'Work more, earn more' - a bit too radical for the French
Or so an opinion poll would suggest. Some 53% want their hours guaranteed by law, with 43 % in favour of this immensely novel idea. Gaullists proved more supportive of the idea than Leftists, as one would hope.
Beyond that, our Gallic chums were quizzed on what 'work' meant to them. The obvious answer - 'a way of making a living' came out on top at 78%, followed by 'an important value to pass on to one's children' at 63% (I do wonder whether these responses were prompted). Then 'a way to improve oneself' (42%), the frankly rather unnerving 'a way to be useful to society' (28%) and propping up the bottom (from smicards, presumably), 'a source of inequalities' (9%), 'an important constraint' (5%) and 'an area of injustices'. 'A necessary evil' does not appear to feature.
Elsewhere, Le Pen looks destined to fail to get his 500 godfatherings from elected representatives, without which he cannot run, and Bayrou is all in favour of a grand coalition government. As someone once put it, grand coalitions are right and proper during wars, but at other times suggest a huge failure of the process. Maybe the Gaullists could put in the hours once the lefties have clocked off and actually push their agenda through...
Beyond that, our Gallic chums were quizzed on what 'work' meant to them. The obvious answer - 'a way of making a living' came out on top at 78%, followed by 'an important value to pass on to one's children' at 63% (I do wonder whether these responses were prompted). Then 'a way to improve oneself' (42%), the frankly rather unnerving 'a way to be useful to society' (28%) and propping up the bottom (from smicards, presumably), 'a source of inequalities' (9%), 'an important constraint' (5%) and 'an area of injustices'. 'A necessary evil' does not appear to feature.
Elsewhere, Le Pen looks destined to fail to get his 500 godfatherings from elected representatives, without which he cannot run, and Bayrou is all in favour of a grand coalition government. As someone once put it, grand coalitions are right and proper during wars, but at other times suggest a huge failure of the process. Maybe the Gaullists could put in the hours once the lefties have clocked off and actually push their agenda through...
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on Friday, March 02, 2007 at 2:07 pm.
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What about those who don't have any work at all? The French government tried to make it easier for people to get their first job and there were riots on the street!
It seems that those in the cosy public sector in France are thinking to themselves whatever the French for "I'm alright Jack, pull the ladder up".
Indeed, there are many Gauls for whom their greatest ambition is to work in the public sector - pay on a par or above that in the private sector, pensions with swords, oak leaves and diamonds and virtual, short of murdering a colleague, unsackability.
I was a director of a French company- never again ! It was a parallel universe where staff were on the sick for month on end, and unsackable, work was a four letter word, poor quality work was the norm and the State was taxing the company out of existance. Moved the company slightly Eastwards, and received personal threats from the CGT, who said I was not allowed to. Too late equipment is already on a truck was the response.
my experiences of working with French companies are not enlivening earlier.
Yet for all of this they are richer and happier than us in the UK.
OK, so they have fixed Europe to subsidise them nicely, but is that really the whole answer?
I feel a "French are revolting" comment coming on
And Ségolène Royal is caught out fiddling her taxes like the good socialist that she is.
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