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3.5 Million On The Streets And Rising: As French Strikes Escalate, Just How Serious Is The Situation?
Even as everyone in America seems to have anywhere between 2 and 4 opinions on Fraudclosure now that the topic is firmly planted in the MSM newsflow, things in Europe are not looking any better, even though most people there shun McMansions for their grandmothers' houses. Enter France, where an ongoing national strike (into its fourth day) was just extended by another 24 hours, and 3,500,000 people seem to have no interest in returning to work with any sense of urgency. Apparently the severity and penetration of the strike is much greater than (under)reported on US media, as seen by the following email from Goldman's Natacha Valla to clients, which explains why things may soon turn much worse.
A crucial (fourth) general strike is unfolding in France today against the pensions reform. I got many emails inquiring on how things looked like on the ground down here. In short:
1. Early to tell, but at this stage, mobilisation sounds quite significant (already 500 000 in the streets at mid-day). 3 million will be, once again, the magic number.
2. A key new dimension is the participation of high schools, which increases the risk of escalation. Transportation and refineries are also significantly hit.
3. Beyond the reform itself, discontent is mounting because the government is perceived to be "forcing" the reform through the Parliament (the debate was cut short at the Assembly, and the vote on key points re. retiring age. - on Monday - was accelerated at the Senate, where the debate is still expected to last until the week-end).
4. A few "grèves reconductibles" (renewed strikes) have already been announced.
5. The government already restated it wouldn't make any further concessions...
Elsewhere, the Telegraph just released the following update:
In the fourth such protest in a little over a month, unions estimated that 3.5 million people had taken to the streets against President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension bill – a 20 per cent rise from previous marches and what they called an "exceptional" figure.
Even the interior ministry conceded that turnout had reached a new high, although gave a more conservative figure of 1,230,000, compared to 997,000 on September 23.
In a symbolic act, the Eiffel Tower was closed due to striking staff. The landmark was last closed due to industrial action in April.
"Sarko, you're screwed, the young are on the streets," chanted students in the southwestern town of Toulouse, as they joined protests en masse for the first time. Secondary school pupils also took part with classes disrupted in around 400 schools.
French leaders have been notoriously wary of student protests ever since they sparked a two-week general strike in May 1968 that crippled the country and the government of President Charles de Gaulle.
In 2006, students managed to force the government to withdraw a plan to introduce more flexible short-term work contracts for the young, after paralysing the country.
Who could have possibly anticipated that removing trillions in credit money from the system, and the resulting austerity would have such a negative impact on the general feeling of (dis)content? Luckily, Europe is a fast becoming a great dress rehearsal for what will eventually happen in the soon-to-be-centrally-planned US, when the massively overdelayed domestic austerity episode is finally forced to come to the home of the not so brave and the land of the inkjets.
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I agree @jmac2013. It might even be funny if it wasn't so sad. Some posters here are parroting the "party" line - in this case the party is corporate Amerika aided and abetted by Amerikan media. Sorry kids, but in the rest of the developed world, most countries have moved beyond the sweatshops and still managed to grow their economies.
While living in the States, I was often confronted with statements like "Canada is a socialist country". (And compared to Europe, Canada has much less worker protection). However, if providing some paid maternity leave (0 in the US) equals socialism, then I guess I'm all for it.
A few months, I came across a post by someone with libertarian leanings that dispelled a lot of myths about the Canadian business environment:
http://www.wcvarones.com/2010/08/tea-party-nation-eh.html
Do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
Final point - do I think it is terrible to raise the retirement age from 60 - 62? Absolutely not. But the French are smart enough to see this is the opening salvo in a probably much more protracted war.
Ahem, it's 67 if you want your (full) pension. Besides... companies are firering the oldest to get some young (cheap) workers. This reform is going to be fun.
I probably stand corrected - but will check it out for myself ;)
"A few months, I came across a post by someone with libertarian leanings..."
Did you wipe it off?
Just kidding -- thanks for the link!
Canada. Looks fine to me. Tiny population, enormous landmass...they'd have to really work pretty hard to fuck it up as badly as we've done in the States.
Maybe if they'd just invade Asia a few times, I guess.
Heh who knows? Their current PM is on record saying that (I paraphrase) 'by gosh, I would've gladly invaded Iraq with the US if Mr. Bush had asked moi'.
Fortunately for Canadians he wasn't PM at the time. Hell, even now he only has a minority gov't.
Regards
When the people fear the government, it's called "Tyranny". When the government fears the people, it's called "Liberty". And when you take away the future enjoyment of fine wine and cheeses from the French people, you're sure to get "Anarchy".
Liberty is freedom from tyranny.
A very workable idea.
Beware of anyone who sells you that shit.
Actually, run as fast as you can from any group offering lfreedom from tyranny to you.
Everyone has their agenda and everyone has their own aspirations for power.
Kick the elite as much as you want. There's going to be another pig emerging to power right after.
That's just the thing. Nobody can give it to you. You must seize it yourself.
when do we get there?
when do we get there?
When we start down the austerity bricked road, of course. (Read: when it's far too late.)
We should have been in the streets years ago. Some other posters have hit the nail on the head. We're all too fat, lazy, apathetic, and/or pacified, to protest anything.
when do we get there?
Probably never. Our beaurocraps could sell the idea to the U.S. population of a 70 year retirement age, as long as we had Dancin', dvd's, a twelvepack, Micky D's, and Icrap...
rollover of resolve.
Tea Party?
Generally,the French students & unions tend to riot in the spring. The disaffected North Africans & Arabs are good to go in the suburbs at any time, you know burn a car or two hundred.
Do we need to be seasonally adjust these numbers?
At least the French are protesting!
Americans are sleeping when they should be in the streets in the hundreds of millions for the theft which has occured.
America, ... Land of the free and home of the brave. HA! Joke!
I never thought I'd see the day when I would have more respect for the French than for my fellow Americans!
We sell ourselves so cheaply. Let's see what happens when austerity hits. Not that so many losing their pensions and all of us expecting to lose our social security benefits shouldn't have roused us already . . .
One of the things the Frenchies are whining about is raising the retirement age from 60 to 62. Is that really something to respect them for?? Seems pretty petty to me.
Typical. They're promised Freedom 60 and now they can't have it.
Hey, if I had to slave in a French factory for 2 more years I'd shoot myself.
@ walküre
You say : "They want to work 30 hours per week, have 6 weeks paid vacation, full benefits and expect to get a pension too!"
And... why couldn't they expect all of this ?
Should they work 70 hours a week, have 2 days paid vacation, no benefits and no pensions?
What's wealth made for anyways ?
Ahem...
It's made for the wealthy, apparently.
You're right.
Too bad for rest of us...
hey, whatever the market bears.
clearly the market for "made in France" at 30 hours per week, ample sick days and paid vacation and pensions isn't so hot or the French economy would be growing leaps and bounds.
France exists because of the Euro and the EU. I'm not saying that all French are lazy and that French technology sucks but about 95% do/does.
China my friend is the game changer and like it or not, the French need to eat smaller potatoes.
What can I say? I didn't make the rules. There are no rules in a global economy. The Chinese love German products and will support the German economy. They could care less about the French economy.
Okay, I have changed my mind. French style socialism is way better than amurkin crony crapitalism.
My desire in all of this is that French society can find within itself to rediscover the spirit of Mai '68.
Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho
Man is neither Rousseau’s noble savage nor the Church’s or La Rochefoucauld’s depraved sinner. He is violent when oppressed, gentle when free.
France - '68
I am not sure about that Miles - my understanding of that time is that there was elements of orchestration by the CIA / Anglo bankers to break the Gaullist administration that were challenging the new monetarists.
No doubt. Especially since the following is just so threatening to the inkjets
L'imagination prend le pouvoir!
Soyez réalistes, demandez l'impossible
Vivre sans temps mort et jouir sans entrave
Amazing I first learned all that and more precisely one year later at a temporary park in South Berkeley....
A kid from Berkeley. Say no more.
hahaha Like a physical location is determinant.
Just remember that the governing changes at that time in France or the US with LBJ's "great society" had nothing to do with actual change but with diverting the energy of the war generation and their kids (the ring of that bell in any way sound familiar). Successfully as it turns out by your marvelous refections and prejudgments. Just remember, it took the US four decades to spend, what 4T on all that crap and less than two years to drop 20+T on the financial system. That's both parties my dear Gerbervore.
As TDOC so ably pointed out, much of the nonsense of France in '68 or the US in '69 was instigated to achieve the xanax effect and to unleash the current version of central banking, global finance and most importantly the turning of government into a total helpless mass of spineless, petty ineptitude. The polar opposite of Vivre sans temps mort et jouir sans entrave.
Hence the reason those most credited with lifting a national economy out of hyperinflation through austerity and "prudential" management of interest rates were known as "The Berkeley Mafia". Too bad no other school ever produced such. The possible exception of Cambridge during WWII that witnessed both JMK and Hayek on the same roof sharing air raid duty. I suppose that to you Cambridge is only known for JMK and Hayek is nothing more than a forgotten footnote to history. That is one of the greatest tragedies of that era and the way it was managed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Mafia
Need any more burping?
Fantastic Miles - we need strong states with limited powers to take on the monetory priesthood.
The false Reaganite model of a weak state with unlimited powers is a creation of the banksters through their mind bending of the conservative movement through the prism of the John Birch society and others.
Thanks. It would be really awesome if somewhere there were to develop a real sovereign that replaced the red shields carried by its spearchuckers.
Irving Kristol once observed that the democrats couldn't communicate with religious America. How ironic that the conservative movement is no longer viable in America because what passes for conservatism cannot communicate without running it through the high priests of American megachurches first .. along with those other high priests of the central bank and its membership. Talk about faith based governance !!
Soyez réalistes, demandez l'impossible
love that one, very fitting for today
A tasty and timeless chunk for sure
Any links?
I haven't looked at that period of time from a political/economic pov so I am curious as to sources. Great films though!
The spirit of '68 ... yeah right.
The fucking Sixties have caused this mess we're in.
Equal rights, equal opportunity bla bla bla.
At the end of that rainbow isn't a pot of gold my friend. At the end of that rainbow is a ponzi based on equality that cannot be kept up because the bubblemania has come full circle.
France is a prime example of just that.
The spirit of French society in '68 had as much to do with your spoonfuls of gerber flavored banana's as the war in Vietman had to do with fighting al-Qaeda
Do you need more burpin' to help get the gas out there Gerbervore?
Oh really, what did the spirit of France in '68 accomplish then?
#644607. Up a couple of posts...
Found ya an avatar and some replacements for whatcha lost so far there champ.
http://www.babiestravellite.com/G2PBYD/Gerber-2nd-FOODS-Banana-Yogurt-De...
@ walküre
By the way, they don't work 30 hours a week. It's 35 for a few people. The rest do work a lot more. French productivity by person/hour is one of the highest. Quite the same as the american one. Funny huh ?
They do have 5 weeks paid vacations. I guess you don't know much about french history and I don't blame you. Back in 1936, about 2 million french workers went on strike and they got 15 days.
Tell us a bit more about the French people and all the good stuff they get, I'm pretty sure we will be enlightened.
kitetoa, I believe the totality of walkure's experience in European history begins and ends right around the time that the French decided not to go to war against Iraq with Bush's 'Coalition of the Willing'. The 'cheese eating surrender monkeys' propaganda was so ingrained in the 'twenty minute hates' following 9-11 that he has yet to recognize the depth of his conditioning.
ie. you may be wasting your time in attempting to explain reality to him because he has yet to realize that he has a problem...
Best Regards
:D
ok then. I'll save my time for something else. Thanks for the tip.
numbers (AFP):
unions say : 3.5 millions
Gov says police counted : 1.23 millions
A french police union said today that they looked stupid with the numbers the gov is disclosing to the press.
French PM said he would not reconsider the reform.
357 colleges were hit by strikes on a total of 4.302 (gov numbers)
Public transports will be hit tomorow again. Oil refineries were hit and will probly continue to be on strike this week.
Around 70% of the french are aproving the strikes. Not all can be on strike.
Public transports working fine today.
What's France?
The answer is SocGen of course.
BNP ftw
Canadians and their love of national flag.. L'imagination prend le pouvoir
Thank goodness not everyone needs to talk and that your version of blousy blond or brunette is friggin' kickin' .. especially with that glorious first snow on the way. And I'll haveta admit I really don't know jack about Canada, except that a bunch of my ancestors neighbors felt obliged to relocate there. Funny how that version of the sexy v sleazy discussion is ongoing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqQCyAQBgXY
Of course BNP .. and how about a nice Auslese or Eiswein to go with the first snow as it has been an excellent year?
A suburb of Germany.
I don't think anyone takes "The Situation" seriously.
Dork of Cork:
Thanks for your comments. It is easy to see that many commentors at ZH have limited views of the international situation - resulting in bad-mouthing the French, Arabs, Islam, etc, etc, "just because".
But please understand - they attended high school in the USA and if you have ever checked out the OECD tri yearly international testing of 15 year olds in math, science and the social sciences you will see that the USA usually ranks something like 28th in the world (although we typically beat Kyrgyzstan).
As a result most people in the USA couldn't find France on a map of Europe. But they are still absolutely sure they still don't like 'em because they're "socialists". And they know it's true because they said so on TV.
What's worse, I have to live in the midst of these boneheads. Oh well, the price of freedom and all that.
- - - - Gold star to anyone who can identify the country that typically scores highest in the OECD testing mentioned above. (hint: they have the best educational system in the world and even the Germans have been known to send investigators and consultants there to see how they do it)
I'll bite. How about Japan.
@Vainamonian
Thanks, but all is not well in the republic - the remaining advantages that France have are a result of legacy policies from the past and it is rapidly being subsumed withen the Brussels hierarchy.
However the train of thought that often is expressed on zero hedge that the Germans are some independent superpower is I believe false - they are for sure benefiting from central bank policey now not unlike how the US benefited from FED policey in the past - but there is little respect for their own sovereignty in Germany - they confuse a affinity with a strong debt money system with national vigour not unlike the Volcker conservatives of the American 80s - however in the long run this was not to Americas advantage and was very non-republican in its usury adoration.
The Roald Dahl Augustus character may have been a fictional character but there was some message that Dahl was trying to convey about the nature of post war German society - I think.
Most americans won't get the Roald Dahl reference. On the other hand just bought my 7 year old niece my fav book when I was her age:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wrinkle_in_Time
As someone commented above - public and private education in the states kind of sucks - you can buy a degree and there is no failure.
I've been thinking that the heart of our problem with education in the USA is today's most oft-repeated premise: the purpose of an education is to increase your earning potential.
If that's all an education is FOR, well, yeah--it's going to turn out poorly.
It's all one big problem of over-abstraction, from top to bottom of every single shred of this modern existence.
It's not obvious when it started with education. I'm thinking the roots go back to early 20th century. But the decay seems to have accelerated a great deal with the drive to send everyone to college.
Education makes for better understanding and thus decision-making. Better decision-making makes people better problem solvers. Better problem solvers are more productive workers. More productive workers enable greater profit. Thus, the purpose of an education is greater profit. Worse yet: take it a step further by replacing the "education" concept with the "degree" reality. There's only an incidental relation between the two.
A real crime was committed when college study became the "officially recognized" source of education in the first place.
It's not difficult to see that something's getting lost in the equations. Some kind of externality isn't being properly reckoned.
'Course, simple dogs like me don't got any business talkin' all these hard subjects. That's what PhDs are for.
Except, as you know but fail to say (explicitly), the PhDs and their hyper-abstractions have totally disconnected from reality, so we are left in a world where only "simple dogs" can perform valid observations and inferences.
3,500,000 (french) people seem to have no interest in returning to work ..
I did not know the population of france was so small.
OK, OK. No takers so I'll spill.
The best education system in the world?
Finland! - Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself, And, dare I say it, They are socialists!
+1000000000000000000
No. They are Finnish.
At the end of the day, government planners should look at cost/benefit analysis for the long run (not an election cycle). Longer term - good public education and early childhood intervention programs keeps people out of prison. How much does it cost to keep a person in jail for one year?
How much does it cost to make sure a three year old has vitamins and is getting early education if necessary?
This article is incredibly silly.
It's just a minor strike, as happens every year in france during the pleasant autumn months.
It's of no consequence. The numbers given are ridiculous.