Translation of article linked in “Brainwashed Nation”

From Brainwashed Nation we linked the following by Ivan Rioufol:

“Effets d'une politique du mensonge / What mendacious policies get you”

There is a virtue to the current social political crisis: it reveals the anachronism of a society deceived by decades of lies. They made believe that liberal markets were a calamity, the access to the university degrees for everyone was progress, that immigration from the Third World could succeed. These lies surround the CPE which is held up like a straw man by a left made up of the young people as a target of their revolts, and in their marches as racism at work.

It was an anticapitalist and bureaucratic France which showed this on Tuesday with the support of a large part of the population. In a March 25-26 survey by Le Figaro Only 36% of the French back free enterprise, unlike 74% of the Chinese, 71% of Americans, and 67% of Britons. The survey to be brought closer to home the point that a quarter of all employees work in the public sector, and that becoming a civil servant remains the dream job of 15-30 year olds.

This fear of competition is at the heart of the tension. Business owners are seen as an enemy, and the Fair labor standards act as a scripture. The antis behave as if they feared that this contract, would challenge their belief system by creating jobs. But this immobilized France can no longer be satisfied with promoting the anachronistic socialist model. Even the old Eastern European countries save for Belarus, changed to accept the risks of the market.

Not since the referendum on the Constitution was there this perestroïka that released the public’s critical ire. If we all still have to listen to this unrebutted argument, the brutal reality is given over to conservatives. Also the intransigence of the left that only proposes going backward, can it contribute to the rupture necessary to wake up a system, which is critically ill. Further the indecent graduates in this conflict reveal the fraud of a faculty that has given up. As for the aggressive suburban hooligans in the demonstrations, I’m reminded of something Andreï Makine said in its last book (This France which one forgets to like, Flammarion): "France is hated because the French let its’ substance waste away, to transform itself into nothing other than a territory of settlements, a remote outpost in a globalized Eurasia."

The barbarian age

To tell the truth, France lets itself see in a worrying state. On Sunday archbishop of Paris Monseigner Andre made a apt observation: "the blocking of democratic institutions, intimidation, a forced vote, decisions withdrawn under pressure, the destruction of equipment, books and instruments, are reminiscent of 20th century Germany and Russia. Our democracy should be ashamed of the revival of these phantoms of totalitarianism."

There are reasons to be frightened of the vandalism by extremists who trashed the Sorbonne, the School of Charters, the Institute for Advanced Social Sciences, and that set fire to the Saint-Germain library, not to mention the raids by housing project dwellers and the violence that came with it, including that against women. The school, apparently, can’t seem to inspire respect for people, culture, and books anymore.

Bewildering bankruptcy.

Here’s National Education’s game: In the Alpes-Maritimes culture, education, and leisure area of Aspres, a thousand teens are invited to work on the topic of redistribution (with the curriculum provided by S.O.S-Education). They were asked to imagine slogans and to make banners for a fictitious demonstration planned for April 4. Thus a generation of beggars is formed. There were 12-14 year olds in the march.

Does raising "citizens" at least wake up their consciences? After the death of 17 year old Sohane Benziane in October 2002, the indignant quickly forgot the execution of Ghofrane Haddaoui in Marseilles, Karen Moutet-Toutain, a teacher who was stabbed Chahrazad Belayni who was set alight, Jean-Clausde Irvoas lynched in front of his family, the handicapped woman who was drizzled with gasoline on a bus, the insults against Raphaël Clin a gendarme who ran into trouble, the martyrdom of Ilan Halimi, etc. Indeed, it’s the age of barbarians.

Counterdemonstrations?

It is this society of abandonment that should change. However, this concern seems foreign to the thousands of demonstrators, who are making the UMP tremble. The opponents of the CPE, civil servant to a large extent, have of another ambition: only to preserve the system they benefit from. Youthful anger is also inspired in the worst way to join this same cause with the culprits defending a broken down system. This is why Domenique de Villepin is resisting it strongly, and is trying to free himself from the tyranny of having to get a consensus. The coming days will reveal if Jacques Chirac will permit completing his own "Thatcherization". If the street succeeds, others could join them. Some already have each Sunday afternoon in front of Paris city hall to demand the basic reforms.

"Here at home"

Read in Libération yesterday: in a suburban café saw a display of a religion hijacked by "young people". The "big brothers" warned the bar manager: "You are here on our premises, you must do what we tell you or we’ll bring our Muslim brothers from Belleville." Thus the wolves have entered Paris.

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