Article

2009-02-27 Caribbean-Latin America

Stores looted, cars burned on island of Martinique

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Posted by Fred 2009-02-27 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 So... The French government sets wages? Isn't this what BHO is shooting for? It works so well. /s

Posted by tipover 2009-02-27 00:39|| 2009-02-27 00:39|| Front Page Top

#2 Considering that they have decimated the tourist industry for this year, what do the striking workers think they will be doing to earn the increased wages? Suspect most of them will be unemployed for the foreseeable future. The law of unintended consequences strikes again.

Posted by rwv 2009-02-27 06:38|| 2009-02-27 06:38|| Front Page Top

#3 I take it, this means HGTV's 'International House Hunters go to Martinique' has been canceled? :)

Posted by Procopius2k 2009-02-27 08:13|| 2009-02-27 08:13|| Front Page Top

#4 Similar events on Guadaloupe last week seem to have spread. I suspect some outside organizers are behind it. Chinese?

Posted by Glenmore 2009-02-27 10:17|| 2009-02-27 10:17|| Front Page Top

#5 #4 Similar events on Guadaloupe last week seem to have spread. I suspect some outside organizers are behind it. Chinese?

Internet

Posted by DoDo 2009-02-27 10:50|| 2009-02-27 10:50|| Front Page Top

#6 Venezuelan.

Posted by Pappy 2009-02-27 12:22|| 2009-02-27 12:22|| Front Page Top

#7 Pappy, what interest would Hugo Chavez have in a couple of minor French colonies? Who does he conceive to be his enemy, besides the U.S.?

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2009-02-27 13:54|| 2009-02-27 13:54|| Front Page Top

#8 alleged neglect by officials in Paris

IIRC, France sends about 17 billions euros in subsidies yearly to its oversea departments & territories, and I've read yesterday that the envelope was increased by about 950 millions last year. Add to that 4 billions subsidies by the EU. Those locations produce very little past fruit industry, and tourism (and this one even is not very developed, since the locals do not seem to be very keen on it)... and while the population is poorer than in mainland (GNP per inhabitant is 60% of France), there is also an absurdely high percentage of people living on welfare, or hired by the gvt (with salaries for civil servants being 40-50% higher than in France, heck, in guadeloupe, all the leftist unionist leaders are civil servants, paid by the very same colonialist State they're supposedly fighting against) : 40% of the workforce is emplouyed by the State! (As opposed to "only" 24% in France)
And there's a cascade of subsidies, with non civil servants getting subsidies as well, due to the pressure of the local unions, the same ones protesting aggainst the high cost of life... So, yeah, they're being exploited, alright. When you've got an island like guadeloup, sitting in the middle of an huge fishing international boundary, nothing sez success like having to import 60% of its fish consumption.

Posted by anonymous5089 2009-02-27 14:08|| 2009-02-27 14:08|| Front Page Top

#9 what interest would Hugo Chavez have in a couple of minor French colonies?

Hugo's got this thing about neo-colonialism. He also fancies himself as the second coming of Boliviar. He's been putting pressure on the Dutch islands. It makes sense that Chavez and his ilk would take advantage of a situation.

Posted by Pappy 2009-02-27 16:31|| 2009-02-27 16:31|| Front Page Top

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