Sarkozy? commeth the hour....

[R1Geezer]

Can Sarkozy do a Maggie and crush the French unions? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7951949.stm could Maggie have done a Maggie with the Froggy unions?

[Gromit]

The timing is right.

Maggie waited until we were in deep recession and the workers were fearful of their jobs before taking on the Unions and slashing workers rights, so Sarky could pull it off.

[jake-the-peg]

Yep - when your company turns around and whacks your pension whilst still paying dividends dont forget to thank Maggie for our "flexible" employment law

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7896734.st m

[Julnar]

I don't think he has a chance of defeating the unions in France. Union members are more active in France, more committed to their cause and the population as a whole does not want to lose its essential Frenchness to embrace an American/British style of economic model.

[Kromovaracun]

Maggie waited until we were in deep recession and the workers were fearful of their jobs before taking on the Unions and slashing workers rights,

Did she?

By '84 we were easily out of recession...

Plus remember there was a miners' strike early in her first term (when we were in recession) she gave in to (albeit more because of unpreparedness at that stage than anything else).

As for Sarko, he's generally been a bit of a disappointment. He doesn't seem to have actually done an awful lot (juxtaposed with successful hyperactivity in foreign affairs). He did however successfully confront the rail union last year (with public support largely behind him), but I'm not so sure he'll have the same amount of support in a reccession.

[Gromit]

Kromovaracun

I'm afraid your memory is playing tricks on you

By '84 we were easily out of recession...

Plus remember there was a miners' strike early in her first term (when we were in recession)

The Miners Strike was in 1984.

The effects of the recession were still being felt up to 1986 when there were still over 3 million (official) unemployed.

[youngmafbog]

Oh yes 3 million - when we counted properly and didnt loose a few million on disibility etct etc.

Jake, havn't seen your beloved Noo labour repealing those laws. They have had long enough. Is it because they are actually for the good of the majority?

To answer the Q, timing is probably the best but it will be a long drawn out thing. Watch out for our sheep being torched again !!

[rov1200]

Don 't you think European countries should do a premier swap, just like 'wife swap' on TV? In Britain Sarkozy would be a hero offering �24bn to revamp our economy. Brown in charge of France would do a DeGaulle by telling them how he leads the world.

[Kromovaracun]

The effects of the recession were still being felt up to 1986 when there were still over 3 million (official) unemployed.

The effects of it, yes, but if you look at GDP growth and income growth, both had been growing for a while before '84. Bear in mind the working definition of recession is negative growth for 2 consecutive quarters (or it might be 3...)

Unemployment might have lingered, but the reason for that was largely the reorganisation and scaling back of the public sector, not recession. It was quite a unique situation.

The Miners Strike was in 1984.

Yes. The Miners' Strike. There was another one in her first term (I forget the year... I think it was either 1979 or 1980 but I'm not sure) which was given in to.