THERE is something almost tragically comic about France flirting with austerity, as if it is eager to try on a pair of shoes that have already given the UK blisters.
Reading the recent budget proposals from prime minister Michel Barnier’s government – however long it is going to remain in power –I had this visceral urge to run back to Paris and shout from the rooftops: “Guys! I’ve seen the future, and it’s not what you think it is!”
The UK is a living case study in the failures of austerity – a walking skeleton of its former self, held together by fragile public services and deepened inequalities.
READ MORE: Caitlin Logan: I can't bringe myself to celebrate SNP's decision to boot John Mason
After over a decade of cuts inflicted by the Conservatives that brought the country to its knees, it is painful to watch France stroll toward the same cliff edge with such determination.
The right-wing press in both France and the UK are licking their lips in anticipation. To them, the new French budget is a reckoning long overdue – a “necessary” belt-tightening to clean up the fiscal mess Macron’s administration created.
One article I came across described the French fiscal policy as a “dine and dash,” framing the €50 billion in cuts as a virtuous end to an era of indulgence.
But if austerity has shown us anything, it is that fiscal “virtue” often comes at a staggering cost. The UK embraced austerity in 2010 with the promise of reducing debt and stimulating growth.
What followed was a decade of crumbling public infrastructure, stagnating wages and rising inequality. The much-celebrated budget cuts did not lead to prosperity; they deepened the economic wounds, leaving the country more divided than ever.
Let me paint a picture of what austerity has done to Britain. Public services, once a point of pride, are now barely functional. The NHS, hailed globally as one of the best healthcare systems in the world, is in crisis.
Hospitals are understaffed, waiting times have ballooned, and doctors and nurses are stretched beyond their limits. Schools are underfunded to the point where teachers are buying supplies out of their own pockets and local councils are bankrupt, forced to cut essential services from libraries to rubbish collection.
All this, while the cost of living has skyrocketed, leaving millions struggling to get by. Food banks, once an emergency lifeline, have become a permanent fixture in communities across the country.
What was once unthinkable – families in one of the richest nations in the world relying on charity to feed their children – has become a grim reality.
READ MORE: Highland poet who fought for crofters' rights to be commemorated at Gaelic centre
And yet, despite these clear warning signs, France is marching down the same path. The budget proposed by Barnier’s government is packed with cuts to public services, tax hikes and promises of “shared effort”.
But we know how this story ends: With deepening inequality, public unrest, and a country more fractured than ever.
The French budget aims to reduce the deficit from 6.1% to 5% of GDP by 2025, with €50bn in cuts and additional taxes.
The biggest blow will be felt by public services, with reductions in health coverage, delayed pension indexation and a sharp reduction in the number of public-sector workers. Even the French education system is set to lose 4000 teachers.
It is hard to imagine how this will revive the economy, as Barnier claims. If anything, these cuts seem destined to shrink it. Already, French economists and the national statistical institute, Insee, have warned that the budget will have a slowing effect on economic activity, not the stimulating one promised by the government. And for those on the frontlines – the elderly, the sick, the working class – the cost will be immense.
One of the most striking parallels between the UK and France’s austerity plans is the way they disproportionately impact ordinary people. In both countries, the wealthiest bear the lightest burden.
Yes, in France, there are temporary surcharges for the richest companies and individuals, but these are short-term measures. In contrast, the pain for retirees, local communities and workers will last much longer.
Take the proposed pension changes. Retirees, already struggling with inflation, will now face a six-month delay in the indexation of their pensions. Local authorities, tasked with keeping basic services running, are being told to slash €5bn from their budgets.
This will have real consequences for the people who rely on these services daily – the same people who bore the brunt of austerity in the UK.
One thing that should alarm France even more than the economic slowdown is the political fallout that often accompanies austerity.
In the UK, austerity was a key factor in the rise of populism. The cuts deepened the divide between rich and poor, urban and rural, fuelling resentment and mistrust in the political establishment.
READ MORE: Labour's watered-down Lords reform plans clear first hurdle
This laid the groundwork for the Brexit vote, a decision that has plunged the UK into even greater uncertainty.
France is already walking a political tightrope, with Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party waiting in the wings. The austerity measures proposed by Barnier’s government will only give her more ammunition.
When working-class voters see their public services eroded and their taxes increased, who will they turn to? Not the centrists who pushed through the cuts, but the populists who claim to speak for the forgotten.
Le Pen has been quiet since the budget was unveiled, but her silence is strategic. She knows that austerity will alienate many voters from the government, pushing them toward her far-right agenda. The same working-class voters who once supported the gilets jaunes movement will be ripe for the picking, and Le Pen will be waiting with open arms.
Perhaps the most tragic aspect of this whole situation is that austerity is far from being necessary. There are alternatives that don’t involve slashing services or burdening ordinary citizens with higher taxes. Instead, it is about investments in public services, green energy and social programmes that would stimulate long-term economic growth.
The government could focus on redistributing wealth more fairly, closing tax loopholes benefiting the most privileged and ensuring that big corporations pay their fair share.
Instead, Barnier’s government has chosen to follow the UK’s failed playbook.
And just like in the UK, the consequences will be felt by the most vulnerable in society, while the rich remain relatively unscathed.
So here I am, living in the UK, watching France make the same mistake. Austerity is not the solution. It didn’t work for the UK, and it won’t work for France.
The price will be paid not by the wealthy or the powerful, but by ordinary people – retirees, workers, students. It is politically explosive and honestly not worth it.
France still has a choice. It can invest in its people and its future, or it can cut its way to disaster.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel