Pointless debate over French production

Many candidates in the French presidential campaign are pledging they will maintain jobs in industry in the country. The liberal business paper sees such talk as serving above all political interests: "Everyone's using concepts like 'produce in France'. Some even dream that France will regain its status as an industrial state. Such an attitude may be sensible from a political point of view, but economically it's nonsense. Politically it makes sense because no one can win an election by ignoring 15 percent of the electorate. That's the percentage made up by the labour class. But whatever our politicians say, the labour situation in our country has changed profoundly over the last century. The countries that are getting rich today are those that account for the greatest value added, and no longer those whose workers manufacture goods. For that reason investment policy must be prioritised, as it creates jobs and can foster economic growth."

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