France Unravels 2016

by Glenn N. Holliman

The news this morning from France speaks of transportation strikes and labor conflicts in the streets of Paris.  President Hollande and his party are trying to reduce the strait jacket of government restrictions on business - particularity the ability of management to dismiss under productive employees and remove burdensome regulations on commerce. Terry Fields, an Englishman of lucid and strong opinions, offers this take on the disturbing state of French society and European politics in this year of 2016. He concludes his article with a bit of tongue in cheek humor.- GNH

What is France becoming?

by Terry Field, an Englishman in Normandy

We all see the paroxysm of social disorder and violent strife overtaking France. This little note tries to suggest where France goes from here – and why.

The attempted preservation of a sealed and isolated economic condition, not affected by the pressures of the global economy, are more significant for French self-awareness than is understood overseas. France has constructed a patrician, top-down, protective society replete with a social religion of mutuality of obligation and ‘fairness’ that dominates all thought .

Economics is prostituted as a distorted servant of political, and through that, cultural delusion.

The French idea of the Euro was part of the French insane asylum of creating a ‘counterweight’ to the American ‘hyperpuisance’.

The reality now is a little different. France is as shattered an integrated economy as is Britain. Both societies harbour a delusion of authority and potential at variance with the ‘facts on the ground’.

The newly powerful, unified and untrammeled German power controls Europe. Just as the British predicted before 1914 disturbed the pond.

Germany extends its power and control as the United States wanes in the Atlantic and moves to the Pacific.

Russia is faced across its whole western boundary by a German authority, dressed as NATO, even though the American guarantor now, in the strongest political language from the present and conceivable future administrations, removes itself from its unequivocal acceptance of the fifth clause.

Strange that the ground to air missiles are placed in Poland and Romania, but if I were this particular Bundeschanzelerin, I would be content, doubly so since Mr Putin states – Poland and Romania are in his ‘cross-hairs’. After all, that is what my buffer states are there for!

No guesses for who encouraged the Ukranians (now slav-haters to a man in their ‘west’) to ‘employ’ Mr Rassmussen as an ‘adviser’.

SO with Germany in the ascendant, and once again confronting the Slav enemy in the East, how will France behave?

Just like the dying days of the USSR, its elite says that the prime function is to promote and protect ‘French Culture’, no matter the state of the economy.

All that is just blather.

Terry, left, with dining mates on the Queen Victoria January 2016 sharing views on desert and the human condition.

As the French economy collapses under the weight of its own contradictions, there are two possible immediate outcomes – 

The next election will see a rational reforming government – a sort of Madame Thatcher ‘light’, or, in similar manner to the British were they to choose Brexit, the selection of a right wing, but in their case also racist government that repudiates the European Union and attempts to build an autarkic state. That is precisely what its leader has said the French want – to be ‘protected’ from the world.

The former choice would cause the Euro to collapse under the strain of reform, industrial decline, agricultural decimation and the slow replacement by anew free-enterprise unprotected economy, that latter choice a collapse of the Euro as the European program of required fiscal and social integration to complete the construction of a controllable new monetary system is fully and rapidly abandoned. 

Either way, France is going to become something new.  And war with Russia in the East is now a possibility.

I am preparing for future events by applying a program of laying land-mines around the perimeter of my estates, and developing a program of remotely controlled machine gun nests at strategic locations.

I suggest visitors advertise their intention to visit in advance of the event! - Terry Field in France

Comments welcome as always....

From Down Under, Steph observes....

Picture below of Stephanie explaining how to speak Australian to Canadian Ron Marshall in 2014

Great to hear your balanced calming mediator’s voice again.

I must admit David Lott’s views re. Brexit are winning the argument with me, but I’m aware I’m an outsider from Downunder. However, some UK friends wrote this to me the other day: ‘We are going to vote 'Leave' and take our chances on the outcome.  We managed on our own before the Common Market vote in 1975 and we can sure do it again.  We learn that the EU are awaiting the outcome of our vote before putting up the amount every country  has to contribute.  They wouldn't do it before - they're not stupid.  Unfortunately most youngsters (those under 35) are predicted to vote to remain as they know nothing else but most of us oldies will vote to leave’

Also, from an Aussie POV, there’s a big split in the population when it comes to control of our borders and how to do it. Many people, who in my opinion are short-sighted but well-meaning and claim to be so much more compassionate than hard hearteds like myself, insist that Australia should virtually open its doors to boat people. The Liberal Government is saying ‘no. anyone who comes here by boat will NEVER be allowed to settle in Oz. They will have opportunities to settle in other Asian countries, or to return to their countries’. Now, even the Labour opposition leader has agreed that this is the best big picture policy, to avoid all the drownings we were witnessing but also to spread the word and to stop the flood of migrants which, as in Europe, would be never-ending and which would eventually ruin this country.  Trouble is, many of the Labour team believe that we are being inhumane, and so there is great division within the Party itself, even though the boats have stopped, and now we have to wait for those (900 mostly young men) in the offshore detention centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, give up hopes of entering Oz and choose where they wish to be repatriated.

Keeping control of who enters each country is vital. Recently we’ve had instances of Muslim immigrants refusing to obey our laws and stand up when a judge or magistrate enters the court room, and recent outraged letters to the paper reflect that the mainstream Australians are fed up with certain immigrants who have gladly taken all that we have to offer, all the freedoms and the tolerance and the services, and are now laughing in our faces. Somehow we must ensure that those coming here have respect for our laws, our democracy, and our women etc etc.

That’s a roundabout way of saying that I do sympathise with those Pommies desperate to leave the EU so that once more they may have some control over their country before it is too late.

From a College Chum of Yester-Year in Tennessee....I Join you wholeheartedly regarding your "thesis" about listening!


From a Distinguished Barrister in Pennsylvania....

You must admit these are interesting times.....this is certainly not a Tweedledee--Tweedledum election as many elections have been in the past when the presidential candidates for the two major parties would race to the "middle" to get the moderate, independent votes.  Unfortunately, there is not much left to the "middle."  Now what we have is one candidate saying the other candidate is completely unqualified to be President and the opposing candidate saying that the other candidate should be in jail.  Let's assume that the winner gets 55% of the vote and the loser gets 45%.    How will the 45% ever accept the winner as legitimate after being told that the winner is completely unqualified to be President or that the winner is a criminal and should be in jail?   Good luck to the winner in trying to govern with the halo of illegitimacy hanging overhead. So sad.....how to govern afterJanuary 20, 2017?  Maybe the loser will be the lucky one.