The French really know how to strike. Chiraq has already relented on the two year thing for firing people under 26, bringing it down to one year, but the strikers are enjoying themselves. Being rowdy is en vogue in France right now, and it is dangerous. There's much to be angry about, and the problem is that every little problem seems to become a huge one really quickly. Remember the Moslem kids running away from cops who were electrocuted? Night after night of rioting. More riots at the weekend about this under 26 issue, strikes continuing.
One suspects that this is not about merely the under 26 thing, or about the Moslem kids for that matter. It is about a deeper rooted malaise that is affecting France, a search for something a little more engaging in the corridors of power perhaps? For Chiraq to go from the populist stratosphere after the contretemps with the US over Iraq, this is a surprising place for him to be. We will watch with interest.
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