Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Blairisme
By Eric le Boucher in Le Monde, May 2 2005.
The article is accompanied by a poll on Le Monde's website asking A votre avis, la France devrait-elle ou non s'inspirer de la politique économique et sociale menée en Grande-Bretagne par Tony Blair? Basically: Should France follow the economic policy and social policy taken in Great Britain by Tony Blair?
(The poll was running at 47.1% yes, 48.5$ no and the rest undecided when I checked 5 minutes prior to posting this entry)
Few French people are following the election campaign in Britain - probably because the outcome seems to have been decided already... But if the French aren't watching events on the other side of the channel, it's also because Mr Blair upsets them. On the right, his success puts into focus the failures of the government of Jacques Chirac. On the left, [Britain's] economic growth, falling unemployment and rise in the minimum wage are deliberately hidden to obscure the fact that his 'third way' actually works.
One has to admit that, when it comes to globalisation, the Blairite strategy of 'adaptation' - fiercely fought in France in favour of the strategy of 'resistance' - is the better one.
The article is accompanied by a poll on Le Monde's website asking A votre avis, la France devrait-elle ou non s'inspirer de la politique économique et sociale menée en Grande-Bretagne par Tony Blair? Basically: Should France follow the economic policy and social policy taken in Great Britain by Tony Blair?
(The poll was running at 47.1% yes, 48.5$ no and the rest undecided when I checked 5 minutes prior to posting this entry)
