France’s transport network was brought to a standstill on Thursday of last week as thousands of railway workers came out on strike against president Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to end "exceptional pension schemes".
One of the few genuinely democratic moments of the past few years came in May and June 2005, when the European Constitution was thrown out by referendums in France and the Netherlands.
In 1428 the peasant who would become known as Joan of Arc announced that voices from god had told her she would liberate France from English occupation.
The three main contenders for France's presidency last month were in agreement over one thing - the need for economic reform and increased accommodation for market forces.
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Following his decisive election as president of France on Sunday, Nicolas Sarkozy listed the values of a particular form of right wing populism in whose tradition he stands. They were work, authority, morality, respect, merit and national identity.
While Tony Blair used the video sharing website YouTube to praise the newly elected French president Nicholas Sarkozy as a "strong leader", a dangerous new consensus is developing among European leaders to push through neoliberalism.
