In France, they are setting fires in the streets because of their pension age being raised from 62 to 64…
This is for those that keep an eye on fundamentals issues.
Even if Macron is right that the pension age needs to be raised, how is it possible to handle this process so badly?
An example of an intelligent well educated man who should not be trusted to organise an office picnic.
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This is so stupid. People burn their own community in order to teach a lesson to people who don’t even live there. That’s not how politics or economics work.
Why not march to the house of the person who made the final decision? That would make more sense.
Or did they do that already? Did I miss something?
What are two better ways you think this could have been handled?
I didn’t follow this story prior to this video.
I remember a few years ago in Chile, the government raised the bus fare, and people went nuts. But that was actually just the straw that broke the camel’s back. There was a series of events that led to that.
But, I think people have to consider the options. If they don’t keep working an extra two years, it could dangerously impact the country’s tax revenue. The government is trying to prevent that (I imagine).
Tax revenue is how the infrastructure is paid for and maintained. Unless France wants to start taking bigger and bigger loans from the World Bank, this is what they have to do.
Perhaps the problem is just how they broke the news to the public…
Well it is my opinion that the reason that people reacted this way is because perhaps there was a little more going on behind the scenes than we are aware of…
It is extremely likely that this outburst has been building up for quite a while and it didn’t just happen because they said they were going to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Ie, the media is lying and is not telling you the whole story… these people didn’t just hear that the retirement age was being increased by two years and they started fire bombing all of France.
Also people have been conditioned to behave like snot-nosed kids, they have been taught that the way to resolve problems is to toss tantrums… Which means that they are very easy to manipulate and very easy to control.
I love watching when people protest by standing out in the wind and the weather and the rain holding up a protest sign… I got a news flash for him nobody cares you can stand out in the wind and the weather all day and all night and we don’t care.
People have literally been dumbed down to infantile level and this is the result… Paris is no longer under control of the Paris residents/citizens of yesteryear but instead Paris is now under the control of the new leaders.
All of Europe and the United States and Australia is under New Management and you will get used to it and you will obey.
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I agree. There was a time when that made a difference, but that was a loooong time ago. That doesn’t work at all anymore.
If you want change, bribe the people that sign the laws. Simple. That’s how big corporations do it. Follow the money.
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No the raise of the retirement age is exactely why this is happening. You have to consider french culture to understand this. It is the land where peasants stormed the bastille. they are used to violent protests which also often lead to a government giving in in their demands. It is not recognized as a protest in france when there arent at least 5 cars on fire.
People work only 35 hours per week and are running from one feast to the other. They want to enjoy their lifes and also retire early.
The protests now are not half as bad as the ones against high fuel prices.
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The impression that Macron gives to the casual voter, whose vote he might actually win over at election time is that he is elitist and arrogant, distant and formal when dealing with ordinary people, more happy to be mixing with the rich.
A simple anecdote of how not to treat ordinary people -
A few years ago during a walk-about at an event in Paris, a teenager shouted in a friendly way something like “Alright, Manu?” Manu is short for Emmanuel, his first name: shortening first names is not so common in French as in English-speaking countries, where its universal. Macron replied to the lad that he was an idiot and he should address him as “Monsieur” or “Monsieur Le President”. Which immediately told the world that Macron has his head up his arse.
Now that Macron cannot get the French parliament to support his pension reforms, he has used a constitutional loophole to bypass the elected representatives and pass it by order of the president. Which immediately told the French people where his head is still.
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I don’t like jumping to conclusions, but that’s not exactly the best impression. It’s not that hard to just smile and wave.
So, how else do you think this situation could have been handled, assuming that raising the retirement age was necessary?
Not overruling the democratic assembly by decree would have been a better plan. He’s supposed to be a politician, someone who can make deals not edicts, who can persuade not command, who can make partnerships not enemies.
He was already lucky to hold power after the gilets jaunes protests. What is he trying to do, find an excuse for martial law?
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Jeez, that would only add fuel to the fire. I think raising the retirement age one year at a time wouldn’t be a bad idea. Raise it by one year, wait five years then raise it again.
If all of a sudden it has to be raised by no less than two years, and they agree that one year at a time would have been better, then someone on their financial advisory has some answering to do.
But, I think it would be wise to look at the events leading up to this. Any ideas?
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To me it’s kind of obvious what’s happening… the world’s economies are crumbling. First we had a major lockdown of the entire planet for a virus that nobody really knows for sure if it even really existed… do you know who has lockdowns? Prisons have lockdowns. We are being treated as tho we are common criminals. My own government here in the United States has been mentioning that they’re going to cancel our social security program… and now France is raising the retirement age. Why don’t they just raise the retirement age to 110?
Now I’m going to tell you a couple things that are literally major major changes that are taking place in our world today because we are becoming a one world order…
When I spoke to my cell phone company yesterday, do you know where the call center is located for a us-based cell phone company? They are in the Philippines. Another cell phone company that I use in the United States, do you know where their call center is located? Yep, Tijuana Mexico.
The United States has lost its grip as being a leading world power.
I want to tell you something if social security gets canceled you’re going to see 50 million people that are unable to pay their rent or buy a cigarette and they will be walking around like zombies with their hands held out begging for something to eat.
The real funny thing is people that think that we are moving towards a guaranteed income for all, because that is not going to happen, but instead there will be wealth for the rich and starvation for the poor.
Prepare thyself for the worst.
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The UK government has already made the same mistake. Instead of announcing a gradual plan to increase the pension age at a known rate that everyone can plan for they quietly squeeze it through a couple of of years at a time and p1ss everybody off.
It seems everyone knows the pension age must rise or the pension rate must fall or tax must rise to pay for it, because we all know that everyone is living longer. And why should the state pay for people who could work to not work?
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Let them eat cake.
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I doubt if France is going to change the Global Forex marketplace but I hope that the country continues to treat its citizens better than they do here in the US.
France is an odd country. But I suppose they all are if you come from another one. Plus I’m comparing it to the UK, which is maybe just as odd but in different ways.
France - I asked the patron of a bar once if there were some good restaurants near the port area. Yes, he said, there are many. But you can’t eat in any of them yet, its too early.
UK - I went into a pub here one hot summer’s afternoon and as the sign said they were open all day, I asked for some drinks for me and my friends. No, I’m sorry, the barman said, we are indeed open all day, but not every day.
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Funny - we are open all day but not everyday
This would not happen if people knew how to trade markets and make money.
Problem is that trading 90% of people keep losing, so have to keep working. This is my problem also.