“For centuries, the French have scoffed at the way much of the western world works more than 40 hours a week, snacks at its desk at lunchtime and takes a mere fortnight’s holiday in the summer.
But while many workaholic nations have become richer, France has been plunged into a spiral of public debt, weak growth, low wages and spending power and soaring unemployment.”
He speaks a truth that no one can argue with, and these truths are obvious to anyone with half a brain, and so this will make his job a whole lot easier but not 'easy' by any means..
If you run an auto repair shop, it's awfully tough to convince a customer to change out the engine if it's only a matter of a bad spark plug, but it's an easy sell if the motor not only has bad plugs but two thrown rods and a cracked cylinder as well.
In France's case, it's more a matter of the block being cracked, all cylinders gone, the engine is on fire and the transmission fell out miles ago, and the car is only moving forward because of momentum.
The problem is, many of the French are asleep and drunk in the back seat and don't want to be woken up, even if the car is careening out of control, and so it will still be a hard sell.
I would love to talk with my former brother-in-law.....he’s French (Peignoir, actually - don’t know if that’s the correct spelling - but, I think it means he’s 1/2 French and 1/2 Arab.) Anyway, he was very smart, and I recently found out he now works here in America for a very large int’l tobacco co.....he would have a take that is probably VERY similar to yours.