Retraites : misère de la délibération

Is it especially difficult to initiate high quality public debate in France? This is at least the impression of the authors of this piece, who are highly critical of the French tendency to trot out inadequate clichés rather than to have a proper discussion of major social issues, such as pensions.
True, the current election campaign is partly responsible, but the problem seems more deep-seated: there appears to be a growing propensity in France to shy away from real debate. For this reason, the authors urge a return to greater intellectual honesty in public discussions, which have become dominated by political posturing. Because, following the publication of their report on the future of pensions, they have seen their own ideas distorted quite shamelessly, they are concerned to set out their arguments clearly once more, at the risk of repeating themselves.