To what extent can the Thatcher-type reforms be applied in France or adapted to France? - publié le 17/02/2009

Résumé du document

"Something seems very wrong with this country. Once the very model of a modern major power, stable, rich and smug, it appears beset now by political and economic instability and by civil unrest and disorder. One observer has even taken to calling it "the sick man of Europe". Hardly a month passes without the appearance of a new book or learned article on the decline and imminent demise of a once proud country". This quotation, although very pessimistic, seems to say everything about the situation of France today. The country used to be associated with the idea of "grandeur", but now the words used to describe it are more often "freefall" or "decline. In 2007, in an article in The Economist, Morgan Stanley referred to France as "the new sick man of Europe". However, it must be noted that the opening quotation did not initially refer to France. The author, Isaac Kramnick, is an American political scientist and he wrote these words thinking of Britain in 1979. At that time, Britain was in a situation even worse than that of France today and had to face continuous trouble in all spheres of society.

Extraits

[...] To what extent can the Thatcher-type reforms be applied in France or adapted to France? “Something seems very wrong with this country. Once the very model of a modern major power stable, rich and smug-, it appears beset now by political and economic instability and by civil unrest and disorder. One observer has even taken to calling it sick man of Europe”. Hardly a month passes without the appearance of a new book or learned article on the decline and imminent demise of a once proud country”[1]. [...]

[...] In addition to that, I believe that the Thatcher-type reforms would be in deep contradiction with the French model. In my opinion, these measures were efficient only because they were in the spirit of the British society. Implementing them in France would then be a great mistake, because they could only harm the society, and particularly the economic and political sphere. For instance, in theory, the “contrat which was proposed in 2005, was a measure which could have solved a great deal of the unemployment problems ; during the debate about this proposition, it was shown several times that in Britain, such a contract was perfectly normal and that there was no problem with it. [...]

[...] In theory, the Thatcher-type reforms could perfectly be applied in France, and maybe some meaningful results could be achieved thanks to these kinds of measures. Indeed, although there are no magic recipes in politics, Mrs Thatcher proved that some measures are almost always efficient. For example, the French economy could really improve if the French politicians chose to find some inspiration in Mrs Thatcher's experiments. Although there was a very difficult period in Britain, the British economy is now a very dynamic one and does not suffer from any growth problem. [...]

[...] Therefore, the Thatcher-type reforms are not likely to be effective unless the whole French system is changed; and this may not happen, as it is impossible to clone the British system and apply it in France. Finally, the French are not the British and, as difficult as the situation is, they are still a very conservative people and tend to oppose all kinds of reforms. I would be very surprised if French civil servants let the government take their privileges away without reacting very strongly; and I doubt that French politicians are powerful enough to resist such a rebellion. [...]

[...] Between 1979 and 2007, what happened basically was that a woman came, and that she changed everything. In ten years, Margaret Thatcher succeeded where the others had failed: she managed to make Britain how it is today. And since Nicolas Sarkozy, who is often described as very attracted to the Anglosphere, was elected, he has been several times seen as the one who would do the same in France as Thatcher did in Britain. However, can the Thacher-type reforms work in France? [...]