Latest PM resigns

[RobertArthur]

It also reminds me of an article in ' Le nouvel Observateur' from October 1996, entitled: ' Le bonheur est dans les tulipes', about the Netherlands in the 80s and 90s. Until a few years ago, the full text was still available on their website, but it has disappeared. Only one little fragment of the original article. The French journalist's surprise, Natacha Tatu, will not sound unfamiliar to you today. She mentions the need for government's budgetary belt-tightening and controlled wage growth:

' Le fameux pacte de Vassenaar, signé en 1982 entre tous les partenaires sociaux, marque, pour tous les experts néerlandais, le début du redressement. Objectif: restaurer les bilans des entreprises et faire tomber le coût du travail au dessous de celui d'Allemagne, le principal concurrent. Vital dans un pays qui tire près de 40% de son PNB des exportations.'

' .....Même echo dans les syndicats: "Il n'y a pas autre choix possible que celui de la rigeur. Nous avions un coût du travail trop élevé qui pénalisait les entreprises" soulignait Jeroen Sprenger porte-parole du FNV, premier syndicat ouvrier laïque du pays.......On croit rêver! '

In the Paris metro, I am sometimes surprised by how many French people sit or stand quietly reading a book. But whether they read articles like this, I don't know.

Anything else? Don't mention the war and don't mention 1969.

La déclaration de politique générale du 16 septembre 1969 : "la Nouvelle Société"

[Blaze]

Well it looks as if young Seb is back again.
The big question is, is he going to do any sort of compromise to get the support of the socialists? If he doesn't, he hasn't a hope of getting anything through .... and without a budget being agreed, there's going to be trouble.

[MAD87]

.... and without a budget being agreed, there's going to be trouble.

Like no pensions paid and no salaries for those in la fonction publique.