It's time the French had another revolution

I suggest this because of the various bits and pieces of, mostly bad, news seeping across the channel and also a very interesting article by Joseph A. Harriss in The American Spectator today.  He is their Paris correspondent so presumably he knows whereof he writes.  He describes the almost literally crushing taxation inflicted by the socialist doctrinaire, Francois Hollande.  Like all socialist regimes, his policies, whilst complying with Marxist dogma, lead to nothing except unemploymant, poverty and recession.  The French tend not to put up with that sort of thing for too long:

I suspect that France is on the edge of something big and unpleasant. As the
late philosopher and political scientist Raymond Aron put it after the historic
riots of May 1968, “There is no evolution in France. Once in a while we have a
revolution.” This May marks the 45th anniversary of the uprising that rocked the
country for six weeks and brought Charles de Gaulle’s eventual downfall. It’s
impossible to say what might ignite the next explosion, or when.

To which, as I wait impatiently for the EU to implode, I can only say, "Tôt, mes amis, pas plus tard!" which roughly translates as 'sooner, my friends, not later!'

 

Related articles

Francois Hollande's Really Bad Year - Bloomberg

French Revolution

French Socialists Call Germany Selfish, German Social Democrats Suggest French Lazy

Hollande signs same-sex marriage law - Xinhua

The French Revolution: Crash Course World History #29

Comments

[rogerh]

Tripe Mr Duff. There is no way France will revolt - a little summertime car burning maybe but c'est tout. They have a well educated workforce and a sly cunning government ready to eat Cameron's lunch. They are now teaching in English in the universities and the Francophone link to Africa - the go-to resource and worker hub of the next 50 years - will serve them well. Regard that lightweight Right Wing rag 'American Spectator' with the scepticism it deserves - too shiny even for bum paper.

[David Duff]

"Tripe"! And The American Spectator a "Right Wing rag"? You're banned, Roger, er, well you would be if I actually knew how to do it!

To be serious, I have no idea if the French are likely to kick off on another one but you cannot deny that it is something of a national sport 'just over there'. And when it happens it usually comes as a surprise, as Harriss reminds us:

"But most likely, the spark will come out of the blue from an unexpected quarter. In 1968 it was an insignificant college panty raid in a Paris suburb. Just before the first cobblestones and tear-gas canisters were thrown, the usually perceptive editors of Le Monde looked around, saw nothing interesting ahead except summer vacation, and ran a front-page editorial complaining about how dull things were."

Anyway, if it helps bring down the EU then a man may dream, may he not?

[Lawrence Duff]

Nowhere defies the gravity of running 56% of GDP through the state without crashing to earth in the end. Trying to participate in a single currency with the Jerries on its own would do the trick; France is doing both!

As for reducing labour costs by importing "Afro-sweat" (to misquote that horrendous phrase of Gobels), the rest of us do it - Britain with Poles, Germany with Turks - but the French defy globalisation with a Socialist, anti-Fascist pride, and it shows in their rising labour costs: up by 30% since 1999, higher than all the other PIGS: -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/rogerbootle/10067698/France-has-been-ignoring-its-problems-now-the-chickens-are-coming-home-to-roost.html

SoD

[Lawrence Duff]

Correction: higher than all the other PIGS except Greece.

SoD

[David Duff]

Thanks for that, 'SoD', and I was particularly taken with his final lines:

"As the French position worsens, the markets would do well to ponder the implications. When the next dollop of bail-out money is required, will France be in a position to accept her share? And if not, will Germany accept the necessary increase in hers?"

Stick that in your Gaulloises, Roger, and smoke it!

[Andrew Duffin]

"Tôt, mes amis, pas plus tard!"

My initial subconscious translation was "Dead, my friends, and not a moment too soon!"

I mixed up my French and German, you see; and you had mentioned the EU just beforehand.

Or maybe it was merely wishful thinking.

[David Duff]

Yes, I wondered about "Tôt" as well but I am in thrall to two stern ladies in my life - the language lady at Google Translate (I'm sure she's a lady of the spinsterish school-teacher variety) and 'Nursie' who runs my SatNav and orders me about. I do not dare to argue with either of them.

[Andra]

Tut alors!

[David Duff]

Sorry, Andrew, that should have been three stern ladies, somehow I forgot Andra!

[Andrew Duffin]

And the memsahib.

Four stern ladies!

This is starting to sound like a Monty Python sketch...

[David Duff]

Yes, of course, FOUR stern ladies! I don't stand a chance.

[monoi]

"Bientot, mes amis, bientot" would be the correct way.

I have only come across your blog very recently. I enjoy it, and as I am in the process of reading through your posts, I am only commenting now.

[David Duff]

Welcome aboard the good ship D&N, Monoi, and if you have some expertise in French then you are doubly welcome. I have 'DM' here to correct my English as you will see from time to time if you bother to plough through the Comments.