French PM eyes five-year spending freeze (FT)

more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71197f2e-c9f2-11dc-b5dc-000077b07658.html

French PM eyes five-year spending freeze
By Ben Hall, John Thornhill and Peggy Hollinger in Paris

Published: January 23 2008 22:11 | Last updated: January 23 2008 22:11

France is planning to freeze public spending for five years under its biggest programme of social and economic reform since the late 1960s, according to François Fillon, the prime minister.

In an interview with the Financial Times, his first with a foreign newspaper since being appointed by President Nicolas Sarkozy in May last year, Mr Fillon signalled his intention to get serious about restoring French public finances to health.

Jan-22Mr Fillon will today take his message that France is “changing profoundly” to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the first time a French prime minister has addressed the gathering in more than 25 years.

He told the FT: “The idea is straightforward: we want to freeze public spending for five years.”

The government has said it wants to eliminate its deficit and reduce spending as a share of national output – the highest in the EU at 53.5 per cent – during Mr Sarkozy’s first five-year term, but it has said little about how, to the frustration of its eurozone partners. It has also avoided any hint of austerity measures.

They would have been so much happier with the alternative candidate they blew off - a smart, chic, educated and modern French woman. Why did they settle for the caricature?

Maybe just give him a horrible nickname, like Sarcoma?

and I just read that the unions are going on strike in France...not sure for how long

I checked wikipedia--didn't see any impeachment or no-confidence clauses.