Yellow vests - fuel protest day of action in France
Discussion
As much as we complain about our police being too soft a touch, at least they don't go around shoving disabled people out of their wheelchairs
https://twitter.com/TweetBrettMac/status/107171427...
https://twitter.com/TweetBrettMac/status/107171427...
Seems to me like people power primarily.
Us Brits are not as organised and militant as the French who do this superbly.
Raise our fuel costs, we cause mass disruption. That DID happen here years ago, to some extent.
We hate the leader, we will keep on doing it until you tell us something we want to hear.
Can you imagine it happening in Britain? No, hence why we are the biggest walkovers in Europe.
Fair play to them I say.
Us Brits are not as organised and militant as the French who do this superbly.
Raise our fuel costs, we cause mass disruption. That DID happen here years ago, to some extent.
We hate the leader, we will keep on doing it until you tell us something we want to hear.
Can you imagine it happening in Britain? No, hence why we are the biggest walkovers in Europe.
Fair play to them I say.
Balmoral said:
loafer123 said:
what would the Franc be worth today if it still existed?
They still have that on the till receipts in some places, but at the original rate, the resulting figure is meaninglessly hilarious.I’m sure the franc was pegged at 6.5 to the euro.
I think it would be fair to say the cost of living has increased by greater than 30% in France since the euro adoption (I know it has in Italy), where the average wage has remained static (or even fallen if you look at youth figures).
So say 30% less v euro + cost of living at at least a third higher, it’s fair to say the ordinary citizens don’t have it easy.
Edited by Deesee on Sunday 9th December 15:55
I happened to be in France today near Chamonix (so nowhere near Paris).
Surprised to see a number of protesters on the roads. The peage toll roads we used had their barriers opened so they were "free". Protesters were dancing by the side of the road as motorists were beeping, presumably in support.
I visited a supermarket, and there were signs up saying certain products were out of stock due to lorries not being able to get through.
I spoke with a local chap to ask what was happening. He said Macron doesn't listen to the "little people", so the people were exerting some pressure to get him to start to hear their voice.
Part of their plan was to partially disrupt lorry deliveries of some big businesses by limiting the speed at which the lorries could travel. The idea apparently was that big business has the ear of Macron and so by hitting the profits of these businesses, they could get a message through to Macron.
The chap I spoke to also said they weren't looking for a revolution. He said he supported the protesters, but the objective was just to get Macron to think more about the impact of his actions.
The guy also said he expected the disruption to stop shortly as they didn't want to affect people's Christmas
Surprised to see a number of protesters on the roads. The peage toll roads we used had their barriers opened so they were "free". Protesters were dancing by the side of the road as motorists were beeping, presumably in support.
I visited a supermarket, and there were signs up saying certain products were out of stock due to lorries not being able to get through.
I spoke with a local chap to ask what was happening. He said Macron doesn't listen to the "little people", so the people were exerting some pressure to get him to start to hear their voice.
Part of their plan was to partially disrupt lorry deliveries of some big businesses by limiting the speed at which the lorries could travel. The idea apparently was that big business has the ear of Macron and so by hitting the profits of these businesses, they could get a message through to Macron.
The chap I spoke to also said they weren't looking for a revolution. He said he supported the protesters, but the objective was just to get Macron to think more about the impact of his actions.
The guy also said he expected the disruption to stop shortly as they didn't want to affect people's Christmas
t bingo time!jsf said:
toppstuff said:
jsf said:
Until they exit the Euro they are screwed.
Why ? Is not french manufacturing a beneficiary of relatively weak currency , as with Germany ? I think the current protests are a manifestation of this. It is not just a fuel price protest, it is the malaise of the economy and how it impacts on the ordinary person’s daily life.
The EU elections next May are going to reflect this. Andalusia has just jumped to the right, but EU leaders are just burying their heads in the sand - they think they are there to lead, rather than serve.
Derek Smith said:
Mass protests in Brussels with 400 unable to overwhelm the police. If the press, TV or printed, suggested that this was a grass roots mass protest then we'd have grounds to protest too. 400; not worth getting out the PSU serial.
I might be open to suggestions that there wasn't enough coverage of matters in other EU countries in the past and too much on the USA, but it appears that we are getting greater coverage since the debâcle of brexit. I would have thought the leavers would be complaining that there was too much.
I have a brother in law over there, he said there was a hell of a lot more than 400, there was over 100 arrests on Saturday being reported, it seems a little out of kilter where 25% of a demo is arrested. I might be open to suggestions that there wasn't enough coverage of matters in other EU countries in the past and too much on the USA, but it appears that we are getting greater coverage since the debâcle of brexit. I would have thought the leavers would be complaining that there was too much.
rdjohn said:
The day after the Brexit vote a French guy said to us that France would never leave the EU, but to a man everyone would vote to leave the Euro, he added “when your arse is on the floor, you cannot fall any further”.
I think the current protests are a manifestation of this. It is not just a fuel price protest, it is the malaise of the economy and how it impacts on the ordinary person’s daily life.
The EU elections next May are going to reflect this. Andalusia has just jumped to the right, but EU leaders are just burying their heads in the sand - they think they are there to lead, rather than serve.
That is about the height of it - the EU is profoundly undemocratic and it's made up of bureaucrats who think that they are above democracy and supported by politicians who are unashamed corporate stooges and globalists.I think the current protests are a manifestation of this. It is not just a fuel price protest, it is the malaise of the economy and how it impacts on the ordinary person’s daily life.
The EU elections next May are going to reflect this. Andalusia has just jumped to the right, but EU leaders are just burying their heads in the sand - they think they are there to lead, rather than serve.
If it just got back to its roots as a free trade area with harmonisation of regulations, there wouldn't be much support in the UK to leave it - but it is trying to become a federal superstate.
Lucas Ayde said:
That is about the height of it - the EU is profoundly undemocratic and it's made up of bureaucrats who think that they are above democracy and supported by politicians who are unashamed corporate stooges and globalists.
If it just got back to its roots as a free trade area with harmonisation of regulations, there wouldn't be much support in the UK to leave it - but it is trying to become a federal superstate.
If it just got back to its roots as a free trade area with harmonisation of regulations, there wouldn't be much support in the UK to leave it - but it is trying to become a federal superstate.
At it's roots is the creation of a federal superstate, the common market was simply the first stage in a 150 year project which is now about halfway through and (Brexit apart) is going to plan and schedule, the direction of travel and end game has been a known and a given from the very start.
Balmoral said:
At it's roots is the creation of a federal superstate, the common market was simply the first stage in a 150 year project which is now about halfway through and (Brexit apart) is going to plan and schedule, the direction of travel and end game has been a known and a given from the very start.
The age old get in under the cover of something else trick. That UN migration Compact which we are signing (that over 100,000 petitioned against), is no doubt another trojan horse.Lucas Ayde said:
That is about the height of it - the EU is profoundly undemocratic and it's made up of bureaucrats who think that they are above democracy and supported by politicians who are unashamed corporate stooges and globalists.
If it just got back to its roots as a free trade area with harmonisation of regulations, there wouldn't be much support in the UK to leave it - but it is trying to become a federal superstate.
Perhaps, in the interest of balance, I should also mention that sections of the population are being unrealistic in wanting Swedish levels of Social Services and a US levels of tax.If it just got back to its roots as a free trade area with harmonisation of regulations, there wouldn't be much support in the UK to leave it - but it is trying to become a federal superstate.
Macron is right in reducing taxes for the wealthy as they can easily afford not to live and invest in France, but it is easier to believe that is untrue when the cost of Gasoil is being hiked artificially to meet environmental targets.
There are many reforms that are needed in France and Macron has barely scratched the surface - but the whole thing has now blown-up in his face.
rdjohn said:
Perhaps, in the interest of balance, I should also mention that sections of the population are being unrealistic in wanting Swedish levels of Social Services and a US levels of tax.
The way things are in Sweden now, we get the US level of social services at the price of our Swedish taxes...Lucas Ayde said:
That is about the height of it - the EU is profoundly undemocratic and it's made up of bureaucrats who think that they are above democracy and supported by politicians who are unashamed corporate stooges and globalists.
If it just got back to its roots as a free trade area with harmonisation of regulations, there wouldn't be much support in the UK to leave it - but it is trying to become a federal superstate.
the trouble with that scenario is it doesn't support 50,000 bureaucrats and 30 to 40,000 lobbyists either kissing their arse or dishing out back handers to them.If it just got back to its roots as a free trade area with harmonisation of regulations, there wouldn't be much support in the UK to leave it - but it is trying to become a federal superstate.
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