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Old Europe, Looking Older (Jean-Christophe Mounicq, 04/07/2004, Tech Central Station)

Last week's election results shows that France is at a dead end, with huge economic problems and no political solutions being offered. France is dying of socialism because all French politicians -- including the ones who claim otherwise -- are socialist. The welfare system and the state are heading toward bankruptcy, and all they can promise is still more public and social spending. [...]

We cling to our antiquated welfare system built by Communist ministers at the end of WWII, and our "public services", although these two elements precipitate the country into decline and bankruptcy.

The French now face this economic panorama: a growth rate of 0 percent in 2003 (despite the 4 percent growth in public spending which accounts for more than half of the GNP), a continuous rise in unemployment since July 2001 (even since 1973 if most unemployed people had not been withdrawn from official figures by "social treatment", pre-retirement, etc.), a decline in investments for the first time since 1997, a diminution of the number of jobs for the first time since 1993, and so on.