You fit neatly in the definition of "modern left", if you disagree you need only reread every opinion you've expressed on any subject here over the past year.

Perhaps the populists will be incompetent, but they can hardly be worse. GDP per capita in France is 10% lower than it was 15 years ago. Since Holland GDP per capita is completely flat. That's staggering incompetence on a level unfathomable to an American. The average West Virginian, a very poor state, is veritably rich by French standards.

Gdp per capita is 11% more than 9 years ago, so I guess this is what true dumbfuckery numbers discussion looks like.
Do not even try to argue with me anymore after posting such non-sense crap.

That's a highly misleading data point since it doesn't take exchange rates or inflation into account. In particular, the EUR/USD exchange rate peaked in the fall of 2008, when the financial crisis reached its climax in the US while Europe wasn't that affect yet, and saw a precipitous decline in 2014, when the North American fracking boom took off.

France's inflation-adjusted GDP per capita in euros rose from €32766 in 2008 to €34985 in 2022, for an increase of 6.77%. That's pitiful over a 15-year span, don't get me wrong, but it's still significantly better than a 10% decline.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.KN?end=2022&locations=FR&start=2004

It’s quite indicative how you don’t seem to understand the country you made your home yet have the audacity to teach others:



France is the new “sick man of Europe”. Stagnating GDP per capita, drowning in debt (which is being hammered as we speak), mismanaged immigration policies after fumbled foreign invasions which left countries like Lybia in rubble for no observable benefit to Europe or Lybians.

What are the odds that just after being downgraded to single A - France will get put on negative watch because of the snap elections? From there a FN led coalition win (program includes spending increases) + likely union led massive disruptions timed to coincide with Olympics and debt rating prospects are looking grim indeed. Bonked down to BBBs and forced to borrow at emerging market rates? Colossal deficit (4-5% projected for many years) and a budget that will require lots EU negotiations? What happens to CFA franc once Africans regain sovereignty and stop sending gold to Paris?

https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/04/22/could-frances-soaring-deficit-and-debt-lead-to-a-rating-downgrade

The only way to get out of this debt spiral is a world war which warmongers like you are desperately promoting.

The problem is that euro was at all time high during 2008 and translated to USD has slid down significantly while US GDP per capita increased.

An average Frenchman could afford a ton more in 2008 when now, adjusted for USD exchange rate Americans have leaped forward ahead. Even Germans who had their economy completely hammered by failed energiewende and decoupling from Russia fared better.



You know who did well? Poland who was governed by “far-right” PiS for almost a decade.

This post was edited by Malopox on Jun 11 2024 11:12am

Taking an anomalous high point of the exchange rate (which was based on the temporal difference in how the financial crisis unfolded between the US and Europe) as the reference point skews the statistic.
How much a resident of the Eurozone can afford is mostly determined by his real (aka inflation-adjusted) income in euros. The exchange rate to the US dollar only indrectly affects them via oil prices and some imports of goods produced in the US (say iphones or teslas).

This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Jun 11 2024 11:29am

I agree with you in princple, to estimate wellbeing of a single citizen we should invoke PPP measurement of GDP per capita and come up with a different picture which will be adjusted for inflation and US doesnt win as far ahead as in absolute numbers.



The pattern of France lagging behind Germany (where Germany as i explained above has been hammered hard in the past years). Trade dynamics in the European Union show that it is increasingly deindustrializing, offshoring production and importing more and more stuff like food (FTA with Ukraine and NZ like what!?), phones, chips, energy and even cars now. Bear in mind that compared to Germany bigger part of French GDP is services like tourism and eg luxury goods which "little folk" do not truly care for.

This post was edited by Malopox on Jun 11 2024 11:42am

The economic performance of the US over the past 15 years is heavily carried by Big Tech. Take away Silicon Valley and the rest of the US economy looks significantly worse.

As you can see from this chart, Germany and Switzerland actually outperformed the US between the Great Recession and covid. It has only been since covid that Germany is in a slump again, the reasons for that are numerous. Poland is coming from a much lower level, where sustaining high growth rates is easier. But granted, even taking context into account, their performance is still admirable. Even the EU projects them to become net contributors by 2027. (Paying more dues to the EU than receiving back in EU funding.)

This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Jun 11 2024 12:21pm

Alway here to add some raging layer of fucking toxicity. These charts are good for clowns or ignorants: the resulting wealth isn't shared. Give me the same charts for the 90% lower bracket, and even with this it will not include healthcare and others various indicators.

Exchange rates are a reflection of international purchasing power, a Euro is only worth the resources it can acquire. You can play around with what metric you like or what dates to use, but the overriding fact is that France's economy has not done well, nor Europe's on the whole.



https://www.economist.com/briefing/2021/06/05/once-a-corporate-heavyweight-europe-is-now-an-also-ran-can-it-recover-its-footing

Corporate power is important to every economy. America's heavy focus on entrepreneurship and start-ups is a big reason for it's economic success, and I don't think it makes sense to sub that out anymore than it would make sense to sub out German manufacturing.



You're far too sensitive about your country for someone so willing to dump on others.