French PM vows to help homeless (BBC) {housing as a basic right}

[eppur_se_muova]

The French government plans to make housing a legally enforceable right, French PM Dominique de Villepin says.

A housing bill will be presented to the cabinet on 17 January, he said, as the government came under renewed pressure to help homeless people.

Squatters have moved into a vacant office block in Paris and also set up a tent city along a canal in the capital.
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Three housing lobby groups took it over and then invited families to move in. Homeless Parisians are also camping out in 200 tents by the Canal Saint Martin.

Lobby groups say about a million people in France are homeless, of whom 100,000 are sleeping on the streets.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6227237.stm

[Joe Chi Minh]

1. What marvellous news! A truly Christian Socialist, as she gave every

indication of being!

What she could do for the UK! Unfortunately, outsourcing is a one-way street, as far as governments are concerned - and that sure don't include their jobs.

[Mass]

2. De Villepin is a man, and certainly not a socialist.

This is the typical pre-election measure that Chirac is very fond of, and, given that he will not be president after April, something totally gratuitous. Hopefully, Ségolène Royal will win the 07 election and something will be done to solve the problem.

All those living in slums are to benefit from the same right from the start of 2012, Mr de Villepin said.

The plan entails the construction of 120,000 new homes every year up to 2012.

[Joe Chi Minh]

3. Thank you. I thought it was Segolene the article was referring to.

Getting a bit impatient it seems!