The other day, our French speaking contributor who wants to be known only by the nickname Frank O. Phon perused some French web sites and saw news about French anxiety caused by their neighbors to the East.
Oh my.
It turned out to be only one German they are afraid of. That German is Mr. Hartz whose name is the inofficial name of the reforms that established Germany as a leader in the race to the bottom of social security in the early 2000s.
We do not know if the conviction of Mr. Hartz in 2007 for some serious corruption and fraud falls under "nobody is perfect" or hints at a more generic approach to life and politics, so we stick with the first interpretation.
Given that Germany's politicians and employers both touted the reforms as a glowing success (rebuked recently by a serious study), Mr. Hartz, like any proud father, even if the baby is a bit of a Shrek, travels the continent to show off the progeny.
He seems to stick largely to the northern reaches of Europe, why would that be?
Anyway, the French blogosphere reported a sighting of the man on the way to Paris. Apparently, he was not going to the city of lights for the Moulin Rouge but for a can-can with the government.
Stubbornly clinging to these strange values of a long gone revolution, the French fear that it might fall to a "liberal" government to take the axe to the labor and social security system deemed too cumbersome and burdensome by the freewheeling marketeers.
We understand that the fear of this axe being offered by a convicted German criminal makes it worse. But hey, take solace in the prospect that it may be a liberal "socialist" administration that helps put the country on the way to eternal prosperity.
What, you want Sarko back?
Ah, les Francais!
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