The French Crisis
M. Much, who, at the time of writing, is titular Prime Minister of France, although he still has to prove that a working majority in the Assembly is prepared to back him, is regarded by the Communists with particular dislike, owing to the part he played, as Minister of the Interior, in breaking up the strike wave two years ago. He showed then a high degree of political courage, of which he will stand in great need if he is to succeed in his new task. It is M. Moch's own party, the Socialists, who have once again been responsible for the break-up of the coalition between Left and Centre which in various forms has governed France for the past three years. As has so often happened before, the point was reached a fortnigt ago at which they were obliged to choose between popularity and power, and, as usual, they chose popularity ; that is to say, they had to choose between rejecting the proposed bonus for lower-paid workers and leaving the Queuille coalition. Their decision was no doubt influenced by the rumblings of discontent in Labour circles, which, though so far unco-ordinated and not expressed by strikes, are potentially menacing. The Socialist Party will also have been particularly sensi- tive to the tentative movement towards unified action between the three trade union groups, the Communist C.G.T., the Force Ouvriere and the Christian Unions, which has recently been mooted by the last-named. As at present envisaged this would scrupulously guard the independence of each group, and even in this form it has been rebuffed by the Force Ouvriere, but the threat is one which no Government can ignore. If M. Much succeeds in forming a Govern- ment, he will be obliged to make concessions to the workers, although this will lose him the support of those who, like M. Reynaud, arc con- vinced that concessions mean a fresh impetus to inflation. M. Much believes that limited wage increases can be granted without an infla- tionary effect on prices. It is not only on the other side of the Channel that an effective proof of his theory would be welcomed.
