Comments on: Auto École strike today

By: Owen

Owen — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 06:44:28 +0000

They called it something like like un greve d’escargots. I like the name.

By: Bob Spencer

Bob Spencer — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:11:29 +0000

I’m sorry for the obvious inconvenience to other drivers, but I think this is quite funny. At least, you had a bike with which to get around.

By: Owen

Owen — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:23:51 +0000

This was essentially what we talked about in my French class, but I had wanted to look it up online and see if there were some other element to it. I guess that is all. It seems like this cold only benefit the French and cut down o the time it takes to get a license. Some proposals that have a dubious economic element to them I can see being opposed to but how would the civil servants be adversely affected? I was hoping there was something like this that I had yet to hear. Is it purely a matter of “the state” shouldn’t privatize anything, except the things it has already privatized.

By: walt

walt — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:14:50 +0000

I think it has something to do with the lack of inspectors (government employees) to give exams and the consequence that it takes too long to get your exam scheduled – and when you fail the first time (as a lot of people do) it may take up to 6 months for a second go.

While the driving schools are private companies, the exams are given only by government employees. More frequent exams = more government employees, OR, let the schools give the exams.

There were proposals floated to privatize the exam process (the fonctionnaires didn’t like that) and to force auto écoles to post their results (the school owners didn’t like that).

It is certainly more complex than this, but this is what I took away from the news reports.