You're a mayor of the mine kingdom.

I am a former environmental militant, an error in the history of the mining system! Before that, I was named a county counselor. I immediately focused on the challenge of reconversion and restoration of mining lands. It was clear that we should be a region that can learn lessons from the past.

How did they relate to repatriation?

Wanting to raise awareness about who we are, we got in touch with the cultural questions to, from there, raise our heads and start building alternatives. We weren't very clear where we wanted to go, but we started to multiply the experimentations to respond to the problems. For example, we had homes of poor isolation, we invested in reforms so we didn't lose energy. Since 1997, when climate change was not mentioned.

How do we link the 7,000 citizens to change?

This was the challenge, because most people want to go back to the past and open mines. We, on the other hand, chose to develop a new economic model. The economy is very important and I have emphasised time and again that we had an economic model in our hands. We are also dedicated to the recovery of nature. What doesn't feel good about nature? We have invested European aid in professions related to renewable energy.

Has citizenship been implicated in the dynamics?

The City Hall has been defined as innovative and dynamic, the media has shown us interest. That is what the people like! It is amazing what
I am going to say, but the support goes to those who have a lot of support; being a winner is easier than being flattering. I have to say that this is the result of 25 years of political action.

All proud of his legacy.

Of course. From UNESCO, I launched the request that the amount of mining waste in the locality be declared a heritage of society, and we succeeded in doing so in 2012. The families of the miners are very proud!

It's a cultural change.

Cultural change and citizen involvement. We've thought together to turn it into a system. We need a democratic resurrection, without which there will be no transition.

It associates innovation with disobedience.

All those who have made a novelty have torn one thought apart. First biological farm, first solar installation... What makes a territory willing to accept these differences? Trust. Philosopher Deleuze said that “the quality of the collectives ensures the expression of particularities”. Look at our neighboring village, Hénin-Beaumont is the village in charge of the far right, they are in power. The difference between the two peoples is terrible, the difference is to walk the street.

What is the dominant trend?

Maluruski, the greatest drama in France, is that of widespread distrust. We don't innovate with mistrust, and if we stay in a unique thinking, we're repeating in a constant system.

How do we generalize change?

We have evidence globally that it can be done differently. We must look at these territories to see what is associated with local reality and what is a general characteristic that is not going to change from one to the other. That is why some general strategies must be put forward.
I say this to the Institute for the Environment and Energy and to the State to leave the right to experimentation. As for energy, there are a thousand outlets, if the State chose to generalize, the problem would be solved.

How do you get an impact?

The answer does not come from the local or global, but from the encounter between the two. If we don't change the game rules of capitalism, we've lost it, and it's no longer worth thinking about.

This is an urgent matter.

It is a race against time, a race against death in which we are moving forward, but also the capitalist system. We can fall and it is certain that our society will suffer serious accidents. Perhaps it will revive us and our way out into new development will gain ground.
I sincerely hope that we will win. I hope that solidarity will win. Let's go to change, but what's the point of change? We also have the rise of fascism. I hope that solidarity and alternatives will win.