Why the French like to protest

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday ordered that blockades erected by reform opponents barring access to fuel depots should be cleared. The conservative daily Le Figaro explains why reforms and austerity measures provoke far more protest in France than in other countries: "The crisis is hitting everywhere. It impoverishes salaried workers and forces governments to administer drastic treatment. But nowhere else - except for Greece - have the austerity plans elicited such gut reactions as here in France. This certainly has to do with the long-standing inability of the French elites to develop a pedagogy of change. The French sit back on the accomplishments of a post-war social model that they are unwilling to put in question. ... Then come two other national particularities: unions that only represent certain labour groups and a Socialist Party ... that never really made the transition to social democracy."

» more information (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social affairs, » France
All available articles from » Yves Thréard

» To the complete press review of Thursday, October 21, 2010