The French Republic claims to be founded on the principles of Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. Perhaps it was but it certainly isn't today.
Liberté has alwys been a little iffy given the habit of successive French governments in poking their nose into private businesses. Private individuals do have considerable de facto liberty, I admit, mainly because the French state doesn't attempt to enforce most of its laws, but businesses, despite being owned by and the employers of individuals don't have it so easy, what with laws like the thrity-five hour week or Sarkozy's "suggestion" last year that supermarkets cut their prices.
Egalité is also a long term sufferer. When it comes to crimes it is well known that it helps to either be a politician or know one (whether in a biblical sense or not). Elected politicans, you see, are mostly immune from prosecution. Something that both l'Escroc and his "no current connection" former colleague Pasqua know all about. But they are by no means alone in this with all sorts of other politicians of one faction or another doing the same thing. And of course to be come a politician it helps enormously to have gone to one of the "grandes écoles" - the afore-mentioned Nicolas Sarkozy being the only leading politician who is not an énarque - and it seems that, for example, N African immigrants don't seem to get those grande école places for some reason.
Today however we see graphic evidence that Fraternité isn't all its cracked up to be either. Theoretically workers across France are working today instead of taking the traditional Whitmonday holiday in order to show solidarity with the old and infirm. Possibly because the government decreed this Fraternité without any sign of Liberté or Egalité when it came to consultation many French workers are in fact staying a way from work. Indeed many workers in the state sector are going on strike and having mass protests instead.
I said a couple of days ago that the difference between the OUI and the NON in the referendum was a matter of degree:
Of course this is one of those battles where I think both camps are wrong. The "Oui" campaign is trying to push for European economic stagnation along the Franco-German model wheras the "Non" campaigners are trying to push for a more complete Soviet style economic collapse.
The reaction to the withdrawal of this holiday illustrates exactly the same dynamic. Those in favour of the government view want statist control over what we do and for the government to force us take responsibility for things whether we want to or not. Those protesting want the government to pay for things, without us needing to contribute or take any personal responsibility. The former are unpleasantly illiberal, the latter are apparently unable to grasp basic concepts of arithmetic and economics.