Random Venom
Who shall I rain scorn and derision onto tonight. Hmmm, lemme see.... Ah yes, the French. Of course.
Tomorrow is planned to be "Black Tuesday" (Mardi Noir) ... so a whole bunch of unions will march, students will riot, politicos will rend their garments and ... absolutely nothing beneficial to France will happen. These are the characters who feel that they should run the EU. These are the people whose leader walks out of international meetings of the highest level because French is not being spoken, rather the address is being given in English "because it is the language of business." I pity the poor Frenchman who uttered that, because without doubt, when you speak to an audience in English in front of your jingoistic French boss ... your expense account is about to be terminated and your office will shortly be found in the basement of the ministry.
So why, might you ask, is everyone in France so excited about this stupid law that Villepin wants to get on the books? What can be so bad about trying something to get unemployment down among the youth? Before the age of 26, if you have worked for a firm for two years or less, you can get fired for no reason. Sounds pretty reasonable to me: you get to try out a potential long-term employee without being burdened with someone for life. As it stands now, you hire a French person in France at your peril: you simply cannot fire them, except for the grossest malfeasance, and even then the unions will insist that the person is simply moved sideways out of trouble. So the unions and leftists like this: the underdogs are protected and the Aristos are forced to help the poor. OF course, it doesn't actually work that way, the Aristos will do ANYTHING to avoid hiring your ardent leftist/student in the first place. Result: at least 25% unemployment in the under 25 age bracket, with rates more than 40% in the poorer classes and minorities. And that is probably undereported due to those who have simply given up and an official policy to hide the truth (what, admit that the great social net does not work?).
So, employers stay away from youth hiring, and the youth riot at the unfairness of it all. They need to grow up.
The unions, of course, are terrified of this prospect: it would be the first significant hole in the wall of worker protection in 50 years. And possibly a slippery slope the bottom of which might mean a competitive France. And that is something that is too scary to contemplate: the great adjustment to the social fabric to place France in a mode where it can compete in the world markets without having to resort to nationalist economics. The ability to hire and fire -- only the Aristos could come up with such a fiendish scheme ... its not French. Far better to be paid for doing nothing, then screw the Rosbiefs across the Channel (La Manche -- not the English Channel -- we own one side too) for a greater share of the tax pie. Common Agricultural Policy, anyone?
Do you know that there are criminal penalties for the use of the English language in official French publications? So you better be careful where you prends the Weekend.
Tomorrow is planned to be "Black Tuesday" (Mardi Noir) ... so a whole bunch of unions will march, students will riot, politicos will rend their garments and ... absolutely nothing beneficial to France will happen. These are the characters who feel that they should run the EU. These are the people whose leader walks out of international meetings of the highest level because French is not being spoken, rather the address is being given in English "because it is the language of business." I pity the poor Frenchman who uttered that, because without doubt, when you speak to an audience in English in front of your jingoistic French boss ... your expense account is about to be terminated and your office will shortly be found in the basement of the ministry.
So why, might you ask, is everyone in France so excited about this stupid law that Villepin wants to get on the books? What can be so bad about trying something to get unemployment down among the youth? Before the age of 26, if you have worked for a firm for two years or less, you can get fired for no reason. Sounds pretty reasonable to me: you get to try out a potential long-term employee without being burdened with someone for life. As it stands now, you hire a French person in France at your peril: you simply cannot fire them, except for the grossest malfeasance, and even then the unions will insist that the person is simply moved sideways out of trouble. So the unions and leftists like this: the underdogs are protected and the Aristos are forced to help the poor. OF course, it doesn't actually work that way, the Aristos will do ANYTHING to avoid hiring your ardent leftist/student in the first place. Result: at least 25% unemployment in the under 25 age bracket, with rates more than 40% in the poorer classes and minorities. And that is probably undereported due to those who have simply given up and an official policy to hide the truth (what, admit that the great social net does not work?).
So, employers stay away from youth hiring, and the youth riot at the unfairness of it all. They need to grow up.
The unions, of course, are terrified of this prospect: it would be the first significant hole in the wall of worker protection in 50 years. And possibly a slippery slope the bottom of which might mean a competitive France. And that is something that is too scary to contemplate: the great adjustment to the social fabric to place France in a mode where it can compete in the world markets without having to resort to nationalist economics. The ability to hire and fire -- only the Aristos could come up with such a fiendish scheme ... its not French. Far better to be paid for doing nothing, then screw the Rosbiefs across the Channel (La Manche -- not the English Channel -- we own one side too) for a greater share of the tax pie. Common Agricultural Policy, anyone?
Do you know that there are criminal penalties for the use of the English language in official French publications? So you better be careful where you prends the Weekend.
posted by Zaphod at Monday, March 27, 2006
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