers, and I will be accountable
for all my actions to Parliament and citizens. Major appointments
will be open, based on competence and not on connections, and will
have to be ratified by Parliament. I want an independent system
of justice, but also magistrates who can be held accountable for
their decisions. I will institute minimum public service guaranteed
by law, because continuity in public service is incompatible with
taking users hostage on a regular basis. (...)
I want to be the president of a new Europe: a Europe
with an identity and borders, a Europe that acts in a concrete way,
a Europe that protects its interests and its peoples in a globalized
world. With 27 member-countries, Europe cannot go on functioning
as it did when it had just 6 member-countries. I will suggest to
our partners a treaty limited to institutional questions which will
enable Europe to operate. I will oppose Turkey’s integration.
(...)
I want to be the president who fights the injustices
of life, those which start at school when parents have not got the
necessary means or connections to send their children to the school
of their choice, whose children embark on studies that lead them
nowhere, as is so often the case today; the injustices suffered
by the victims of discrimination whatever their merits and efforts,
the injustices in vocational training where the most qualified people
get the most aid, the injustices in housing where allowances are
the same whether it is for subsidized housing or for more expensive
private accommodation. (...)
I want to be the president who launches an environmental
revolution. Because global warming is the great challenge of our
time, I want to encourage a society based on moderation, for the
sake of our children. I want to boost research and innovation, reduce
taxation on work and make polluters pay. I want green products and
services to be made systematically cheaper. (...)
I want to be the president of a France proud of
its history and of a French republic faithful to its values. I want
schools to transmit values as well as knowledge. I want our nation’s
history to be honoured and respected before it is judged. I want
to remind all that there cannot be rights without duties. This applies
to our welfare system which is not owed to anyone but belongs to
everybody. I will fight against abuses and fraud. Concerning delinquency,
I will create minimum sentences for repeat offenders. I want our
immigration system to be based on choice because this is absolutely
essential for the full integration of immigrants. I do not accept
people living in France without loving our republic, respecting
its laws and customs and bothering to speak and write French. I
will ensure that our republican principles, based on equal opportunity,
equality between men and women, and secularism, are enforced. (...)
Together, everything is possible.
Watch a subtitled extract from
Nicolas Sarkozy’s speech at the UMP Congress:
