Monday, May 07, 2007
FRENCH ELECTION
Congratulations to Sarkozy. Seeing a politician saying they should learn lessons from other countries. This compares favourably with the way our politicians & media continously portray France as full of bureaucratic socialist so unlike our forward looking plucky Brits. While it is true that there are Frenchmen coming here because their bureaucracy prevents them getting jobs but they are matched by Brits going there because our bureaucracy prevents us building houses. They may have rules enforcing a 35 hour week but they also have nuclear power & world class engineering which our rules prevent. In size, population & GNP they are almost our exact equals but if they learn from our strengths & we refuse to learn from theirs it will be to only their benefit.
Their turnout suggests that democracy is working in France. During the campaign Royal, at one stage, revitalised her campaign by a 3 hour televised speech which was watched by the majority of the Scots population. This is how elections used to be fought here too. How different from the way our media do a 5 minute interview in which they ask "have you stopped beating your wife" style questions & immediately interupt the answer. UK & US politics have descended to the point where any idea which cannot be fully expressed in a 10 word soundbite is excluded. I'm sorry but running a country is more difficult than that.
Their turnout suggests that democracy is working in France. During the campaign Royal, at one stage, revitalised her campaign by a 3 hour televised speech which was watched by the majority of the Scots population. This is how elections used to be fought here too. How different from the way our media do a 5 minute interview in which they ask "have you stopped beating your wife" style questions & immediately interupt the answer. UK & US politics have descended to the point where any idea which cannot be fully expressed in a 10 word soundbite is excluded. I'm sorry but running a country is more difficult than that.
