Bayrou's offer is to have all long-term unemployed (he speaks of the RMI, the social minimum benefit) work in jobs useful to the community. He cloaks this in language to do with his village, forgetting most people don't live in villages, but in much more abrasive environments. He doesn't offer any major financing for his plan, either. He has a tendency to go in for Café du Commerce proposals like this, that you can hear anywhere but which don't really betray much thought.
I think the difference between Royal and Bayrou is significant here.
Personnaly I like the idea, and I think only a left wing politician will be able to implement it becasue it will be quite controversial. It could go hand-in-hand with an improvement in the benefits handed out in order to make it more palatable (I give you more, but you need to do something about it).
And thanks for the detailed and substantiated response. 'La fin désastreuse a répondu aux moyens indignes' Germain Tillion
I honestly think Bayrou's proposal is demagogic. I wish I had a euro for every time I've heard someone ask why those on the RMI (minimum benefit) aren't forced to "work for it" by sweeping the streets etc. That's not quite what he says, but I think he's casting his hook in those waters.
It is essentially welfare for corporations that pay the minimum wage.
For example, see (french) what the government is allowed to do when someone is on the RMI.
More and more, it is considered normal for the government to intrudes into the lives of those needing help. That's part of the development of contractual and individualised help, where instead of giving general help to those in need (in need only because the current organisation of capitalism requires a certain amount of jobless people to function, and produces them if need be), the poor has to forsake dignity, showing all the aspects of his life to the "Assistante Sociale" and beg for help. All this social control is in the name of finding those that abuse the system... But the financial cause of this abuse is much lower of course than that of people and companies not paying their taxes
Of course, the side effect of the RMA, giving very cheap labor to private companies or even non-profit or institutional employers, is to further depress the labor market. Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misčres
