In Strasbourg on Tuesday night, at his first big regional rally of the primary campaign, Juppé defended his vision for what he calls France’s “happy identity”. For him, “happy” national French identity was clearly not a current reality but an ideal and “collective aim” that could become possible if the country reformed. Read moreJuppé nonetheless stayed true to his traditions on the Gaullist French right, setting out firm rules for how this harmonious French identity could be achieved. The concept of ‘happy identity’ is seen as reassuring, contrary to Nicolas Sarkozy, who can be seen as divisive and conflictual. “Juppé says ‘identity’ in order to win over rightwingers who are interested in national identity, and then he adds ‘happy’ in order to include everyone else.

Source: The Guardian September 14, 2016 12:38 UTC