Is France going down the drain?

I once had an idea for a book titled, "How France made me a capitalist?".  Recent news stories on the BBC; "France's Macron faces baptism of fire over economy reforms" and "French 'mess' threatens real civil strife" seem to suggest that I should write that book.

The present socialist government is trying to push through reforms that they hope will reboot our failing economy.  Unfortunately as always when a French government tries to introduce a reform self-interested groups are protesting to protect their "acquis".  These "acquis" are work benefits, such as early retirement for TGV train drivers, and cheap or even free electricity for EDF staff.

The main objection to the current reform is that it will allow extended Sunday opening for shops.  Today shops can open five Sundays a year with the permission of the "Prefect" in each region.  The reform proposes to raise this number to twelve.  The opponents believe Sunday is sacred and should be spent with families, ignoring the fact that many people work on Sundays already, and few people spend their Sundays in church or with their families.   Sunday opening would create jobs and perhaps raise consumption.  Personally I think the opponents are missing the real problem with the reform seven days of extra shopping is not going to save the French economy.  This reform is minor tinkering with a system that needs a major overhaul.

One aspect of this major overhaul was in the reform but has been pushed aside faced with opposition of Pharmacists.  It is the liberalisation of Pharmacies, unlike in the United Kingdom; supermarkets in France cannot sell over-the-counter medicine.  The monopoly is held by Pharmacists who often overprice these medicines, knowing that there is no competition and they are likely to be reimbursed by customer’s health insurance.   If this reform was passed over-the-counter medicines would become cheaper and this would save the indebted health service money.  Pharmacists are not the only monopoly and the reform seeks to open up other professions.  However it faces strong opposition from the members of all these professions.

I have been in France 13 years now and as my children grow up I really wonder whether it is a good idea to stay.  Many young educated people I meet are planning to go overseas after their studies, I wonder if they will come back, and what the France that they come back to will be like.  The most frightening aspect of France's present situation is that the only politician with the courage to make major changes is Marine Le Pen of the Front National.   I foresee a bleak economic future for France and a FN presidency if someone does not step up to the plate and pass reforms that will make them deeply unpopular but might just save France from itself.

Banque alimentaire and charity at Christmas time.

This weekend was the annual national collection for the "banque alimentaire".  The food bank collects food and toiletries which are then distributed to people in financial difficulty.  In my village the local councillors and CCAS (Centre communal d'action sociale) volunteers collect donations.  The collection takes place at the end of November in local supermarkets.
It was my first time, and I was interested to see how people reacted to be asked for charity in a time of crisis.  So I donned my orange vest and took my place at the entrance handing out leaflets with a smile and a "Bonjour".  As the collection is an annual event and well publicised people weren't surprised to see us and almost everybody donated something.  Nobody challenged our right to be there and solidarity still seems to exist, at least in my corner of the world.  However a number of people asked where the food was distributed, and were satisfied when informed that it was given to people in the immediate locality.  Suggesting charity still begins at home.
We filled supermarket trollies with the cans of food, pasta, rice, biscuits, etc. that people donated.  Once these were filled they were ferried to a garage that is used as a food store.   By the end of the weekend we had filled a garage lined with shelves, and my colleagues told me that we had collected more than the previous year.  This food is then distributed to people who request help over the following year.
This generosity is all the more impressive when you know that the annual "Restos du coeur" winter campaign has started.  The "Restos du coeur" was created by the legendary French comedian "Coluche".  It aims to provide assistance to homeless and poor people during the hard winter months. So we are asked to donate to them.  Then this weekend is the annual "Téléthon" event which raises money to fund research into, and treatment for Neuromuscular diseases.  So we will be expected to donate to them as well.  At the same time my two kids are selling their school and sports club calendars.  Any day now the "Pompiers" will ring my door bell to sell their calendar.  All these demands at Christmas time, it is a wonder there is any money left over for presents.
Mind you I would rather donate money than fight over discounted Televisions on Black Friday, something which has happily not yet arrived in France where solidarity is more important than consumption.