Is There Hope for France After All?

FRENCH VOTERS REJECT EU CONSTITUTION!

There are times when I envy those people who belong to an exotic ethnic group. I would love to be proud of my heritage and my ethnic "culture". But alas, I am French (half French, anyway). There are but two things that make me proud to be french - the Eiffel Tower, which ushered in the age of skyscapers, and of course, the magnificent Statue of Liberty. Other than that what could a frenchmen possibly be proud of. Thank God my sir name comes from my germanic father... My particular French bloodline comes to America via Canada, which makes me think that my French ancestors knew enough to get out when the gettin' was good. Smart people.

I comes as a bit of surprise then that I read this weekend that French voters turned a thumbs down on ratifying the new EU constitution. I had always thought that it was France (and Germany) that were the driving force behind the creation of this United States of Europe known as the European Union. French voters are sour on the current government in power and this vote was a clear finger in the eye of a government that was pushing hard for ratification.

The French electorate is unhappy about the state of the economy, unemployment and also immigration policy. The French had been so worried that their beloved culture was being Americanized that they failed to see that the real threat was from Muslim immigration. French Muslim's have no love for French heritage or French history.

Radical change in the way the French economy is run and even more radical change to immigration policy is needed if the French intend to save their country. I personally doubt the French have the guts to do what needs to be done, but I hope for good things. They are going to need to turn back the socialist mindset and strictly control immigration (something our own government has failed to do). They voters are worried that cheap labor from poorer EU nations will flood France and drive down wages and bury their social service systems. Does this sound familiar to you my fellow Americans?

If I had to predict which way France will go I am afraid I would be less than optimistic. Rather than curb their socailist tendancies media and government ministers will declare capitalism (yes, there are still a few capitalists in Europe) the root of all evil and steer their country closer to communism. This is already happening in Germany. France and Europe are at a crossroads, no longer beholden to the US as the protected lamb to the Soviet's wolf, yet too weak to stand up and fight for themselves. Only Great Britian has taken any sort of stand economically and militarily, but, there too, socialism's rotting core is consuming a once great nation. There is no Maggie Thatcher on the horizon. Thanks to America and the Marshall plan the one thing most of Europe has going for it is free elections. We pray the voters will see the light and begin to reject the welfare state attitude that permeates most of Europe.


CW