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France's future
A country in denial
By ignoring their country’s economic problems, France’s politicians are making it far harder to tackle them
I fail to see how anyone reading the Economist can say what you just postulated when presented with so much hard evidence and so many statistical facts showing that capitalism and one of it's subsets - free trade, drag more people out of poverty than any other known system.
Shall I put the link to all the articles in the search engine here for you....?
Of course, you may read the Economist for the same reasons I read the New Statesman.
I find the NS a well written magazine full of outdated political theory, pie in the sky economic collective dreams and nostalgia for the days when more people actually believed socialism worked, or for that matter, in anything related to Marx.
Bayrou's problem is that he is neither at the UMP nor the Socialist party, and just doesn't have the overall talent to build himself an election-winning party machine. The dude tried to go "Cavalier Seul" on this and failed miserably, getting ridiculised by popular media (les Guignols anyone?) in the process.
He should dissolve his party and join one of the two big ones.
No country can spend more than it produces or earns and sustain for long . French Politicians know this better than others. It is the need of the hour that , old conservative budgeting and economic policies of the growth are promugulated .Every body tightens the belt and care is taken to ensure, old, childern and sick are taken care of and minimum pressure comes to them due to austerity.
I am sure , French Leader ship , will respond to the situation and resolve the economic issues with minimum pain to population .
from your article:
Part of the problem is that French voters are notorious for their belief in the state’s benevolence and the market’s heartless cruelty. Almost uniquely among developed countries, French voters tend to see globalisation as a blind threat rather than a source of prosperity As an Anglo with no vested interests,I can observe that France remains what is left of the heart of Europe.
Guest-Ilsmlmn, thank you very much for your last answer as you are bringing the subject. The one thing that has to be clearly understood by the French is that the entire welfare system will collapse sooner than later. It is not about if the welfare system will collapse, it is about “When and worse “How” it will collapse. France cannot sustain as such, and whoever is the next president will need to act like the Spanish, Italian, and Greek past and current leaders. These leaders, no matter what they do, will have to tell the French people that they need to reduce their pension, and health coverage substantially in order to for France to make it. Like I teach to my student, France is the worst problem of Europe... It is not Greece, Italy, or Spain, It is France because the French continue to believe they are the best and hold the universal truth. Nothing is further from the reality.
Now, to answer your question about the fairness of richer French people to accept to “give back to the community, giving back would be acceptable if over the last five years, the French had followed Fillon and Sarkozy. That is, the French :
1) Accepted to void the 35 hours’ work week and return to a 40+hour work week.
2) Accepted to postpone retirement age to 65 to 70 years old like the rest of Europe and for absolutely everyone.
3) Accepted to reduce their summer vacation like the Suisse just did a week or two ago
4) Reduced substantially everybody tax rate.
5) Modernized their educational system and their industry
Then I don’t think any Rich French person would have mind to invest heavily into the recovery of France. If the French want some help, they need to help themselves first. This is what the German socialists told Hollande a few weeks ago. This is what the English told both Hollande and Sarkozy… This is what the Suisse will say as well.
Yet, by the time, very few of these reforms were possible as a result of a systematic economic sabotage of these economic reform, becoming a tax political refugee from France is not unfair, it is a civic duty to put enough money aside from current madness to help rebuilt France once France has collapsed. This is what Charles De Gaulle did in 1940 by inviting all reasonable French people to joint him to fight the Nazi from England.
There are no cliché in what I am saying. There are only facts from past reality. I have seen firsthand the damage of Mitterrand before moving to the US. I have seen entrepreneur having to pay 110% of their income as taxes because the French economy was collapsing all over. I have seen the same entrepreneur having to lay off thousands of French employees because Mitterrand’s policy increased production cost by 30% overnight in 1981 and prohibited as a result anyone to export. I have seen the French Franc being devaluated twice and the international monetary fund take control of france because the economy was going to the ditch. I have seen the French Franc loosing its values against other currencies. In January 1981.. 1 dollar was worth 3.80 French francs. By 1982/83.. 1 dollar was worth 12 French francs.
The bottom line is I never had much money in my life, but I never want to have to experience all of the above anymore.
If you look at the upcoming election, "guest-ilsalol" I have
to come in terms with you, only Bayrou and Le Pen have effectively
addressed the economic issue directly.
However, with Mr. Bayrou I'm a little worried by his lack of charisma.
I mean, he basically has the leadership skills of a county mayor
Learningenginer: Both Obama and Bush bailled out banks and the economy. The first stimuly plan came at the end of the Bush adminstration, the others under the Obama Administration.
Well I wouldn't go that far... If he was british, Mr. Bayrou would probably be part of the Labour.
Remember the policical class in France is somewhat biased toward big government (not to say mainstream socialism).
Noboby, absolutely nobody in France might be compared to Mr. Paul... sadly.
Bayrou? Useless guy. He said nothing for five years, and now, he intends to be president, with his couple of followers? He hopes to enter the governement of the winner, whoever he is, that's the point.
"bad For Europe", did you say? Do you mean he might do something about putting an end to the farcical comedy that is the Franco-German motor/locomotive/couple(choose your own slogan) which is putting such a strain on France by imposing an exchange rate she can no longer bear?
I usually disagree with The Economist but I've rarely read anything as one-sided and dishonest as this article, which shows a real contempt for France's alleged "picknickers". The number of mistakes/lies/approximations here is quite astonishing: Sarkozy is no "Gaullist"; French taxes aren't "eye-watering" (they're actually lower than in Austria or Scandinavia, and big multinationals manage to dodge them); and the country will not be "swamped by harsh reality".
As usual, "radical spending cuts" are the solution to every problem on earth...
There is no fiscal independence like you describe it. Mitterand hat do connect the Franc to the DM in 1981... that's what the article is not fully describing... to stop it crashing down. A devaluing currency is not necessarily a solution, it can also be a pain in the a**. Ask the people from Island at the moment...
You're exactly confirming what I meant. These affairs are not mentionned on TV or big newspapers. Only on internet. Read by only a few percentage of the population. "CQFD" as we say in France.
like a person told me before, the banks decide things. For France, two things should be a worry; one, the economy and two, arab immigrants (the shootings in southern France is proof of this).
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I fail to see how anyone reading the Economist can say what you just postulated when presented with so much hard evidence and so many statistical facts showing that capitalism and one of it's subsets - free trade, drag more people out of poverty than any other known system.
Shall I put the link to all the articles in the search engine here for you....?
Of course, you may read the Economist for the same reasons I read the New Statesman.
I find the NS a well written magazine full of outdated political theory, pie in the sky economic collective dreams and nostalgia for the days when more people actually believed socialism worked, or for that matter, in anything related to Marx.
Bayrou's problem is that he is neither at the UMP nor the Socialist party, and just doesn't have the overall talent to build himself an election-winning party machine. The dude tried to go "Cavalier Seul" on this and failed miserably, getting ridiculised by popular media (les Guignols anyone?) in the process.
He should dissolve his party and join one of the two big ones.
Can the Economist or anyone else point to a single country which is not in denial? It is impossible for countries to be otherwise.
Can the Economist or anyone else point to a single country which is not in denial? It is impossible for countries to be otherwise.
A country in denial?
From pension age increase to the Toulouse Shooting, France, willingly or unwillingly, follows suit of Kazakhstan:
http://blog.daniyar.info/2012/03/25/toulouse-shooting-was-modelled-after...
No country can spend more than it produces or earns and sustain for long . French Politicians know this better than others. It is the need of the hour that , old conservative budgeting and economic policies of the growth are promugulated .Every body tightens the belt and care is taken to ensure, old, childern and sick are taken care of and minimum pressure comes to them due to austerity.
I am sure , French Leader ship , will respond to the situation and resolve the economic issues with minimum pain to population .
from your article:
Part of the problem is that French voters are notorious for their belief in the state’s benevolence and the market’s heartless cruelty. Almost uniquely among developed countries, French voters tend to see globalisation as a blind threat rather than a source of prosperity As an Anglo with no vested interests,I can observe that France remains what is left of the heart of Europe.
Guest-Ilsmlmn, thank you very much for your last answer as you are bringing the subject. The one thing that has to be clearly understood by the French is that the entire welfare system will collapse sooner than later. It is not about if the welfare system will collapse, it is about “When and worse “How” it will collapse. France cannot sustain as such, and whoever is the next president will need to act like the Spanish, Italian, and Greek past and current leaders. These leaders, no matter what they do, will have to tell the French people that they need to reduce their pension, and health coverage substantially in order to for France to make it. Like I teach to my student, France is the worst problem of Europe... It is not Greece, Italy, or Spain, It is France because the French continue to believe they are the best and hold the universal truth. Nothing is further from the reality.
Now, to answer your question about the fairness of richer French people to accept to “give back to the community, giving back would be acceptable if over the last five years, the French had followed Fillon and Sarkozy. That is, the French :
1) Accepted to void the 35 hours’ work week and return to a 40+hour work week.
2) Accepted to postpone retirement age to 65 to 70 years old like the rest of Europe and for absolutely everyone.
3) Accepted to reduce their summer vacation like the Suisse just did a week or two ago
4) Reduced substantially everybody tax rate.
5) Modernized their educational system and their industry
Then I don’t think any Rich French person would have mind to invest heavily into the recovery of France. If the French want some help, they need to help themselves first. This is what the German socialists told Hollande a few weeks ago. This is what the English told both Hollande and Sarkozy… This is what the Suisse will say as well.
Yet, by the time, very few of these reforms were possible as a result of a systematic economic sabotage of these economic reform, becoming a tax political refugee from France is not unfair, it is a civic duty to put enough money aside from current madness to help rebuilt France once France has collapsed. This is what Charles De Gaulle did in 1940 by inviting all reasonable French people to joint him to fight the Nazi from England.
There are no cliché in what I am saying. There are only facts from past reality. I have seen firsthand the damage of Mitterrand before moving to the US. I have seen entrepreneur having to pay 110% of their income as taxes because the French economy was collapsing all over. I have seen the same entrepreneur having to lay off thousands of French employees because Mitterrand’s policy increased production cost by 30% overnight in 1981 and prohibited as a result anyone to export. I have seen the French Franc being devaluated twice and the international monetary fund take control of france because the economy was going to the ditch. I have seen the French Franc loosing its values against other currencies. In January 1981.. 1 dollar was worth 3.80 French francs. By 1982/83.. 1 dollar was worth 12 French francs.
The bottom line is I never had much money in my life, but I never want to have to experience all of the above anymore.
If you look at the upcoming election, "guest-ilsalol" I have
to come in terms with you, only Bayrou and Le Pen have effectively
addressed the economic issue directly.
However, with Mr. Bayrou I'm a little worried by his lack of charisma.
I mean, he basically has the leadership skills of a county mayor
Learningenginer: Both Obama and Bush bailled out banks and the economy. The first stimuly plan came at the end of the Bush adminstration, the others under the Obama Administration.
Well I wouldn't go that far... If he was british, Mr. Bayrou would probably be part of the Labour.
Remember the policical class in France is somewhat biased toward big government (not to say mainstream socialism).
Noboby, absolutely nobody in France might be compared to Mr. Paul... sadly.
Bayrou? Useless guy. He said nothing for five years, and now, he intends to be president, with his couple of followers? He hopes to enter the governement of the winner, whoever he is, that's the point.
"bad For Europe", did you say? Do you mean he might do something about putting an end to the farcical comedy that is the Franco-German motor/locomotive/couple(choose your own slogan) which is putting such a strain on France by imposing an exchange rate she can no longer bear?
Bring it on!
I usually disagree with The Economist but I've rarely read anything as one-sided and dishonest as this article, which shows a real contempt for France's alleged "picknickers". The number of mistakes/lies/approximations here is quite astonishing: Sarkozy is no "Gaullist"; French taxes aren't "eye-watering" (they're actually lower than in Austria or Scandinavia, and big multinationals manage to dodge them); and the country will not be "swamped by harsh reality".
As usual, "radical spending cuts" are the solution to every problem on earth...
There is no fiscal independence like you describe it. Mitterand hat do connect the Franc to the DM in 1981... that's what the article is not fully describing... to stop it crashing down. A devaluing currency is not necessarily a solution, it can also be a pain in the a**. Ask the people from Island at the moment...
You're exactly confirming what I meant. These affairs are not mentionned on TV or big newspapers. Only on internet. Read by only a few percentage of the population. "CQFD" as we say in France.
like a person told me before, the banks decide things. For France, two things should be a worry; one, the economy and two, arab immigrants (the shootings in southern France is proof of this).
Being a British publication, it seems like TE is in denial about its own country's economic problems
but you don't have to !
anyways, thanks for cherishing our fate