TV gamble to head off further riots blows up in Chirac's face

Scotland on Sunday ^ | April 2, 2006 | SUSAN BELL

[hershey]

At some point soon, the French who can, will leave. It's horrible, watching a nation commit suicide.

[George W. Bush]

Humorous to see Chiraq squirming again.

Interesting that the underemployed youth of France and other assorted Lefties who loved Chiraq for trying to spoil our Iraqi invasion have now turned on him when he attempts to do something to save the economy from past socialist practices that have brought them to the brink of economic and demographic disaster.

The French elite is being hoist on its own petard by its own Left. You gotta love it when they start eating their own while lecturing us about the need for social justice and global unity. It's even richer when you realize that they can't even run a puny unimportant country like France but feel entitled to lecture the entire world on how to conduct global affairs.

[Grampa Dave]

I'm trying not to snicker too much. Regards, Ivan

You conservative Brits are so insensitive!

[DUMBGRUNT]

“History belongs to the victors.”

"History is more or less bunk," Henry Ford.

. France has been so arrogant all the time that it should be punished

Remember that you can never get up, if you have to hold the S.O.B. down.

In the end it will be us against them. France will be with us.

Yes, a bit of schadenfreude is OK.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

This is the result of growing up in an entitlement society where you expect everything to be handed to you on a silver platter.

[OldPossum]

Re your post #1, it must be difficult to stifle your bemusement. French politics are amusing. Those people vote in such buffoons and then seem surprised at what they get.

[America's Resolve]

I think this is a LOT worse than many on this thread are indicating. THis isn't about embarrassing Chiraq, as much fun as that is.

This is the centerpoint in a fulcrum that's going to tip things in the wrong direction.

Consider: They try to revise hiring laws and they get riots.

They try to end the 35 hr work week to improve the country's productivity, and they get riots.

They try to cut down the 6-10 weeks of vacation to improve the country's productivity, and they get riots.

They try to pare down the country's pensions to save money, they get riots.

They try to pare back the socialized medical system to save money, they get riots.

2 million protestors is a significant number.

The effect of this is going to be to lock the government, all future french governments, into stasis, unable to contemplate movements which will improve the economic outlook.

France has just become locked in amber, unable to change at all for the better.