nationality, housing and merit
the proposal to reserve housing assistance for french citizens and give them priority for social housing elevates nationality into a criterion of preference, precisely where we should be building a society grounded more firmly in merit, contribution and equality of opportunity.
a foreign resident who is legally settled, works and pays taxes should be able to access housing assistance under the same income and need criteria. making their living situation more precarious can impede professional mobility, complicate recruitment and discourage a contribution from which our economy benefits.
meritocracy requires reducing inequalities at the outset as far as possible, then allowing individuals to distinguish themselves. competition is distorted when an inherited status confers an advantage before any consideration of the effort involved.
be demanding about residence permits, their renewal and naturalization. prioritize work and integration. but once those conditions are met, maintaining a systematic preference tells someone that their contribution will remain subordinate to their passport.
learning a language, having qualifications recognized and rebuilding a life can require more effort than that made by someone who already has familiar surroundings and support networks. nationality cannot settle that comparison.
we should seek to attract and enable the progress of those who contribute. this proposal instead ranks applicants within a shortage it does nothing to resolve.