Commentary: what century are they living in?

France's new license plates (or number plates) go into effect today for new cars.

When the government decided to update its vehicle registration system a couple years ago there was an outcry, because it entailed getting rid of the two digits at the end of the plate that identify the département where the vehicle's owner lives. The goal was to eliminate the need to re-register cars every time the owner moved to a new département or the car was sold in another département. But hey, why be practical when you can be nostalgic?

So, France's parliamentarians pressured the government to modify the design of the new plates to make room for a regional emblem. That way the owner could show off his or her regional affiliation, even if the license number doesn't. It was all over the press. 221 parliamentarians formed a special lobby that took on the government and won. There was much back-slapping and self-congratulation when the government finally gave in and adopted the new plate format. It was portrayed as a popular uprising to defend an essential part of French identity, despite the fact that the previous system only went into effect in 1950.

In stark contrast, last week France's parliament voted against a government bill that would cut off the internet connection of people who illegally download films and music. I'm not going to get into whether its was the right decision (or even feasible), but it was important. What struck me was the fact that the bill was defeated 21 to 15 in the 577-member National Assembly.  That's right: not even 7% of the members bothered to show up to vote, including both of the bill's sponsors.

Talk about a disconnect with reality.