THE recent public unrest in France highlights the political and cultural differences between the ordinary people of that country and their counterparts in the UK.
The French are more politically sophisticated and also have a fraternal culture.
They are aware of the need to reduce their national debt, but they perceive that the banks are largely to blame for this situation and resent sacrifices being targeted mainly at the ordinary citizen.
They also feel that President Nicolas Sarkozy is imposing these financial measures.
Nothing illustrates the contrast between the two peoples more than the disgraceful scenes that accompanied the UK Chancellor’s spending review speech in the House of Commons, where coalition MPs felt emboldened and smug enough to roundly cheer measures that will make 500,000 people unemployed.
High school pupils protesting at the raising of the pension age also highlight the fraternal empathy of the French. They realise that solidarity achieves results whereas in the UK the general attitude seems to be “my pension’s sh*t, why isn’t yours?”
A final and crucial difference is the role of a conservative media in the UK where strikes are portrayed as never being justified and union leaders are demonised.
VJ Connor, Bishop Auckland
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