>Likewise, the French have similarly been rather stubborn about keeping
their welfare
>state intact, leading even to widespread rioting and violence,
?????
Michael, where do you find your informations? In what kind of "reader's
digest"-like tabloid ? By "rioting" do you mean the traditional use of
strike (which is part of worker's rights in any democratic country)? By
"violence" do you mean the few burned cars (without any corporal
violence) which occured last year (under the precedent, right winged
government, by the way). If those events were rioting and violence how
do you call the riots of Los Angeles a few years ago ? Nuclear war?
Apocaplyptic grey goo ???
>yet the conservative
>government policies of the last several years can be credited with the
recent slow
>easing of inflation and unemployment there,
unemployment grow steadily during the conservative governments, which,
btw increased the taxes (you, libertarian ? or are there "good taxes" ,
conservative ones which affect middle class people, and "bad ones",
liberal ones, which concerns big fortunes and big enterprises ?).
Inflation was stopped by the socialist government before 1993,but this
was perhaps, according to some economists, a cause for unemployment
(but being not an economist, and not having the arrogance to rant
constantly about topics I know nothing about, I have no idea on this).
Unemployment has been slowing down for the four last monthes now, and
economy is getting better. (this has been noticed by independant
organizations, generally unkind with the government: they are not "cuban
statistics"). Frankly, I doubt the present governement can be the cause
of this(I repeat: I'm not an economist), but, sure, at least it didn't
kill this new slow renewal by persecuting the middle class, which is
precisely the one which consumes goods.(a thing that even a
non-economist like me can understand, but seems completely new to a
french conservative, too busy to flatter his rich clients)
>though this past weeks elections would seem
>to indicate this will end and France will fall further down the tubes,
and possibly out
>of the EU common money system for the time being. Those European
nations that have
>mirrored the US economic policies are sitting in the best positions for
leadership in
>the new economy there.
Two monthes ago, europeans financial institutions confirmed that France
had succesfully reduced its deficit toward the goal of 3 1/2 %(a thing
the precedent conservative governement, was totally unable to do) and
will be able to be among the first group of nations for the 1999
rendez-vous of Euro.
I heard Tony Blair saying in an interview that England (which mirrored
the most US policies) was for the moment unable to do it . I don't know
if it's true, but at least I quote my sources.
Ah, I promised myself to stay away from this noisy discussion. Too
late...
Remi