Hollande’s World: French in Denial as Crisis Deepens

Der Spiegel ^ | 12/13/2012 | Romain Leick

[Olog-hai]

In the midst of the economic crisis, France’s Socialists are denying reality. The minister of industrial renewal is calling for nationalization of some industries, while the president shies away from necessary structural reforms. Business leaders fear the clock has been turned back 30 years. …

France’s business leaders felt as if they had been set back 30 years, to a time when the first Socialist president of the Fifth Republic, François Mitterrand, began his term with a wave of nationalizations and, after two years, was forced to reverse his policy. Some even drew a comparison with 1945, when the government nationalized automaker Renault after accusing it of having collaborated with the enemy. Wasn’t Montebourg, who had always been an eloquent preacher of deglobalization, dividing business owners into different camps, good and evil, patriotic and unpatriotic?

“Has the government forgotten that nationalization means expropriation?” asked Laurence Parisot, the appalled head of MEDEF, the employers’ union. …

[21st Century Crusader]

Denying reality must be a socialist trait - just look at Hussein.

[allendale]

Breaking news! Flash! Stand by......Socialism does not work.It impoverishes everyone except the politicians and tenured academics that promote it. How do you say sucker in French?

[Spktyr]

Socialism by definition is denial of reality.

[GeronL]

denial of reality is the hallmark of leftism

[Uri’el-2012]

Marxism fails every time it is tried.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

‘Ventouses’

We’re so screwed. The whole WORLD is screwed!

[hinckley buzzard]

Leftism is the politics of denial. Conservatism is the politics of reality. It really is that simple.

[Theoria]

I came across this one earlier today about France. Unfortunately, humpty dumpty really hasn't fallen yet.

Despite rocky economy, France quick to spend big

[EDINVA]

for your French politics and culture list

[2001convSVT]

That’s it France eat your seed corn, then what?

[Obadiah]

And yet Hollande recently beat an incumbent convincingly in their recent election! Voters knew what they were voting for, so why all the surprise? It’s not like this was all UNEXPECTED.

[genghis]

if only the right people were in charge.

[MasterGunner01]

1. Socialists raise taxes.
2. Tax receipts to French treasury crater.
3. Socialists eliminate “loopholes” and raise tax rates.
4. Tax receipts less than before.
5. Repeat loop.

[Mr. Jeeves]

“Has the government forgotten that nationalization means expropriation?” asked Laurence Parisot, the appalled head of MEDEF, the employers’ union.

Believe me, Laurence, they know exactly what nationalization means.

[Uri’el-2012]

if only the right people were in charge.

Every time it fails, they always say that.

Einstein said something about repeating failure.