The report, which is dated December 2004 but has only just been made public, would appear to be contradicted by the three days of strikes launched by public sector workers this week.
However, analysts point to the fact that disillusionment and apathy are so great that not even France’s formerly powerful unions were able to predict the turnout for the strike. Opinion polls show that 65 per cent of the French support the strikers, leading observers to say that the country is showing its discontent by proxy via the strikers.
"It’s a fact: France and the French are pessimists," said Alain Duhamel, a respected French commentator.
He said: "The French doubt themselves and worry about the future. They do so more than the citizens of neighbouring countries, even when those neighbouring countries are doing less well than we are and have a more negative future ahead.
"France has been anxious about its future, about its way of life, for the last 30 years, ever since the employment crisis and doubts about identity, ever since the absence of clear perspectives and collective projects."
Politicians agree that the French are particularly upset about the drop in their purchasing power, which has led to strong group pessimism even if individual confidence is quite high.
This fear for the country’s economic future is illustrated by the fact that the French are among the most assiduous savers in the world, putting aside an average of 16 per cent of their income.
Pierre Taribo, writing in L’Est Républicain, agreed with Mr Duhamel. He wrote: "One is forced to say that the French no longer believe in very much. Confronted with the reality of an open economy, clearly showing less and less appetite for politics, they are disillusioned and doubt everything from Chirac to the government and the Right, which is accused of every ill, to the Left, which has no projects, and the unions, whose activism no longer inspires a reflex of blind adhesion."
All this gloom could have serious repercussions. Jacques Chirac’s centre-right government fears that widespread pessimism could have a negative effect on the referendum on the European Union constitution scheduled for later this year.
The prefects’ report also warned that it played into the hands of the extreme right-wing National Front party.
but the white flag industry in still prolific.......
Well-deserved depression.
so...what's the point ? redundancy ?
Sometimes an inferiority complex is perfectly justified!
All they need to do is learn English and use it as their primary language.
This is what happens in socialist secular societies. This is the road democrats and republicans these days (only slower(, are taking this nation. When you take God out of your life all that is left is pessimism and depression.
Mon Dieu!
That's the frog in their throats.
Center-right relative to what? Cuba?
The problem with France is that it is filled with French people.
Their cynicism eat themselves inside out.
This is all due to profound sense of impotence.
They cherish their former glory. Try anything to get back. However, they can't. Principally, their socialist ideology got in their way, who was zealously guarded by their powerful intellectual class. They had to maintain left-wing theocracy of socialism, where they are undisputed ruling class. Overzealous intellectuals did them in.
The only ones who have any energy there are the extreme right wing (Le Pen) and the Muslims.
shall we send over cases of razor blades?
"French...down in the mouth..."
Is that anything like John Kerry -- why the long face, John?
And well they should feel anxious and depressed; they know next time they roll over and a tyrant takes over France, America WILL NOT be coming to their rescue.
If I were a girly man frenchman I'd have doubts about my manlyness too. But I am a manley American that wipes my butt with french anything.
that's what hapens when you fall victem to Satan as a society. First you throw down all the old orders and fill yourself up with pride for your own accomplishment. That pride turns to paranoia which eventually leads to every vicious act man can comprehend being entertained and often used. Then weakness in the face of the Anti-Christ and his dreams of Empire. then comes apathy and a general abondonment of social mores, and finally deadly doubt, ironically the last stage in a person's or a society's decent into the powers of the Enemy is a crushing doubt which is the peradoxical result of pride. Pride in rebellion against God. And make no mistake The Revolution was the rebellion against the Almighty. Fance was once a bullwork of Christiandom and a thorn in the side of Christ's enemies. Holding back paganism and checking the Mohamedans in their erratic advance.
The Enemy wasn't going to ignore France for ever. France, who's kings were saints and scholors, their decendants weak and pale shadows of the noble captains of Christ's armies the Capetians (and the Carolingians before them); where a great prize for his Wickedness. Destroy the shepherd and the sheep will scatter how much more pleasing was is for him to have the sheperds wast into sickly incompetence and finally dying at the hands of their very own people.
It's heartrending when you know the history of France, who was First Daughter of Christiandom, once the bravest of the brave. How weak and pitiful they are now.