Now Get On With It
Now that the first (and for many only) round of the local elections is over and we realise they are not the public flagellation of the ruling party many had predicted, we can expect the President to get back to the true business of government and do the job for which he was elected. Objectively it is absurd that having been elected by a good majority less than a year ago, he felt he had to delay most of his reforms until after the local elections for fear of upsetting people. All his reforms were announced with much pomp during the presidential campaign so why he should feel suddenly so bashful about them is a mystery. Anyway, now at last we should begin to see whether all the media silliness of the past few months can be thankfully forgotten, or whether France really is stuck.
Because silly stories have dominated for so long it is easy to forget that Sarkozy has had some quite surprising successes in two important areas – both where his predecessors either failed or ducked out: partial reform of pensions and in particular getting an agreement from the unions to discuss intelligently reform to the Code du Travail. The major question now is whether the President has the stomach to go back to finish these and to tackle new reforms. He has not got long: in three months France takes over the presidency of the EU. He is desperate that his presidency (one of the last there will be, assuming the Lisbon Treaty is passed) should make an especially big splash so that once again the eyes of all the world are riveted on France. Thus during between July and the end of the year it’s unlikely he’s going to risk strikes and huge demonstrations on the streets – he’s got to do it now. I only hope he gets it right.
In passing I note the very strange absence of comment in any French media about last week’s massive climb-down by the President over the Mediterranean Union. Originally (as announced many times during last year’s election campaign) this was to have been a wonderful French initiative, placing France at the head and the centre (if that’s anatomically possible) of two spectacular international entities: Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Angela Merkel (and she was not alone) was utterly against, and she had her way last week with an agreement from M. Sarkozy that the Mediterranean Union would revert to being an entirely European venture, in other words little different from the Barcelona Declaration adopted fully 13 years ago which launched the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership or Barcelona Process. Sarkozy’s idea of dominating the Mediterranean (he has wasted considerable energy on his idea, inflicting state visits on most North African countries) has been binned by Angela Merkel’s greater ability. Indeed last week the Germans were treated to a most fawning French President, telling them their way was the way dreamed of by all France. Yet few French papers or TV channels have endorsed this or mentioned Sarkozy’s volte-face.