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When will the International Left learn? If you want a growing dynamic economy that can deal with global shocks socialism is simply not the way to go. It's simply unsustainable in the long run.
More important, economists say, they do not address France’s main economic problems, which are both historical and structural. Government spending currently represents about 56.6 percent of the French economy, compared with about 46 percent in Germany and Italy.
“France is the sick man of Europe,” Mr. Baverez said, adding that the main problem is the government’s domination of the economy, “the highest rate in the developed world.” There are about 5.5 million state employees in France, 18 percent more than in 2002, and about 500,000 more than in Germany, a federal state with 82 million inhabitants, 26 percent larger than France.
While Mr. Hollande has said the Socialists will respect austerity, he is considered unlikely to do much to shrink the state.
France is also falling behind in global competition and production. French exports have been dropping steadily, primarily because the country has few competitive medium-size enterprises, a great strength of Germany.
When will the International Left learn? If you want a growing dynamic economy that can deal with global shocks socialism is simply not the way to go. It's simply unsustainable in the long run.
I read the article too and it does not say that France is a socialist nation. It is not. The economic downturn is a worldwide phenomenon. I am not surprised that France is affected as well.
I read this article prior to your posting of it. France is not a socialist nation, nor is it even close.
Oh brother are we arguing semantics now? Fine France has a centralized, state dominated economy characteristics that are commonly associated with a socialist state. Is that better?
I read this article prior to your posting of it. France is not a socialist nation, nor is it even close.
Quote:
Originally Posted by residinghere2007
I read the article too and it does not say that France is a socialist nation. It is not. The economic downturn is a worldwide phenomenon. I am not surprised that France is affected as well.
You missed this part then.
Quote:
It is Europe’s most centralized, state-dominated economy, and is deeply invested in its opposition to what the French call the Anglo-Saxon economies of Britain and the United States, whose laissez-faire approach they blame for the 2008 financial crisis.
What's the opposite of the laissez-faire approach?
Oh brother are we arguing semantics now? Fine France has a centralized, state dominated economy characteristics that are commonly associated with a socialist state. Is that better?
It isn't semantics to imply that a capitalist nation is in fact socialism, it's called lying.
I'm sorry you don't have a good enough read on the Euro crisis, but don't get upset when someone calls you on your willful distortions. An outsized state is only a part of France's problems, much of it is linked to neoliberal order that dominates the rest of the EU as well the U.S.
Would it help to focus the conversation away from name-calling and insistence on rigid points of view to rephrase the argument away from the semanticly defined meaning of socialism; i.e., what is and what is not a socialistic country? To, say, a GDE, versus a Non-GDE. GDE being an acroynym for Government Docminated Economy.
I 'll leave it to another poster to define the relevant criterion (a) for GDE versus Non-GDE.
Would it help to focus the conversation away from name-calling and insistence on rigid points of view to rephrase the argument away from the semanticly defined meaning of socialism; i.e., what is and what is not a socialistic country? To, say, a GDE, versus a Non-GDE. GDE being an acroynym for Government Docminated Economy.
I 'll leave it to another poster to define the relevant criterion (a) for GDE versus Non-GDE.
Maybe it would help to recognize that France and the EU's woes are attributable to a larger set of problems than "s-s-socialism" and move on from there.
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