Les Francais, eux aussi ils ont choisi de vivre dans un economie au lieu d'un societe.
It seems that the French too have chosen to live in an economy rather than a society.
Je suis triste mes amis. I am sad because Nicolas Sarkozy is the new President de la Republique de la France, which I love only second to Australia. It was expected, I had followed the campaign as closely as I could, but I can't help but feel immense sadness watching the riots sparked by Sarkozy's victory. I don't support that undemocratic way of dealing with the frustration, but I understand it.
Sarkozy has been part of the Government that has overseen all of France's current economic problems. La Droite will not be able to solve the unemployment problems that France faces. Nor will Sarkozy have the necessary policies to deal with the more extreme version of that problem, homelessness. His Chirac-led Government have not had the solutions up til now and they are not about to find them overnight, no matter how charismatic Sarkozy may be. I find that very saddening because these are two issues that France urgently needs to deal with.
I believe that apart from not being able to deal with France's economic problems that Sarkozy will continue to exacerbate France's racial tensions. Tonight will not be the last of the riots in the banlieues. Sarkozy is prepared to use race to gain political advantage, like Australia's leader. Sarkozy knows he has no solution to the problems faced in Paris' ghetto suburbs, so he will instead simply distract us with inflammatory comments about them being scum who choose not to work. It's a cheap trick, but it seems the French have fallen for it too.
His acceptance speech betrayed once again his problems with Muslims, vowing to free those who have been "condemned to the burqua". And just as John Howard did for Australia in 1996, Sarkozy promised to be a President for all French people , not just those who voted for him. That was John Howard's polite way of saying that he would do nothing for the racial minorities of Australia, and that he would instead prefer to help the masses of the middle and upper classes to become even richer. "There is only one France", Sarkozy proclaimed, a subtle way of saying that it's up to you to get out of the ghetto, because France will do nothing for the "scum" that are not real French people.
Sarkozy's views on workplace reform I believe will damage the French way of life even more than Howard's workplace reforms are damaging Australia. I think he has similar ideas in mind. France is not a country that should aim to turn itself into the industrialised, work-obsessed nation that we in Australia and America have become. They have always been a country who understood the value of "joie de vivre", not "joie de ciment" (concrete). How long before bland tasting croissants made to go in 5 minutes grace the tables of the French over a 5 minute lunch break? Not long with Sarkozy at the helm. So it is indeed a sad day for France and its proud traditions in my view. They will buy into a globalising culture that values quantity over quality.
I don't know that Segolene Royal necessarily had the solutions to France's bigger problems either. But I don't believe she would have emphasised the racial splits. Admittedly, those racial tensions would probably remain under a French Socialist Gouvernement because they would refuse to deal with the issue frankly and openly too, but it can be softened at least. And I believe Royal may have eased the plight of the homeless in France too. I hope that La Gauche can revive itself in time for the next election.
Vive la France, Vive la Republique. Marchons, marchons vers la liberte, egalite et fraternite.