Sunday, March 28, 2004
...but it appears it's a real bitch to ween them from the government teat when it comes time. At least that's the explanation being given for the Conservatives (Chirac's Party) being routed today at the poles in favor of the Socialists, Greens and Communists - a reaction to Conservative attempts to get the French entitlement system under control. Let this be a lesson to all - once a critical mass of people start relying on the government's largess for sustenance, it's awfully tough to get them off. It would be lovely to be able to rejoice at a Chirac voter slap-down, but alas, this doesn't seem to be that type of thing. ...Awe, OK, lower-case "yay."
Conservatives Routed in French Elections (washingtonpost.com)
Chirac's party was expected to lose a number of regional councils after its poor showing in last week's first round of voting. But the scale of the defeat today was so widespread that analysts immediately began speculating whether Chirac's prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, will be replaced in a sweeping post-election cabinet reshuffle that is expected this week.
"It's not just a defeat," said veteran political analyst and commentator Alain Duhamel. "It's a disaster." [...]
