[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Sarkozy

[Matt Reichel]

I still don't quite understand how this man became president, despite having been here to see it all unfold.
How can a country that sent a Socialist/Communist regime to the elysee when the US and UK were descending into the pits of Reaganism/Thatcherism suddenly be taking this drastic course!?

More confusing still yet is the fact that this occurred just on the heels of extraordinary grassroots action to tackle the CPE and the EU Constitution.

Still yet, my hope is that eventually political culture will get in the way of Sarko's plans. While there are some in France that look with awe at the sparkly, capitalist United States, most of those types have never actually been there. They are culturally too thoughtful, worldly and critical to accept the kind of market tyranny that exists in the U.S. right now . . . 

-
mer

To: peace-discuss at anti-war.net
From: brussel4 at insightbb.com
Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2007 12:07:42 -0500
Subject: [Peace-discuss] Fwd: Sarkozy

For those who want to know what Sarcozy is about. 

Begin forwarded message:From: Le Monde diplomatique <english at mondediplo.net>Date: October 8, 2007 9:11:47 AM CDTTo: Le Monde diplomatique <english at mondediplo.net>Subject: Sarkozy
 
   Le Monde diplomatique    -----------------------------------------------------
   October 2007
                                LEADER
                               Sarkozy
                          by Ignacio Ramonet
     Like the pied piper of Hamelin, Nicolas Sarkozy initially     enchanted eminent figures on all sides with his verve and     brio. The media were equally spellbound and joined in the     mass hysteria. France was virtually hypnotised by this     disconcertingly hyperactive president, fizzing with vague     plans.
     The scales began to fall from everyone's eyes when the true     nature of the sideshow was revealed. The magician was just a     neo-liberal in disguise. This was clear from the first     economic and social measures announced: reductions in tax on     high incomes and death duties, a tax shield, medical     franchises, longer working hours - the essence of     neo-liberalism. And it was even clearer from Sarkozy's     speeches on 5 September, at the Medef (Mouvement des     entreprises de France) business seminar, and on 18 September,     the 40th anniversary of the AJIS, the association of social     security reporters (1).
     The priority, he said, was to deal with the question of     special pension schemes. They must be reformed without delay     because, in most cases, the circumstances that justified the     introduction of special benefits before the second, or even     the first world war, no longer existed. Reforms would include     extending the qualifying period from 40 to 41 years.
     Health service funding would also be reviewed, he said,     because the health insurance system could not cover     everything. Some costs should be met by individual insurance     schemes. In other words, patients must have private insurance     as they do in the United States, where almost 50 million     people have no health cover (2).
     Sarkozy repeated that the 35-hour week rule would have to be     abolished. He also proposed to end early retirement schemes,     and introduce stronger and more effective procedures and     sanctions against unemployed people who refused two job     offers. Such a frontal attack on hard-won bastions of social     security is almost unheard of and the left is right to     condemn it as the greatest offensive to be mounted against     the social security system in 50 years (3).
     The new foreign policy set out in a speech at the French     ambassadors' conference contains some astonishing proposals.     On the Middle East, it marks a revolutionary departure from     Paris's international position, as defined by De Gaulle in     1958 when the 5th Republic was established.
     Sarkozy confirmed his support for President George W Bush and     the neo-conservative hardliners, adding that the first and     probably the most important challenge facing France was a     clash between Islam and the West. Quite apart from the     absurdity of stating the problem in these terms, there was     not a word about Washington's shortcomings or the damage     caused by the failure to settle the dispute between the     Israelis and the Palestinians.
     On Iran, his position - as stated by the French foreign     secretary, Bernard Kouchner - is exactly the same as the     State Department's. War on Tehran is an option that may be     considered and in preparation for that contingency, the     defence minister, Hervé Morin, has let it be known that     France may resume its full place in the integrated military     structure of Nato.
     Sarkozy is a gifted tactician and a master of manoeuvre but     to judge by his recent sallies into the areas of social     security and foreign policy, he is no strategist. He lacks     vision.       ________________________________________________________
     (1) The full text of both speeches can be found on the     president's official website: www.elysee.fr.
     (2) See Michael Moore's documentary, Sicko.
     (3) Associated Press, 18 September 2007.


     Translated by Barbara Wilson

       ________________________________________________________
        ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 1997-2007 Le Monde diplomatique
   <http://MondeDiplo.com/2007/10/01sarkozy> 

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