If I was to say the the government of François Hollande has been inept up to now I would be understating this mobile disaster. Since 2007 austerity measures have been applied and the economy is stagnant and youth unemployment has been near catastrophic levels of 1 in 4. It's actually more meaningful to look at his unpopularity rather than his popularity[18%], and who has benefited from this gaping hole, the Front National.
So after the warning of the recent local election what do these elite ENA [École Nationale d'Administration] graduates come up with as a solution to their woes?
More and harder Austerity.
Announcing a state pension freeze.
More than 40 percent of the savings will come from cuts in social benefits and healthcare.
Another 18 billion is to be trimmed from the budgets of government ministries and the remaining 11 billion will come from a rationalisation of local government, Valls said.
The stated objective is, and you are going to love this...
The Socialist government has pledged to save 50 billion euros by 2017 in order to fund tax cuts for individuals
Yep, the Parti Socialiste have embraced Reaganomics or as some would try to hoodwink the world and call it business friendly economics.
Now he promises:
President Hollande won't run for re-election if unemployment remains high.
Hollande went on to say: “if unemployment doesn’t improve between now and 2017, I have no reason to be candidate and no chance of being re-elected.”
So after hitting those that can least afford it hardest he then states that if what hasn't worked continues not to work, oh whoopsey. never mind, cya?
You know what we have always asked from our politicians [anywhere], not more government, not less government, not lower taxes etc etc we just hope for a sign that they are trying to govern and legislate better. We are stuck with Austerity and being trickled upon as the wealthiest laugh in our faces.
The only party that are going to benefit from this [because the center right has the exact same economic policies] is the Front National, and people wonder why the extreme right are doing so well in Europe.
Blithering idiots.
8:51 AM PT: For francophones Le Monde:
Manuel Valls a dévoilé mercredi 16 avril, le détail du plan de 50 milliards d'euros d'économies d'ici à 2017, pendant du pacte de responsabilité et de solidarité voulu par François Hollande.
Présenté comme un effort collectif et non comme un plan d'austérité, ce plan présente pourtant des similitudes avec celui présenté en novembre 2011 par son précédesseur de droite. François Fillon a lui aussi visé les retraites (accélération de la réforme, contre gel des revalorisations de pensions pour Valls), la sécurité sociale et les dépenses de fonctionnement de l'Etat.
The budget presented by Manuel Valls...similar to that presented by his right wing predecessor François Fillon [under President Sarkozy]
http://www.lemonde.fr/...
How Austerity has worked