The civil war in France

It hardly matters who wins this battle, says Matthew Lynn. The French economy will remain dysfunctional with or without President Hollande's reforms.

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The decisive stand off is still to come

Fuel is running low. The airports are closing down. Riot police have been called out to keep transport networks open. In Paris there have been violent protests and running battles with the police. The Euro 2016 tournament, due to start next week, is under threat. France is tearing itself apart over labour market reforms. The ferocity of the protests might lead you to think that something vital is at stake that President Franois Hollande has gone full-Thatcher and is radically deregulating the economy.

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Matthew Lynn

Matthew Lynn is a columnist for Bloomberg, and writes weekly commentary syndicated in papers such as the Daily Telegraph, Die Welt, the Sydney Morning Herald, the South China Morning Post and the Miami Herald. He is also an associate editor of Spectator Business, and a regular contributor to The Spectator. Before that, he worked for the business section of the Sunday Times for ten years. 

He has written books on finance and financial topics, including Bust: Greece, The Euro and The Sovereign Debt Crisis and The Long Depression: The Slump of 2008 to 2031. Matthew is also the author of the Death Force series of military thrillers and the founder of Lume Books, an independent publisher.