The Fear in France

FRANCE is closed down for the moment. General strike, no transport, universities and schools suspended. It’s 1968 all over again, with President Jacques Chirac in much the same terminal plight as General de Gaulle was then. Dominique de Villepin and Nicolas Sarkozy, prime minister and minister of the interior respectively, can’t quite make up their minds whether to tough it out or retreat as usual in such circumstances. Both hope to succeed Chirac next year, and are scraping up political capital. “Deaf to us all” and “The shipwreck of the Chirac state” are headlines gleefully splashed across the opposition press.

But this is how the French do things, isn’t it? People of the same occupation defend their vested interests with whatever violence they can muster. Haulers use their trucks to block roads and customs posts; farmers burn British lorries and the live animals in them; railway personnel close the system down to protect their right to retire at 50 on practically full pay. Stone-throwing and tear gas means that once again wish-fulfillment has priority over economic reality.

About the Author

David Pryce-Jones

David Pryce-Jones (1936–2025) was a British author and commentator and served as a senior editor of National Review.

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FRANCE is closed down for the moment. General strike, no transport, universities and schools suspended. It’s 1968 all over again, with President Jacques Chirac in much the same terminal plight as General de Gaulle was then. Dominique de Villepin and Nicolas Sarkozy, prime minister and minister of the interior respectively, can’t quite make up their minds whether to tough it out or retreat as usual in such circumstances. Both hope to succeed Chirac next year, and are scraping up political capital. “Deaf to us all” and “The shipwreck of the Chirac state” are headlines gleefully splashed across the opposition press.

But this is how the French do things, isn’t it? People of the same occupation defend their vested interests with whatever violence they can muster. Haulers use their trucks to block roads and customs posts; farmers burn British lorries and the live animals in them; railway personnel close the system down to protect their right to retire at 50 on practically full pay. Stone-throwing and tear gas means that once again wish-fulfillment has priority over economic reality.