Only in France, a Scandal for Policy Wonks [ Segolene Royal vs teachers union ]

TIME Magazine ^ | Wednesday, November 15, 2006 | James Graff

[SunkenCiv]

She merely proposed that middle school teachers should be compelled to be on the job for 35 hours a week. "We have an absurd system where we have companies on the stock exchange that offer catch-up courses for students, and the people teaching those courses are public sector teachers," she said on a tape officially recording a closed meeting of provincial Socialist officials in Angers last January. "How is it they have time to do paid tutoring but no time to help kids in public school for free?"

The videotape picked up the gasps and winces of listeners, who were well aware that most of France's 1.3 million public schoolteachers have always counted on the Socialist party to defend the privileges of French public sector employees.

[SunkenCiv]

What a surprise, the partisan media shills at Time managed to turn this into an opportunity to vilify Senator Allen.

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BENOIT TESSIER / AP -- France's Socialist Party presidential hopeful Segolene Royal speaks during the second of three regional debates, October, 2006

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[SunkenCiv]

But remember, only Nixon could go to China...

[rabscuttle385]

I have to agree--the first couple lines of that article from TIME are a low blow, even for the 'Rats.

But that's okay, because by the time we're finished thumping them in 2008, they will live only in history books.

[lndrvr1972]

I need to move to France. Hell I do 48hrs in a four day period.

[SunkenCiv]

The only bad thing about the election in France is, Segolene Royal pics won't continue to appear. :') Sarkozy had a little bump in the road, and I think it will be closer than it appears now, but the Socialist movers and shakers appear dead set against her, and this latest policy statement (that's what this amounts to) from Royal will undermine support for the Socialists. OTOH, it will draw votes away from Sarkozy here and there, because some fence-sitters are just silly enough to believe she could or would do anything about the problem she identified.