French strikes and riots {again}

grayston said:
Capitalism did fail though, didn't it? In 2008? When we realised it might not be such a great idea to give the market carte blanche to do what it likes?

On the complete other end of the spectrum from capitalism is communism, where the government is given carte blanche to do what it likes. (In essence!)

Somewhere in the middle is socialism, which puts limits on both the people and the government. You could say it - ahaha - strikes a balance between the two...

The frenchies are complaining that the government is dictating their lives to them. US conservatives are currently complaining about the same thing. Sounds like a match made in heaven - so why are our resident conservatives being so down on the French?
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Because the French are not spending enough money on killing people in other countries and spending too much money on things like health and pensions for their own people. How can you keep fear alive if you arnt killing people in other lands?
 
Capitalism which lifted millions out of poverty or communism which destroyed entire economies and murdered up to a hundred million people.

Yes I can see why you'd take the middle ground :erm:
 
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Alan said:
Capitlaism which lifted millions out of poverty or communism which destroyed entire economies and murdered up to a hundred million people.

Yes I can see why you'd take the middle ground :erm:
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Oh, Alan! I'm just jousting with you, bru. You can't fool me. I know you're MyBB's answer to Stephen Colbert. You take the loony view precisely to show up how ludicrous it is.

I salute you, buddy. :)
 
Alan said:
Capitlaism which lifted millions out of poverty or communism which destroyed entire economies and murdered up to a hundred million people.

Yes I can see why you'd take the middle ground :erm:
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So no example yet of a successful Alanstite state yet? You know.. a country that conservatives run fully capitalistic that is not a welfare state and that is successful? Any examples anywhere in the world?

Thought so ;)
 
grayston said:
Oh, Alan! I'm just jousting with you, bru. You can't fool me. I know you're MyBB's answer to Stephen Colbert. You take the loony view precisely to show up how ludicrous it is.

I salute you, buddy. :)
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Smart :D haha, I laughed.
 
w1z4rd said:
Because the French are not spending enough money on killing people in other countries and spending too much money on things like health and pensions for their own people. How can you keep fear alive if you arnt killing people in other lands?
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Obviously doesn't know France has the 4th soon to be 3rd largest defence budget.......

Last time I checked you were the one attacking and insulting Muslims relentlessly. Which brings us back to Sweden

According to the report Racism and Xenophobia in Sweden by the Board of Integration, Muslims are exposed to the most religious harassment in Sweden.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Europe
 
An Alanstite state would be the closest thing to Utopia the world has ever seen :cool:

It will take mankind another 2 000 years to advance enough to create one. I'm just ahead of my time. *shrugg*
 
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Alan said:
An Alanstite state would be the closest thing to Utopia the world has ever seen :cool:

It will take mankind another 2 000 years to advance enough to create one. I'm just ahead of my time. *shrugg*
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Clearly. Your response kinda reminds me of what you accuse liberals doing ... head in the clouds. The irony is making me smile :)
 
Hey, did SABC news cover the riots in France or just mention them? Did SABC show closeups of the people committing the vandalism? Just curious . . .
 
This isnt newsworthy. Newsworthy is when the French work for longer than 3 months without a stoppage :)
 
French strikers cause a stink in Marseille as Sarkozy problems pile up

Rubbish fills streets of France's 'rebel city' amid reports that nationwide blockades have led to petrol shortages

Through the narrow streets of central Marseille, mothers and children tread warily, taking care not to skid on the overflowing bin bags, rotting fish and week-old dirty nappies that block their path.

Cars weave slowly between two-metre piles of litter that threaten to topple into the road as the mistral wind scatters detritus around the streets and potted palm trees gradually disappear behind growing piles of refuse sacks.

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, faces his toughest test yet this week as strikers ramp up protests against his pension reform by blocking refineries and oil depots and bringing motorways and public transport to a halt.

But nowhere is the rebellion more apparent than Marseille, France's second city, where about 4,000 tonnes of rubbish fill the streets after refuse collectors began an open-ended strike a week ago.

Officials warn that soon bacteria will become a health hazard. But the rubbish collectors say they will not return to work until Sarkozy drops reforms which include raising the retirement age from 60 to 62.

Marseille's chamber of commerce has said the strike will damage the city's reputation in the runup to its role as European capital of culture in 2013.

At the weekend, a group of city centre businessmen and shopowners hired their own lorries and began shovelling away the waste themselves.

But many in this port, known as France's rebel city, see this "October revolt" as just the beginning of an autumn of discontent.

A longrunning port strike has seen tankers and ships stranded in the Mediterranean unable to dock – about 60 were still floating in wait yesterday.

Drivers fear petrol shortages, road blockages and public transport chaos during the nationwide strike planned for today. Even Marseille's school meals assistants have taken to the streets.

"I support these strikes, we all do, but the rubbish is getting unbearable," said resident Nawouel Said, who lives on the first floor of a council block with her five children. "I've seen a rat running through the litter outside our building. The smell is rising so I have to keep my windows shut. My 16-year-old has been scratching his eyes, which I think have been irritated by the fumes wafting up from rotting waste."

Hamid, a retired factory worker, emerged from his flat on a narrow street of wholesalers in the city centre to throw a bag of stinking kitchen waste on to a pile already seven metres wide and two metres high. "Look, what can I do? I can't keep it in the house any longer," he said. But he thought the strikers were right. "Sarkozy has to listen," he said, shrugging. "How else can we put pressure on him?"
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Sies
 
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