Sarkozy debated Royal today and here's what he had to say:
"I want to re-launch growth," she said, adding that she would rather give a job to a young person than give a gift to business in the form of exoneration from payroll taxes on overtime work beyond the 35-hour week.
"I am in favor of a 35-hour week," Sarkozy insisted. But he said people should have the right to work more if they wanted, especially people with low salaries. "What good is extra time off if at the end of the month there's no money left?" he asked. "Let people make more money if they agree to work more."
In one of the more heated exchanges of the evening, Sarkozy accused Royal of having no credible economic program.
"It seems to me that when it comes to debt," he said, "you given no indication how to reduce it. That's your right. When it comes to growth, you have given no means of reviving growth. I have: because you're right we need more growth. The problem of France is that there is about 1 percentage point of growth less than in other big democracies and economies in the world. Why: For a simple reason, Madame Royal: Because we work less than the others.
"It may surprise you," he said, that none of the 10 countries in Europe that have fuller employment have the 35-hour week.
Bingo! Let's see how he does. If the french people choose Royal then they will truly be screwed for a long, long time.
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