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France awaits Chirac surrender verdict on jobs law
France is keenly awaiting a presidential address tonight in which Jacques Chirac is expected to give his verdict on the highly contentious youth employment law. The country has been hit by a wave of protests and strikes over the measure. Yesterday France's highest constitutional body backed the law, passing it to Chirac to either sign or reject.

Polls show most people oppose it; there is little appetite for more disruption. In the streets of Paris some gave their views: "I think in the current context we should just give in try to calm minds," said one man. "We should work with real, concrete facts."

A woman said: "I don't think it's the head of state who deals with what's happening now. Whatever he says will change nothing."

Opposition leaders have joined unions in calling for Chirac to intervene, with Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin insisting he will not withdraw the legislation.

Socialist leader Francoise Hollande said France was gripped by a social and political crisis. "We have to get out of it and the only way is for the President to announce that he won't pass the law and will open a debate in parliament," he said. Another Socialist leader said: "We don't want to find ourselves back in the 19th century trying to deal with the 21st."
"We'd rather do what we've been doing, stuck firmly in the middle of the 20th century. Eventually what we're doing is going to work. All we have to do is keep doing it over and over again."

Posted by: Fred 2006-03-31
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=147055