With Merkal in West Germany being pragmatic by pushing through benefit reforms and the big German companies pushing the unions to agree new conditions in exchange for jobs to remain in Germany and respond to Globalisation by moving production to low cost Eastern European or Asian countries. These conditions covered both working practices and redundancy benefits payable. In Germany it appears to be working, with the increase in output and the only country in socialist Europe.

Now it’s the turn of France and the French have to look at Germany and see the changes they need to implement. Royal [1] is very likeable and it would be interesting to see the second largest European country with a female President. Can Merkal be the model for Royal to follow and therefore change to being a right wing socialist. The French have to wake up and see that Globalisation is something they must respond to if they are going to survive and not set the other socialist countries of Europe down the wrong road.

The enlargement of the European Union [2] with the Eastern European countries will for them be an easy change from communist to socialist. The problem now is that their move to Western Europe will cause earlier immigrants and part-time low cost British workers to lose out to them accepting low wages. But when they stay it will turn and they will seek hire wages, the problem is how long will this take ! in India about two to three decades, now that the Rupe is level with the US dollar. More drain on the UK benefit system will make it collapse.

In the European Union there are more socialist countries and governments than conservative or right wing socialist and we now have the mainly Washington DC neo-cons trying to change views throughout the Europe. At least with Germany as the model the rest can hopefully be led. Without change the European Union will be dragged down by the non-producing member countries, like the recent new members.

France will have to face Globalisation [3] and change like Germany and not be like most of Europe and try to protect themselves from China and India and other Asian countries. The recent article on Globalisation covers some very hard points and should make everybody in Europe sit up and think about how they are going to survive. European countries without change are now facing very hard times.

In the UK demographics have made the government bring in a anti-age law to prevent employers from rejecting older workers and try to ease the skills shortage and is a form of response to Globalisation. Under the labour government socialist reforms have to stop and the unions have to face up to changes like those in Germany, although they are weaker in the UK, they are strong with government employees and transport and telecommunications employees. But that is changing and e-Government is marching forward.

The Internet is now the Globalisation tool allowing people to work from any location in the world that telecommunications and satellites allow. Its also the tool of change and will be the driving force for that and enable debate on issues that now affect all of us in the World [4].

[1] FT Magazine October 21/22 2006, Liberté, égalité, féminité by John Thornhill

[2] FT Magazine October 21/22 2006, A most unhappy union, review by Quentin Peel

[3] FT Magazine October 14/15 2006, Profits of doom by Richard Tomkins

[4] Welcome to the Project for the New American Century