New 'Joan of Arc' wows the strike-weary French SUSAN BELL IN PARIS HAILED as the new Joan of Arc on a crusade to stop France’s powerful unions holding the silent majority hostage over pension reform, Sabine Herold, 21, a politics student, has become an instant heroine to those who are fed up with seeing their country crippled by seemingly endless strikes. Shouting into a microphone to loud applause, Ms Herold delivered a stirring message to the tens of thousands of followers who gathered in the Place du Chatelet in the centre of Paris at the weekend, to hear her speak on behalf of her association, Liberté, j’écris ton nom. "How numerous we are today. More than I would ever have dared hope for just a month ago, when the strike was all around us," she said. "We have put a full stop to decades of silent submission. This time, for the first time, we have told them no," she added, referring to the strikers she calls "reactionary egotists". France, she said lacks dynamism - and needs a good dose of Margaret Thatcher. "France needs someone capable who would mobilise people and smash the unions. Well, I don’t know if we can put it like that, but someone who could give a reforming spirit. I think the French at the moment are lacking in desire, they don’t have a ‘French dream’ like the American dream," she said. She is unimpressed with the president, Jacques Chirac, part of what she calls the "spineless centre" of French politics. Ms Herold believes the silent majority support the government’s pension reforms, and have had enough of being taken hostage by a minority of left-wing unions. Young enough not to worry about her own retirement plans, her cry that "enough is enough" has made her the darling of the conservative French media. She has made frequent television appearances and numerous articles have been devoted to her in the right-wing bible, Le Figaro. "In less than two weeks, millions of French people have realised that things have changed, that never again will we be these impotent hostages. We are bringing them the proof thanks to our mobilisation here and now," she said. Her political beliefs make her an almost revolutionary figure in modern-day, post-soixante-huit (1968) France. A self-confessed liberal, a term she says is considered "almost a dirty word in this country", she is not only against the strikes but was also in favour of the war in Iraq. In a country where the strength of anti-war sentiment assumed an almost religious fervour, she took the unheard of step of demonstrating in front of the United States embassy in Paris to show solidarity with the US. Most of her fellow students at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris have dismissed her, she says, as a lost cause, and her outspoken views have provoked threats of violence. "One man even called me up and threatened to smash my face in," she said. The daughter of two teachers from Reims, who, she says, rarely discussed politics at home, Ms Herold’s political awakening came two years ago when she joined Liberté, j’écris ton nom, founded by a fellow student.
Sorry, I didn't know I couldn't criticize France. Maybe if I criticize the US I'll get a better response.
I'm confused -- she calls herself a liberal, but is anti-union, pro-war and the "darling" of conservative media? Do they have tree-hugging conservatives in France as well? edit: Mulder, you beat me to it.
It's kind of reversed in France and in some other countries like Australia. They are considered liberal because they want to liberalize the economy- free markets, low taxes, less regulation. Also because they want limited government. In truth, American conservatives can be called "classical" liberals. American progressives in the 1920-1930's adopted the word "liberal" for some reason.
that's exactly right...in europe, as i understand it, those labels don't mean what they mean here. liberal has more to do with less government control than anything else, used in its classical sense. of course, in america today it has an entirely different meaning.
Liberal Party of Australia: http://www.liberal.org.au/about/beliefs.htm "We believe in a just and humane society in which the importance of the family and the role of law and justice is maintained." That part sounds more Republican. The rest of their platform sounds pretty libertarian.
Damn unions standing up for workers...Don't they realize that they're supposed to accept whatever bones the corporations throw them?
Green, Or, they can go to work somewhere else...that is how a free market works. Better yet, start your own company and see..... DD
They aren't standing up for all workers. They are standing up for the precious few who have a nice comfy job, with 10.5 months of vacation and a huge pension which is bankrupting the French government.
