I think there's plenty of pressure to run the ESA as a jobs program as well, it's just that they're forced to channel it into a slightly more productive directi

I think there's plenty of pressure to run the ESA as a jobs program as well, it's just that they're forced to channel it into a slightly more productive direction due to wanting/needing the commercial launch business. NASA/Congress could have achieved the same jobs program effect by pushing the same money towards a reusable rocket and an appropriately larger number of missions. Although perhaps that wouldn't have been as good for Alabama etc (it's a massive shame that they didn't take the SLS money to improve Alabama's ability to handle higher tech space stuff).