I think it's a mix of several things: - A bloated public sector that is protective of it's jobs and represents a large percentage of the electorate (also very

I think it's a mix of several things: - A bloated public sector that is protective of it's jobs and represents a large percentage of the electorate (also very motivated to go on a massive strike if you even think about reducing the complexity of the system) - An aversion towards real capitalism. Europe is still pretty much a class system. It's ok to want to have a better education and job than your parents, but wanting to do something more spectacular is almost equated with "being up to no good" - You cannot be fired from a public sector job, so you have absolutely no incentive to care (some people still do, but they're not the norm)