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President Nicolas Sarkozy at the commemoration on Monday, June 18, 2007 of the war-time call by General Charles De Gaulle from London for the French to resist the Nazi occupation. |
French President Sarkozy reshuffled his slimmed down cabinet of 15 today and added 17 junior ministers (including a woman of Senegalese origin and the outspoken head of a group that advocates for Muslim women).
Ireland with a population of 4.2 million compared with France's 61 million, is going to have 3 additional junior ministers according to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, bringing the total to 20.
Most of them will be non-entities outside of their constituencies. A government with an interest in reform would surely start at the top like Sarkozy.
Staying in France, the Paris-based government think-tank, the OECD, that has 30 member countries, is working on proposals for reform of the Irish public service, which has increased by 77,000 people since 1997.
There is little chance of any of the proposals being implemented.
