Rioting, violence, civil disobedience, anarchy. The death throes of a once-great nation are playing themselves out for all to witness. France has reached the point of no return. If the government gives in to the demands of the unions and rioters, as it seems Jaques Chirac is ready to do, then the country will continue on an accelerated spiral to oblivion.
Up until now the French have enjoyed one of the world's highest standards of living. a 35-hour workweek, pension benefits that start at age 58, guaranteed job security for life, vacations that last up to six weeks and free health care have been taken for granted by the French populace. However, these benefits do not come without associated costs. France can no longer compete in the global economy because the productivity of its workers is in the toilet and French politicians have been loath to reform the labor laws so as to improve the economy.
Consequently unemployment is running into double digits and among young Frenchmen it's in the 30-percentile range. It's even higher in the suburban areas that house mainly Muslim immigrants, reaching up to 60% in some cases. One of the reasons that unemployment is so high in France is that business is no longer interested in hiring new workers regardless of their workload, as it is close to impossible to dismiss a worker in France, once he has been hired.
In an effort at improving the economic quandary in which young workers are finding themselves, Dominic de Villepin, France's imperious Prime Minister has introduced a law that would allow French businesses to hire individuals under the age of 27 without granting the job security that the rest of French workers have. The law, entitled Le Contrat Première Embauche (CPE), meaning First Employment Contract, enabled employers to hire young people and to dismiss them without giving a reason for dismissal if they so chose.
Of course this was too much for the powerful and spoiled French labor unions and young people who were counting on getting a job for life. Taking to the streets in protest they did what they do best, namely throw rocks at police and vandalize public property.
To say that this could well be the end of France is not understating the gravity of the situation. With government consuming upward of 55% of GNP, there isn't much left that the government can do without irreparably damaging France's ability to survive economically. and Chirac's distancing himself from the CPE will only make matters worse in the long run.
It would appear that French workers, who have lived the life of Riley for decades, are incapable of comprehending that the goose laying the golden egg is mortal after all. and French politicians do not have the intestinal fortitude to do what's necessary to save the situation.
The rioting that destroyed nearly 80,000 automobiles in France last fall was a precursor of things to come. If unemployment in France is caused in part by inflexible labor laws and politicians are unwilling to do anything that might change the status quo for fear of unions and youth reacting violently, then it results in the proverbial immovable object meeting an irresistible force. The only possible outcome of this situation is more social unrest and increased violence. France has a history of violent social upheaval. Its First Republic, which was founded in 1792 after the bloody abolition of the monarchy lasted a mere 12 years. The Second Republic was also steeped in violence, while the Third and Fourth Republics came about as a result of wars. France is currently in its Fifth Republic; will there soon be a sixth? The answer to that question depends on when the demonstrators decide to turn into revolutionaries.
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