NationStates Jolt Archive

Honestly (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4458266.stm), what is it with these French? Do they do these things just for the hell of it?

Calm down.

French workers have long lived under the best conditions around. They worked and battled hard for them, and then they got a little complacent.
And now, with international competition and so on, they can't afford to keep all the nice conditions, high pay and lots of holidays.

So the government has been pushing some pretty harsh reforms the last few years, and understandably people aren't happy. This is pretty tame, just a few weeks ago strikers had captured a boat and it had to be retaken by GIGN...

Also a side note. I have personally noticed that French tend to be more political than the average person of another nation. They like to argue there positions often. Some times it carries into there work habits. Thus plenty of strikes.

French railworkers not just 'the French'. :rolleyes:

Wow, big whoop. Railworkers in particular have a habit of striking or threathening to strike- not just in France.

So, they are pissed because they don't want the railways privatized, the government assures them it won't be, and they turn around and strand everyone who DID work all day just to make a point?


Many commuters left Paris early on Monday, but others were left to squeeze onto scarce trains or wait for buses in cold winter weather.



What a bunch of spoiled selfish idiots.

Honestly (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4458266.stm), what is it with these French? Do they do these things just for the hell of it?
Germans have vacation days - the Frech are on strike.

So the government has been pushing some pretty harsh reforms the last few years,

like what? a 40-hour work week?

like what? a 40-hour work week?
We need a smiley that is laughing its head off! :D

like what? a 40-hour work week?
Very funny...:rolleyes:

http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/france/
http://www.oecd.org/document/59/0,2340,en_33873108_33873376_35284923_1_1_1_1,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4225243.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4184155.stm

Now you know.

Very funny...:rolleyes:

http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/france/
http://www.oecd.org/document/59/0,2340,en_33873108_33873376_35284923_1_1_1_1,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4225243.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4184155.stm

Now you know.
Thats pathetic, dude. You need to learn how to take a joke! :rolleyes:

http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/france/
http://www.oecd.org/document/59/0,2340,en_33873108_33873376_35284923_1_1_1_1,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4225243.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4184155.stm

Now you know.

those all sound like good ideas

allowing workers to work more than 35 hours should they choose sounds like a keeper

Thats pathetic, dude. You need to learn how to take a joke! :rolleyes:
Meh, I had enough of France jokes - because I know that they are never meant as a simple jest.
And to imply that French people are lazy, simply because they developed a model of cooperation that did the job well and still left people to enjoy a little more free time is just not cool.

Honestly (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4458266.stm), what is it with these French? Do they do these things just for the hell of it?

What I seriously hate is when people hate the French when they have NO idea what they actually do.

The French work hard for their positions, and then they get treated bad. Unlike most people, they don't take bullshit so they DO something about it.

Maybe you sould learn this and stop critisizing the French because you like copying what you're friends say.

And no, I'm not a French person, I'm American.

Meh, I had enough of France jokes - because I know that they are never meant as a simple jest.
And to imply that French people are lazy, simply because they developed a model of cooperation that did the job well and still left people to enjoy a little more free time is just not cool.

People mostly "hate" the French because of their quick defeat in WWII, but they acually did a smart thing.

They took in consideration how the German's bomb anyone who doesn't give in, so they gave in to preserve their great land and structures built even in the BC era.

And, they also knew that there were 3 other countries fighting Germany, and they knew that Germany would overpower them, so they gave up before they suffered unecissary casualties and bombings.

It's all about strategy, not how they LOOK.

Like JFK said...

"If I could choose between what looks right and what IS right, I'm choose what IS right".

Something along those lines.


[/rant]

Meh, I had enough of France jokes - because I know that they are never meant as a simple jest.
And to imply that French people are lazy, simply because they developed a model of cooperation that did the job well and still left people to enjoy a little more free time is just not cool.
You call striking, and leaving all your fellow country stranded after work "cooperation?" Now THATS funny!

You call striking, and leaving all your fellow country stranded after work "cooperation?" Now THATS funny!
God forbid people protest to get their point across.:rolleyes:

The French work hard for their positions,

working 4 days a week is hard?

and they knew that Germany would overpower them, so they gave up before they suffered unecissary casualties and bombings.

no they didn't

they had a bigger army, navy and air force than Germany and at the begining of the war the majority of the German army was at the Polish boarder

if france had a pair they could have taken Germany

working 4 days a week is hard?
Its the quality of work thats done... not the length of time it takes to do it.

working 4 days a week is hard?

They work hard to get where they are, they don't necissarily work hard when they get there. I never said or even hinted that they work hard now that they have their positions.

God forbid people protest to get their point across.:rolleyes:
They didn't want privitized railways. The government said OK. They had a strike anyways. People were stranded. That is dumb.

no they didn't

they had a bigger army, navy and air force than Germany and at the begining of the war the majority of the German army was at the Polish boarder

if france had a pair they could have taken Germany

By the time France had their troops lined up and ready to fight, the more than half the German army was at the Rhineland. If the French had taken them on, the German navy and air force would've slaughtered their land fleet (since they couldn't use their navy in a landlocked place, and they couldn't bomb their own land).

They didn't want privitized railways. The government said OK. They had a strike anyways. People were stranded. That is dumb.
Its a little more complex then that.

By the time France had their troops lined up and ready to fight, the more than half the German army was at the Rhineland.

and whose fault is that?

and they couldn't bomb their own land).

but maybe, just maybe the could have bombed the hell out of German war industry, transportation and troop concentrations and there by cripple Germany's capacity to make war

and whose fault is that?
George Bush's, obviously.
but maybe, just maybe the could have bombed the hell out of German war industry, transportation and troop concentrations and there by cripple Germany's capacity to make war
No they couldn't, their Air Force was on strike for an extra month of vacation a year.

You call striking, and leaving all your fellow country stranded after work "cooperation?" Now THATS funny!
No, I'm calling the industrial relations system they had before the reforms started "cooperative". Do try to keep up.

no they didn't

they had a bigger army, navy and air force than Germany and at the begining of the war the majority of the German army was at the Polish boarder

if france had a pair they could have taken Germany
You are mistaken. Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_Gelb (Promise me that you do)

All Allies
144 divisions
13,974 guns
3,384 tanks
3,099 aircraft
Total: 2,862,000 men

All Axis
141 divisions
7,378 guns
2,445 tanks
5,446 aircraft
Total: 3,350,000 men

Casualties
Allies
401,000 dead or wounded
1,900,000 French captured

Axis
27,000 dead,
110,000 wounded, 18,000 missing

As for the War before the German Invasion, the decision was made by Allied Command that Offensive Operations could not succeed, and that it was more important to stay alive themselves than to try and help Poland straight away.
In France and Britain the leaderships from WWI obviously kept their positions, and the experiences they made there shaped their vision of warfare.
Germany only didn't have the same problem because their army's leadership was gone and had been replaced by young new career officers who were adventurous enough to implement the idea of Lightning Warfare.

Its a little more complex then that.
Care to explain it then?

George Bush's, obviously.
No, it is John Kerry's falt for being such a boring douche that Bush won.

No, it is John Kerry's falt for being such a boring douche that Bush won.
But by that point George Bush had already used his Magickal Pony Powered Time Machine to go back in time and single handedly waylay the entire French army.

But by that point George Bush had already used his Magickal Pony Powered Time Machine to go back in time and single handedly waylay the entire French army.
Yes, but when the Evil Nazi Commie Nuns gave Bush the Magickal Pony Powered Time Machine, Kerry tried to warn the populus. Nobody cared what Kerry was saying for he is such a boring douche.

Yes, but when the Evil Nazi Commie Nuns
Were these nuns hot, possessed or being pursued by Chainsaw Demons? Because if the answer to all of those questions is no then I just so totally lost interest in this conversationg.
Kerry tried to warn the populus. Nobody cared what Kerry was saying for he is such a boring douche.
Don't shoot the messenger just because you were to lazy listen to the message back when it could have saved you. Much like the Jews turned away Christ for being "a complete buzz-kill", the people turned away Kerry and now they must suffer an eternity in Hell, or 3 years of the current administration which ever comes first.

Were these nuns hot, possessed or being pursued by Chainsaw Demons? Because if the answer to all of those questions is no then I just so totally lost interest in this conversationg.
No, they are the bad kind of nuns.

Don't shoot the messenger just because you were to lazy listen to the message back when it could have saved you. Much like the Jews turned away Christ for being "a complete buzz-kill", the people turned away Kerry and now they must suffer an eternity in Hell, or 3 years of the current administration which ever comes first.
I hope it is Hell that comes first.

*Gets elbowed in kidney* Huh? The French are on strike? No comment.

Honestly (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4458266.stm), what is it with these French? Do they do these things just for the hell of it?

It's that little thing called democracy and the right to protest... If it weren't for people going on strike, I shudder to imagine what our social rights (or lack thereof) would look like. I feel sorry for people living in countries where no-one ever goes on strike.

The train strike is going to be a big nuisance to me tomorrow, as I have to go into Paris, but I support the workers' right to go on strike.

If I had working rights such as a 35 hour week, then I'd be trying to protect them to.

It's that little thing called democracy and the right to protest... If it weren't for people going on strike, I shudder to imagine what our social rights (or lack thereof) would look like. I feel sorry for people living in countries where no-one ever goes on strike.

The train strike is going to be a big nuisance to me tomorrow, as I have to go into Paris, but I support the workers' right to go on strike.

As far as I know the french have a more open strike-culture like any other country. You can strike whenever or however you like when you want. (Strikes here in germany are strictly regulated, thus forbidding spontaneous strikes.)

US-americans should rather envy the french for their ability to rally together against ... even their government! Governments aren't always right just because you voted for them some time ago to do some jobs for you.
/me thinks . o O (Sarkozy?)

Concerning the war: the french relied on the statical war along their fortified lines. The new, dynamical war just surprised them. Better luck in the 4. WW :D

Does this thread serve anything other than mindless French bashing?

"Oh noes! The French! Our hated enemy! Their lazy workers are striking! True All-American workers never strike, because they're GRATEFUL to their sacred employers and betters."

Is it just me, or is that it?

Keep up the good work guys or lack of it.

Does this thread serve anything other than mindless French bashing?

"Oh noes! The French! Our hated enemy! Their lazy workers are striking! True All-American workers never strike, because they're GRATEFUL to their sacred employers and betters."

Is it just me, or is that it?

I'm pretty sure you nailed it there.

I don't care how English I am or that the French aren't supposed to like us. I just want to declare how much I love the French. They rock! C'mon.. just because the American or British people don't have the balls to stand up to their government regardless of how petty it is. If you don't already know, your government serves you. You don't serve your government.

I don't care how English I am or that the French aren't supposed to like us. I just want to declare how much I love the French. They rock! C'mon.. just because the American or British people don't have the balls to stand up to their government regardless of how petty it is. If you don't already know, your government serves you. You don't serve your government.

*hands you a loaf of French bread and a special brownie*

Hurrah!

Actually i think the English tend to hate the French more because of the 'hundred years war' in 1337 and that the fact that France lost so soon in WW2 is just another excuse for hating the French. :p

Of course my government serves me. It protects my rights to life, liberty, and property. My rights to live my life as I please, so long as I do not infringe on that same right of others. And my right to economic activity under the same principles. After all, "that government is best, which governs least"

Spoken, of course, by Thomas Jefferson. Of course, the government doesn't do all of this. Sometimes, it gets authoritarian - it infringes on social and economic liberties. The French government does this on a day-to-day basis, and the French do not even seem to realize it. Socialism is just one big manipulation of the minds of the people by an authoritarian government that somehow gets away scot-free with telling its people that it is their social responsibility to surrender economic liberties. It's just as bad as the radical Christian conservatives (I'm talking the Westboro Baptist and Pat Robertson types here) somehow thinking they can get away with telling us that it is our moral responsibility to surrender our social liberties. Absurd. The French should instead be clamoring for their right to work sixty hours a week and have their employees do the same if they so choose (of course, those employees can leave if they feel it is in their best interests), keep larger portions of their earned income to themselves, and live in a nation that is governed economically by the law of the free market, not the law of the bureaucrats' stamp and pocketbook. No government deserves your personal liberties nor your economic activity.

Really, why is it that we consider enforcing personal morality inappropriate, yet we do not extend the same principle to the enforcing of economic morality? With either approach, personal satisfaction is hindered as people's ability to exercise their individual rights is stifled.

Care to explain it then?
Not really. Do your own research. :p