French labour laws trigger immense protests

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
Its funny how the french get no sympathy from anyone.

Yes, the movement gets no sympathy from business. Curiously enough, it gets much sympathy from unions Europe-wide

Edit: oh, and don't forget Sharon Stone

[Lawrence of Arabia]

sophie marceau

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
todays strike isn;t as big as before - in Paris, most of the RATP is running as is most of the eurostar and thalys networks, and 2 out of 3 tgvs on the national scale.

Apparently, the protests are as big however (I expected a drop), and the unions claim that there have been more strikes in the private sector, although it doesn't offset the drop of strikers in the public sector.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Spiffor
Excellent Guardian article (even though I often disagree with Libération, to which the author belongs). It encompasses pretty much the entire debate on the French decline.

However, I'd like to add that the article doesn't mention the role of the "left of the left", which is still discreet, but whose weight is increasing. The Socialists indeed offer nothing but an ideological void in the face of the right. However, the various flavours of commies are offering such actual ideas (of an alternate economic paradigm), and they are growing in popularity. Their time hasn't come yet, but if the Socialists remain as useless as they are now, these ideas might very well become huge in the next decade.

I should start brushing up on my French

[Dauphin]

I for one will lay down and do nothing for our new Lazy Frog Overlords.

[Sandman]

You know, I shudder to think of the utter mayhem that another French 'Revolution' (monetarist or commie) will result in.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
Its funny how the french get no sympathy from anyone.

On the more individual level, you might want to check the "Have your say: do you agree with the French labour laws" section of the BBC.

The people posting there seem to have shared views on the matter. You can't make out an obvious trend in the comments of the posters. Some are for, some are against. And this comes from Anglo-Saxons, who are used to being fired at-will.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Sandman
You know, I shudder to think of the utter mayhem that another French 'Revolution' (monetarist or commie) will result in.

A commie "revolution" (French commies intend to win through the polls) would be mostly backed by the people, and would mostly have economic effects. I don't think it will result in societal problems, at least not immediately.

A monetarist revolution would bring both economic and social mayhem, because the crap they're preparing is far worse than the CPE, and because they want it so fast that the economy will have a hard time to adapt.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

What about a 'sanity' revolution, that brings back sanity and perspective to france?

that revolution might be so explosive, everything west of the rhine might become a huge smoking hole.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
What about a 'sanity' revolution, that brings back sanity and perspective to france?

The Socialists might actually bring it if they come to power. For all they lack in ideas, they make up with some competence, and generally with modesty (at least, it's been the trademark of the Socialists since Mitterrand's death).

I don't think they're able to bring any perspective to France, because there is no such thing as a 'perspective' in their vocabulary, but at least they should be able to manage the countyr in an acceptable fashion for five years, if elected.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

which they will be - no sitting prime minster who has been confronted with such protests has ever been reelected (and they'll throw Sarkozy into the same boat. even though hes trying to weasel his way out of that association.) which leaves ségolène royal left.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
which they will be - no sitting prime minster who has been confronted with such protests has ever been reelected (and they'll throw Sarkozy into the same boat. even though hes trying to weasel his way out of that association.) which leaves ségolène royal left.

I would like things to be so obvious.

So far, Ségolène's score in the polls didn't skyrocket. And Sarkozy's has now well understood that he won't get elected on his economic platform, so he'll try to play the tough-on-crime guy (considering that pretty much all the French media is owned by close friends of his, it should be pretty easy for him to put domestic safety as the major issue during the 2007 elections - after all, it worked in 2002).

Sarkozy is not sure to be prez next year, but so is Ségolène. Her party seems to be more interested in petty bickering among faction leaders than anything else, and it'll be difficult for them to have a convincing campaign.

[Sandman]

What's your opinion of Ségolène, Spiffor? The British media (including the right-wing bits) seem to like her.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Sandman
What's your opinion of Ségolène, Spiffor? The British media (including the right-wing bits) seem to like her.

She seems utterly dull, ergo an excellent Socialist candidate

About her political platform, she avoids saying too much. She seems to want to follow the Blair model, which is something commonplace among the centre Socialists (the Socialists are divided between centrists and actual social-democrats).

I don't expect much from a Ségolène presidency. Basically, France will continue to shift to a situation where the gap between the rich and the poor increases, where the middle class divides between the winners and the losers of the new system.
However, what I expect from her is a radical change of style in our diplomacy (I actually expect the same from all candidates but Villepin), i.e. a non-Gaullist diplomacy, in which our leader finally understands that we aren't such a special country everyone ought to take notice of.
I also expect from her (and her team) a change in the French collective mentalities, i.e. one where the declinology loses ground and makes for more optimism. The declinology mostly strives on the back of Chirac and his completely outdated politics, as well as the unability of France to change because the right encounters the resistance it deserves. The Socialists know how to trigger fewer social uprisings (mostly because they're less arrogant than the right, and because the commies are willingly put to silence when the Soc govern).

Anothher thing I put my hopes in, is the social modernization of France (on issues such as gay marriage, muslim minority etc.). This is one domain where the Socialists can actually make a difference. They did it last time with the civil partnership (the first step toward gay marriage).
Besides, our right-wing is reactionary, and the reaction has infected many many minds. Whenever domestic safety issues are put on the national agenda, the immediate answer is harsher punishment. IMO, the French have really been trhough an absurd period of fear, and of frigid "s'enfermer sur soi" (I wouldn't know how to translate this) period in the past 4 years. When I read some speeches from the late 90ies (when Jospin was PM), it sounds like the future. I hope the Socialists will manage to turn the French debate on social issues into something non-reactionary. However, there's much work to be done.

In short, if the Socialists put up with a worthy candidate (I would personally prefer Dominique Strauss Kahn, but he seems to be out), they're going to put France on the path of a well-managed capitalism. That's not what I want, considering that I'm against capitalism, but at least it won't be as bad as the debacle we had with Chirac's governments, and it won't be as horrible as the monetarist and reactionary extravaganza Sarkozy promises us.

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what would happen to unauthorized people on a runway in the US?

You live in a police state, be proud of it!

(seriously though, the plane was blocked in an unsignificant country airport). It's not like it was Paris Roissy.