Who has been following the transporter strikes in France?
 

The commentators predict if the Nicolas Sarkozy term will be determined by whether he wins or not.

Surprisingly the French public is decidedly against the strikers.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/economie/2007...-relancees.php

Even the French eventually get tired of the French, if you knwo what I mean.

I have been following the NYC strike of stage hands. Broadway is largely dark. We are going to be there next month and my wife made us buy tickets to a couple of productions for the whole crew. The strike better be repaired by then or much unhappiness will abound chez moi.

I'm happy I'm not there right now, but this is very exciting. Before leaving my sense was that The French had finally turned the corner on the idea that you really can't have it all; global competitiveness and economic growth while supporting such a lucrative social security net (which includes retirement with full benefits at 50 for some folks). One friend explained that 10 years ago the French would split 60-40 in support of the status quo while today it has flipped to 40-60. I think Sarkozy's election was a confirmation of this. Sarko and Sego presented a pretty clear picture of their differences in this regard. The French looked around and wondered why they had been left behind.

These strikes are the first in what should be an interesting series of battles over change in France over the next few years. The big difference I see now is that, as Arch points out, the strikers do not have the people with them. France has changed, unemployment continues at high rates and people feel much less secure about their futures. That doesn't engender a lot of sympathy for the rail strikers, particularly given that shutting down transportation causes major disruption people's lives. We're going to see if Sarkozy can really pull this off. I think he can.

Vive la France!
Vive Sarkozy!
Vive les Cougars!

I hope you plan to see something by Andrew Lloyd Webber.