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Wednesday, June 11, 2003

posted by gbarto at 11:38 PM:

The TurkeyBlog is just beginning to get some info from folks in France, via the TurkeySister. Some interesting things (with my commentary prefaced TB) that her correspondent mentioned and which I don't think have got discussed a lot on the Anglosphere side:

It's good that the French are free to strike.
TB: This is a right we also take for granted here but while it is too often used for extortionary purposes, it has its place and things could go the other way without it.
Nonetheless, the strikes are getting to be a bit much.
TB: This person has been caught in Paris the last two days because the trains to her home have been canceled. One supposes that others are noticing the inconvenience.
While transportation strikes have the most profound impact on the country, this isn't their fight. The national railway system and the Paris regional transport system have special government retirement packages.
Educators may be right to not want regionalization to go too far, as this would leave Marseilles, France's second largest city, at risk of having its education program run by the Front National, Jean-Marie Le Pen's hypernationalist and seemingly bigoted party.
Teachers have it rough, true, and so it's good that other unions are coming to their defense. But masons and carpenters have it pretty rough too, and presenting teachers as the most suffering group in France may leave a bad taste in some mouths.
In her opinion, France has to wake up and realize retirement reform is necessary, a fact with which most EU nations came to grips some time ago. While the Fillon plan may not be perfect, these unions haven't found a government left or right that could come up with plan to satisfy them.

Some of this is familiar, but I think it bears repeating that 1) The Transport workers have their own retirement package and aren't affected by the outcome of these strikes. 2) Decentralization, whatever its benefits (I think there might be a fair number) carries the risk of loony fascists setting the curriculum for a good part of southeast France. French news will be above, if it isn't already.

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