Is France ready to walk away from socialism?

There is not a day when I receive another forwarded email from my home country lambasting the French president François Hollande for what seems to be a lot of indecision and a lack of ability to turn the country's economic situation around.

I'm not surprised: I've seen from day one that he was less capable than Sarkozy, his predecessor, who certainly was a populist, but wasn't much of a great leader either. While 75% of the population is unhappy with Hollande today, this doesn't mean that socialism is finished yet, because about half of the voting public is either a public servant or some recipient of the country's generous welfare programs.

The only likely beneficiary of the current discord will the ultra-conservative “Front National” which may have a few good points in its program, but is totally out of touch when it comes to understanding basic economics. This vocal fringe is likely to get some more supporters that will continue to erode a weakened Right that is torn apart and leaderless, and by so doing, may keep the socialist in power for a few more terms.

With a world economy moving extremely fast, it's more and more difficult for governments to keep-up with, control and understand what's going on. Because of that, France and Europe could have a few more difficult years ahead of them before things turn around through economic woes or public uprising. If, and when this happens, there might be some painful consequences in store for those who live on the old continent.