Europe stunned

Guardian ^ | 05/30/05 | Leader

[ARCADIA]

Add Koffi to that list and we would have a full house.

[alwaysrepublican]

EU will be dismantled in the next 10 years.

[Redcloak]

How do you say "beeber" in French?

[America's Resolve]

One time in history France doesn't surrender and they are mad at them?...

Uhhh. Who says they didn't. Word straight out of their "Defense Minister" is that this is a defeat for France.

So French citizens defeated france which promptly surrendered. What do you expect of a guy named Something Marie?

[angry elephant]

Hey,what a Memorial Day when even France decides to fight for their own freedom.

[Atlantic Friend]

"Anyway, it seems that the Frogs like their social bennies--job security, 2,3,4 months of vacation a year, pensions, etc. This new constitution threatened the womb-to-tomb blankie that the Frogs have come to rely on and that's why they said, 'non'."


Job security ? Hardly, given the unemployment.
2,3, or 4 months vacation a year ? Er no, you must talk about another country, if not a parallel universe.

[Atlantic Friend]

"So French citizens defeated france which promptly surrendered. What do you expect of a guy named Something Marie?"

Man, you may be resolute but you're certainly not informed. France's Defense Minister is a WOMAN, called Michele Alliot-Marie.

[justa-hairyape]

The answer to Europe's crisis is easy: Embrace the values and leadership of Middle America

The irony is that Middle America is mostly populated by descendents of European immigrants. My guess is that the productive hard workers of Europe immigrated into middle America were there hard work would be rewarded. In other words, Europe lacks Middle American Conservative values because it forced the emmigration of their fellow Europians who had such conservative principals. Quite frankly, I dont see a fix in the short term. Especially since they will need to deal with internal muslim immigration soon. Europe, and France especially, has had a very difficult history. Numerous state wars, revolutions, religious warfare, genocides, invasions from muslim forces, wars between warlords, wars between Kingdoms and invasion from Asian forces (Huns and Mongols). The truth is you really cannot blame the Europians who left and then immigrated into middle America. Both of my family ancestors did just that over 100 years ago.

[NRA2BFree]

*scratching head* Have you been to Europe or spoken to any Europeans lately? The continent is predominantly atheist and agnostic, with a few Christians left and an increasing Muslim population.

You are right. That's part of the reason Europe hates President Bush. Long before Iraq they disliked him because of his Christianity.

[America's Resolve]

Man, you may be resolute but you're certainly not informed. France's Defense Minister is a WOMAN, called Michele Alliot-Marie.

Laugh. Really? Then I stand corrected. Not sure what made me think it was a guy.

Informed about france? Right you are.

[Brit_Guy]

"2,3, or 4 months vacation a year ? Er no, you must talk about another country, if not a parallel universe."

I think it is an extreme caricature but the point is well made. Here in Europe our 'vacation' allowance dwarfs our American friends. I live in the UK I get a basic allowance of 26 days (just over 5 working weeks as standard) I buy another 4 from my salary (taking me up to 6 working weeks) and of course have public holidays (about 10 days?) on top of that. That is near as dam it 2 months a year vacation! My french colleagues get even more (goddam, the whole country takes the whole of August off!).
Whereas an American colleague of mine, doing the same job, on the same pay grade, gets paid in real terms 25% less than me (which is roughly equivalent lifestyle as the cost of living is way cheaper in the States - and the tax burden, but that difference doesn't effect the bottom line of my company). And here is the thing - that same US colleague gets only FIFTEEN days vacation a year (plus public holidays). I thank god that the UK company is the parent company! Otherwise you do not have to be a rocket scientist to see that as we march towards globalization my American counterpart represents better value than me. We already are in the process of outsourcing most of our blue collar jobs to India (I work in IT), the white collar jobs in multinational corporations like mine will go to where the value is. At the moment that is America.

Strangely the UK puts itself in a difficult situation on this. Although we represent far, far better value than the french - the french labour laws make it dam near impossible to let french employees go for outsourcing to a more competitive economy without enormous financial penalties that would outweight the benefits. So in the longer term it will be semi competitive me, who looses his job to to a work hungry American, rather than 'Phillipe Fellope' my lazy, vacation loving, protected French counterpart overhead.

What a world. Still, just before you do feel too sorry for me - this week I begin a four week vacation!

[Bernard]

The elite is stunned. Who was it that said Democracy is a messy thing? Seems to apply here.

[hershey]

'Stuned' it is! Hilarious. Doom and gloom, grab the prozac. Paranoia rampant...the rest of the world, i.e. the wicked US, Chinese, etc. are plotting to take advantage of EU's 'disarray'. A British vote? Perish the thought! Those wily Turks, well, this will nix their chance of joining. But wait...Tony Blair takes the presidency in July. Ah, the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe he can work a miracle. Not. And when the Dutch dump this into the trash can, we'll have more hysteria from the Guardian. Quite amusing.

[hershey]

Hehehehehe!

[hershey]

Hmm, here's a nightmare scenario: '08. Hill wins and ties the US to EU by treaty allowing us to pick up the tab for their socialist paradise ad infinitum. (Small print a killer.) Doubtless a few in Brussels are already writing up proposals along those lines, and why not? Brussels is one useless bookend and the UN is the other. They've already fantasized about this. Just before '04, EU windbags were suggesting that EU should do all the diplomatic work for the West, all decision making...because the US was brash and stupid. Did I mention, vulgar? The US would supply men and materiel for defense, plus everything else needed. Other than that, the US would sit in the corner and shut up. John Kerry and his pals thought this a swell idea. To be resurrected by '08 by Hill. (By then Bill, if he's not too exhausted, will be head of the UN.)

[hershey]

EU will work if they can figure out a way to leash the US.

[ArmedNReady]

Ah yes, the French showing their powers of world domination, again.

[muir_redwoods]

"Europe stunned"

Ummm, the French stabbed them in the back while retreating. This stunned someone?

[Atlantic Friend]

Damn, what kind of business do your French colleagues do ? LOL

You get 26 working days off in the UK ? That's nice, I thought you has less than that !

Of course, you're right about the huge difference with our US colleagues. Before she came to France, my wife and I couldn't spend much time together as she only had 3 weeks's worth of holidays.

Enjoy your 4 weeks, then ! Any projects ?

[Levante]

Europe is stunned?

Or is it really "Europe's snooty liberal socialist ELITES are stunned"?