Vive La France

[Gnasher]

Very romantic this time of year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SasaS]

11 hours ago, Gnasher said:

I might be wrong but I thought the uproar was not just the raising of the retirement age but the fact Macron run roughshod over the French parliament and French democracy in his implementation of the change.

 

I doubt they would be rioting if he reduced it to 55 without the parliaiment.

[VladimirIlyich]

34 minutes ago, SasaS said:

 

I doubt they would be rioting if he reduced it to 55 without the parliaiment.

They've reduced it 25 over here. The only problem is that you need a terminal illness to qualify. Paid after you've been dead a while.

[Gnasher]

58 minutes ago, SasaS said:

 

I doubt they would be rioting if he reduced it to 55 without the parliaiment.

 

You can bet your bottom franc if Macron wanted to lower it he'd be going through the correct and lawful channels, and with much fanfare. In this instance he's ignored French protocol. If the President can ignore the law the people probably feel they're entitled to do the same.

[SasaS]

Just now, Gnasher said:

 

You can bet your bottom franc if Macron wanted to lower it he'd go through the correct and lawful channels. In this instance he's ignored French protocol. If the President can ignore the law the people might feel they're entitled to do the same.

 

I don't know what the French legal procedure is, as far as I understand, he didn't seek the parliament approval first because he couldn't get it, since it is an extremely unpopular reform which costs people elections.  

[Gnasher]

1 minute ago, SasaS said:

 

I don't know what the French legal procedure is, as far as I understand, he didn't seek the parliament approval first because he couldn't get it, since it is an extremely unpopular reform which costs people elections.  

 

OK. I don't know for certain regarding the French constitution either. From what I gather yours is a fair appraisal.

[TheHowieLama]

Uncertainty over the bill’s future prompted Macron and Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution, bypassing the vote by the lower chamber. The move infuriated opposition lawmakers, provoking some to call for the resignation of the leaders. The opposition is also now considering appealing to the country's constitutional council – France’s highest constitutional body – to try to block part or all of the law. 

 

 

Both their far right (Le Pen) and lefties are against it, as well as all the unions. IMO there will be a vote of no confidence next week.

[VladimirIlyich]

7 hours ago, Gnasher said:

Very romantic this time of year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything off the menu tonight people,other than flambe.

[SasaS]

20 hours ago, TheHowieLama said:

Uncertainty over the bill’s future prompted Macron and Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution, bypassing the vote by the lower chamber. The move infuriated opposition lawmakers, provoking some to call for the resignation of the leaders. The opposition is also now considering appealing to the country's constitutional council – France’s highest constitutional body – to try to block part or all of the law. 

 

 

Both their far right (Le Pen) and lefties are against it, as well as all the unions. IMO there will be a vote of no confidence next week.

 

Against the PM or Macron? Can he be impeached in the parliament? If not, it would be pretty stupid for the opposition to block the reform but fail to oust the president and then have to do something similar themselves if/when they take over.

 

Tha smart thing to do would be to make a lot of noise but allow Macron to proceed with what will make him even more unpopular but possibly cannot be avoided and then defeat him. Reduce the age if feasible or count on people getting used to it and have one less worry. 

[Anubis]

On 26/03/2023 at 11:00, Gnasher said:

Very romantic this time of year.

If you have a hot date.

[Gnasher]

Can't speak French but I think this writing in Paris says something along the lines of 'our president Macron has a lovely neck' or words to that effect. Macron will be happy to see some support, which is nice after all the recent upheaval. 

 

 

In seriousness the inside of that building (can't remember it's name) really is something else, 1860s Napoleon era I believe. Be a bit of shame when it gets burned to the ground this summer.

 

[SasaS]

That would be the Palace Garnier, the famous old Opera House. Next to the equally famous Cafe de la Paix, highly recommended  even if you can only afford a cup of tea.

[sir roger]

I'll stick to Greggs, thanks.

[Gnasher]

It might be wise for Macron to stay permanently in China.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[VladimirIlyich]

On 03/04/2023 at 18:48, sir roger said:

I'll stick to Greggs, thanks.

That's class,right there. 

[Gnasher]

Macrons dinner is burnt.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/06/france-pension-protests-paris-brasserie-macron

 

 

[SasaS]

The Awning of Tyrany is no more!

[Kevin D]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/04/06/emmanuel-macron-restaurant-on-fire-montparnasse/
 

The symbolism could not have been more eloquent.

 

As Emmanuel Macron stood tall with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, in Beijing on Thursday, urging him to lean on Vladimir Putin for peace in Ukraine, back home his favourite restaurant was being set on fire in Paris – again.

 

On both stages – world and domestic – the risks of Mr Macron’s political legacy foundering have never been greater.

 

After failing to get Putin to budge an inch over Ukraine, and putting his allies’ noses out of joint in the process, Mr Macron is just as unlikely to “tame the tiger” as Le Figaro put it.

 

Meanwhile, in Paris, around 100 vandals hurled Molotov cocktails at brasserie La Rotonde in the latest violent clashes during protests against Mr Macron’s unpopular pension reform. The chic if not luxurious eatery in Montparnasse must rue the day the centrist ex-banker chose to dine there after reaching the run-off in 2017.

 

Back then, Mr Macron – a near unknown – was celebrating his shock success in reaching the second round of presidential elections against Marine Le Pen, his nationalist rival.

 

Opponents at the time said that the upstart centrist, who had never run for elected office, was guilty of hubris for sipping champagne with his campaign team, writers and a few celebrities, while the far-Right was at the gates of power.

 

True, he would go on to beat Ms Le Pen’s National Rally party – not once but twice. But after his first victory, he famously promised that: “I will do everything over the next five years to ensure there will no longer be any reason to vote for the extremes.”

 

These proved famous last words as, in 2022, his populist rival reached the run-off once again and the overall hard-Right vote rose from 9.7 million to 11 million in the first round.

Jubilation turned to dismay

 

Now, a year into Mr Macron’s second term, Ms Le Pen’s hopes of clinching the French presidency have never been brighter. Indeed, a shock poll out this week suggested that she would comfortably beat Mr Macron should they face off now, taking 55 per cent of the vote to his 45 per cent – a strong turnaround.

 

Mr Macron has seen support slide even from within his own electoral base while the “security cordon” that once kept Ms Le Pen out of power is seriously frayed.

 

La Rotonde bears the scars of the anti-Macron sentiment that is fuelling Ms Le Pen’s rise.

 

It was all but burned down in 2018 during the gilets jaunes revolt in which protesters regularly put the head of Mr Macron’s effigy on a spike. Back then, protesters already dubbed him “president of the rich” and despite throwing vast amounts of money at the French during the Covid lockdown, the moniker has stuck.

 

Echoing this, another target of protesters’ ire on Thursday were the Paris offices of US investment giant Black Rock. Those involved said they had chosen Black Rock because of its private pension fund activity.

 

“The government wants to throw away pensions, it wants to force people to fund their own retirement with private pension funds, but what we know is that only the rich will be able to benefit from such a set-up,” said François Onic, a school teacher.

 

It’s “a deep anger, a cold anger,” said Sophie Binet, the newly-elected general secretary of the CGT union, who described the Macron government as “totally disconnected from the country and bunkered in its ministries”.

 

Unable to run for a third term, Mr Macron has made it clear he is happy to take the flak for what he believes is a crucial reform to keep France financially on track.

 

“The role of a president is not to seek to be loved,” he told Le Monde newspaper.

 

Even so, aides say Mr Macron is “haunted” by the idea that his legacy could become that of the French head-of-state who allowed Ms Le Pen to sweep to power in 2027.

 

“If the French wanted to retire at 60 they wouldn’t have elected me president,” he reportedly exclaimed on Thursday.

 

With Ms Le Pen calling for retirement at 60 for some workers, it increasingly looks like they wished they hadn’t.

[TheHowieLama]

It's burning.

[Kevin D]

Macron’s presidency has been an absolute disaster.

[Red Phoenix]

 

[Section_31]

Never understand why people smash up their own neighbourhoods. It's spread to Brlgium apparently. Erm, what.

[VladimirIlyich]

10 hours ago, Section_31 said:

Never understand why people smash up their own neighbourhoods. It's spread to Brlgium apparently. Erm, what.

In the words of an African American lady during some recent riots in the USA when responding to a reporter asking almost the same question 'Because we own none of it.'

[Arniepie]

The eu's fault apparently.

My worry is something similar happening here and the tories making political capital out of it.

[Bjornebye]

1 hour ago, Arniepie said:

The eu's fault apparently.

My worry is something similar happening here and the tories making political capital out of it.

They will be gagging for it to kick off here so they can blame the eu, the boats and Corbyn