Considering the total number of years that France has been run by the Socialists (although, by my standards Sarko is a Socialist, too), it’s shocking they made it this far without having to cut back.
True, the one thing to keep in mind about France’s politics is they legacy of Despots is one of the driving forces behind all things political in France.
They really do think “rob from the rich” in France, all Sarko can do is try and interject some fiscal sanity into the system, and even then he is great danger of losing the next election.