France: Strikes Against Emmanuel Macron Enter Third Week

The strikes against pension reforms have massive support in France (Picture via: libcom.org

Though the situation for those needing to use public transport in France has improved slightly in the past week on nationwide strikes in protest at the government’s proposed reforms to labour law and retirement pensions entered their week. Official spokespeople claim there has been progress in negotiations with unions, but there is little observable evidence to support this.

However, the crisis hitting France, one of the world’s biggest economies at the height of the holiday season is far from over.

Anti-government protesters maintained the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron with a new march through Paris in yesterday afternoon. Some workers are determined to to maintain the general strike throughout the holiday period and into the New Year.

SNCF, the state owned rail system said about 60 per cent of trains were at a standstill, down from 90 per cent earlier in the strike but enough to disrupt life in the nation. Provincial cities have suffered fewer problems but in Paris tourists and commuters alike are still struggling to move around the French capital, due to buses and the subway system as well as local train servuces being hit by the industrial action.

The centrist Macron, a former investment banker, wants to raise the retirement age to 64 and says the current pension system costs too much; unions say the pension reform is part of Macron’s plans to dismantle hard-won worker rights, and want to preserve a system that allows some workers to leave as early as their fifties.

Many protestors are angry that while Macron says the nation cannot afford to pay pensions the president is still inviting uneducated, unskilled, uncivilised, unemployable third world migrants to the country where they are fed, housed, educated and cared for at the expense of French taxpayers.

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Yellow Vest Protest Still Running After Six Months

Early May saw a lull in the weekly protests by France’s so called Yellow Vest movement which was not surprising after the huge turnout for the Midweek May Day protests on May 1, the traditional workers holiday in many nations.

from Bloomberg:

France’s Yellow Vest demonstrations drew a lower turnout and drifted away from Paris to smaller cities on Saturday, suggesting the movement is weakening as it hits the six-month mark.

Police estimated 18,600 people took to the streets around France, including 1,200 in the capital, on the movement’s 26th Saturday of protests, AFP reported, citing the interior ministry. Last Saturday, police counted fewer than 19,000 protesters nationwide, already the lowest turnout since November.

The Yellow Vests, a decentralized movement that began in opposition to higher gasoline taxes, has expanded its list of grievances to include demands for a higher minimum wage and increased pensions. President Emmanuel Macron last month promised tax cuts for the middle class in an effort to calm the protesters. Still, a poll on Tuesday found that 47% of the French support the Yellow Vests, up 3 points from 10 days earlier.

Turnout at the protests, and the level of violence, has waxed and waned depending on the weekend. Some Saturdays have led to shocking footage of street battles between protesters and police, the ransacking of the Arc de Triomphe and looting of shops and restaurants. On others, the events unfold with little violence. Masked anarchist protesters known as Black Blocs have joined in the demonstrations.

<p>In Paris on May 11, hundreds assembled midday south of the Seine river, in the student-packed neighborhood surrounding the Jussieu university campus. While demonstrations in the French capital remained orderly, Lyon and Nantes were rowdier at times as some protesters threw objects at police officers.

Read more: Why Yellow Vests Remain Thorn in Macron Presidency: QuickTake

With the protests continuing, although the numbers involved have diminished, it shows the anger of the French people at successive governments which want to focus on the problems of Africa and South East Asia, and the push to integrate 27 EU member states into a single political entity, while ignoring the problems faced by middle and working class people in France due to high unemployment, high taxes and rising living costs, Macron faces increasing political pressure. And with elections to the toothless but symbolic European Parliament only a few days away it looks as if his biggest political test to date will turn into a catastrophe for his globalist government. The Republic En Marche (Republic on the Move Party) currently trails the nationalistic, Eurosceptic, Rassemblement National (National Rally) party led by Marine Le Pen in the European Union parliamentary elections on May 26, according to a Harris Interactive poll published Saturday.

Defeat for Macron will bring renewed calls for him to resign and call an election, and should he choose to hold on to power in those circumstances, in all likelyhood it will reinvigorate the protest movement.

Germany may strike HUGE BLOW to EU In European Elections As Macron Admits brexit Will Destroy EU

The nationalist group that became Germany’s largest opposition party at the last election,  Alternative for Deutschland, has launched an attack  on the globalist European Union bureaucracy, calling on voters to make the EU election a referendum on how the increasingly authoritarian Brussels bureaucracy is running the 27 member bloc. AfD’s parliamentary leader Alexander Gauland told supporters that voter have an opportunity to teach Brussels some humility during the elections at the end of May. In the recent past several prominent figures in the EU have made statements to the effect that public opinion is irrelevant and the elections are a purely cosmetic exercise to maintain the illusion of committment to democracy. The warning comes amid the creation of an alliance between nationalistic, eurosceptic parties, led by Italy’s Matteo Salvini, ahead of the crucial ballot that could force fundamental changes on  the future direction of the EU.

Mr Gauland told AfD activists to send a wake-up call to European establishment figures in the vote. He said: “I really hope that the result of these elections will teach them self-doubt. It could have happened with Brexit but apparently that wasn’t enough for them.”

The German politician was speaking alongside other European political leaders who aim to turn the European Alliance of Peoples and Nations into the most powerful voting bloc in the Parliament. Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini is leading the efforts to put together a Europe-wide alliance of nationalist, anti-immigration parties.

Earlier this week, Mr Salvini visited Hungary in a bid to convince Viktor Orban to join the alliance. During the meeting, Mr Orban remarked: “For this, I think Salvini is the most important person in Europe today.”

Anxiety among European Union officials is high, with fears of a Eurosceptic, nationalist victory in the Europe – wide election later this month as polls suggest a surge in support for nationalis and anti – Brussels parties.

Meanwhile France’s Emmanuel Macron, the ultimate Europhile who made his devotion to the ideal of a federal European superstate clear when he signed the treaty of Aachen with Angela Merkel, agreeing to tie France more closely to Germany even as the Yellow Vest protests by groups disillusioned with his globalist administration were tearing his country apart, – admitted in a speech that the bloc’s future could be in doubt as Brexit uncertainty drives a wedge between France and Germany.

When on April 10, UK Prime Minister Theresa May secured a second extension to Brexit, after EU leaders agreed to grant Britain a six-month flexible extension until October 31. French President Macron was the only leader who opposed the effort to secure a deal that would keep Britain ties closely to EU laws and policies, the so called brexit-in-name-only option supported bt Theresa May (it rhymes with ‘betray’,) to force Britain to leave with no deal or stay as an associate member with vastly diminished influence in EU policy making. During the tense day – long standoff in Brussels Marcon argued that wanted to see Britain out of the bloc as soon as possible but was ignored by other EU leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who agreed to delay Brexit until October 31 without attaching strong political conditions to the extension.

The French President believes Brexit is monopolising the European agenda, at the expense of other important issues and the upcoming MEP elections.

For this reason, M. Macron recently admitted Paris and Berlin are at odds over the Brexit issue, with the German economy likely to take a much bigger hit than France because without Britain’s contributions German taxpayers alone will have to prop up the cash burning bureaucracy that runs the EU.

Last week, the French President told reporters he and Ms Merkel were “not completely on the same page” when it comes to Britain’s departure from the bloc.

The frank admission of a rough patch in Franco-German relations is rare from Mr Macron, who has tried to build a close relationship with the German Chancellor to launch an ambitious reform programme for the EU which would push forward the long term plan for political integration into the dreamed of federal superstate.

His comments are also likely to worry europhiles, as the French President has often claimed how important it is that Berlin and Paris “get along” for the future of the EU and even suggested that a rift between the two nations could bring about the demise of the bloc.

Most recently, in an interview on Italian state TV which aired in early March, Mr Macron claimed that the bond between Berlin and Paris is indeed his “first responsibility”. Neeedless to say Macron’s love affair with Berlin goes down like the proverbial lead Zeppelin with French voters who are aware of their country’s history of conflict with Germany.

 

 

 

Yellow Vests Protest Merkel-Macron Plan To Integrate Defence, Foreign Policy

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel exchange the French-German friendship treaty during the signing ceremony, on January 22, 2019 in the town hall of Aachen, western Germany.  (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images)

The left wing wankerati will not doubt be screaming about racism and xenophobia when they learn of the latest exploits of the Yellow vest movement. This time it is the German branch of the movement who were out in the streets protesting against the latest step Hausfrau – Volksfuhrer Merkel and The Boy Macron have taken towards politically  integrating Germany and France, a plot not mentioned by mainstream media but on which Original Boggart Blog and The Daily Stirrer have been following developments HERE, HERE,  HERE, and HERE, which they hope would create a strong enough axis to bully the other member states, one Britain is gone, into surrendering national sovereignty to the German – French dominated bloc.

But the people aren’t buying it. Arrogant, aloof and catastrophically out of touch with the people they lead, the globalists Merkel and Macron seem convinced that the only way to end the civil unrest that is dividing their nations is to offer the voters bigger doses of the policies that caused the problems. More mass immigration, more exporting jobs to cheap labour economies and more pandering to Islamic extremists in the name of “multiculturalism and diversity.”

In globalist circles that might be considered high intellect, but where I, most of my friends, and supporters of the Yellow vest live, it is called plain fucking stupid. Which is why German citizens wearing the iconic Yellow Vests that have become the symbol of the anti – establishment movement across Europe, protested against this move for which neither leader has a democratic mandate.

As the boy Macron and Hausfau – Volksfuher Merkel met to sign the treaty which aims to bring together the economic and defence policies of France and Germany in a prototype “Sovereign Europe”, German Yellow Vests supporters, joined by some who had travelled from France, protested outside.

German and French Yellow Vests outside the public hall in Aachen where Merkel and Macon were signing a mutual arse – kissing treaty. Picture RT)

Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron have negotiated an expansion of the 1963 French-German reconciliation Élysée treaty in Aachen, Germany, which they hope will pave the way for a Federal European superstate, and signed the deal on Tuesday.

The Treaty of AAchen proposes to integrate aspects of France and Germany, as the press statement euphemistically put it, including forging closer ties on economic, defence and foreign policy, merging public transport networks and utilities in border regions, creating a common economic area, and developing shared social and political fields, according to Euractiv.

The most controversial part of the treaty however, is the advancement of plans for defence, building on Merkel’s earlier pledges of for Macron’s ambition to create an EU army. So stupid is this proposal (do these two insaniacs have the faintest idea of how Poland, Hungary, Greece and other countries occupied by the Nazis in World War Two are going to react when asked to hand control of their armed forces to Germany and the cheese eating surrender monkey collaborators of France.

Dr Merkel told media on Tuesday: “We commit ourselves to forming a joint military culture, a common defence industry, a common line and common policy on arms exports. In so doing, we wish to give our contribution to the development of a new European army.

“This will only work if we coordinate at the same time our foreign policies.”

Its signing was meant to send a message to Eurosceptics that the two EU leaders would continue their efforts to further integrate not only the EU, but their own countries. It seems the message being picked up by voters is not the one she wanted them to hear.

Here is that message from a Eurosceptic’s point of view

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First Swedish Yellow Vest Protest -Female speaker: “Put feminism on hold for 10-20 years

Yellow vest movement arrives in Sweden and a female speaker shock smug liberals with rejection of the politically correct consensus (Sourve: VoiceofEurope.com

A Demonstration held in central Stockholm last weekrnd was the first major event in Sweden to feature Yellow Vests. There have been previous small protests by groups of people wearing the symbolic yellow vests but the weekend’s even represents an escalation in support of the movement. This time, people gathered at Norrmalmstorg to show their dissatisfaction with how Sweden is governed.

The Swedes don’t riot, burn and smash things up like the immigrants they have let into the country, or the French yellow vests, – instead they hold peaceful events, orderly protests with popular speakers.

Standing in front of a lage Swedish flag, the speakers eloquently stated their opinion one at a time.

Independent politician Morten Källström asked why Sweden looks like it does today, with politicians who neither speak of the problems, (no – go zones, rocketing sex crime rates, inter – gang turf wars in cities, all linked to immigrant communities,) nor do something about them. “It is because we have no democracy. Our country is about as democratic as the former communist states of eastern Europe. We need politicians who dare speak up and state their opinion”, he stated and told the audience that, “Nepotism is the reason, and more power to the people is the answer.”

Theologian Irma Udelius argued that since feminism was elevated to state ideology in Sweden, the number of rapes has multiplied, and genital mutilation and child marriage have become part of everyday life. The solution, she explained, is to pause feminism and reinstate the patriarchy – for a period of 10-20 years. And then conduct a referendum to ascertain whether people think society has gotten better or worse.

“It is no longer about the right and the left, it’s about we, the people against our power-abusing politicians”, journalist and writer Katerina Janouch told the audience. “Between 2015 and 2018, we took in 522.980 migrants. An unimaginable amount that we are unable to handle. We spend billions on people without valid grounds for asylum, while our pensioners can’t afford a proper meal.”

“And yet so many continue to vote for this.” “Are they dumb in the head, or are they evil?”, she asked. “Both” the crowd replied.

She also mentioned the terrorist attack in Stockholm in 2017, where 5 people lost their lives – and the reaction – “hands and hearts against racism”. “Swedes are the least racist people in the world, and we do not need anti-racist manifestations, we need to raise up, and speak up and demand sound and sane politics.”

“We will not give up, we will continue to protest, this is just the beginning, she concluded and shouted, “For Sweden – against the abuse of power!” The audience repeated her words and applauded loudly.

It looks as if the yellow Vest movement might be developing into a serious challenge for the politically correct consensus that has metastized through the political establishments of the free world.

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British left & right don Yellow vests to demonstrate anger over political chaos, Brexit & migrants

UK Yellow Vests – source RT

While mainstream media and the UK government Ministry of Propaganda organisation, BBC News, try to brant the UK’s Yellow Vests movement as ‘far right’ (anyone who is even slightly less fascistic than Chairman Mao is ‘far right’ according to modern, university brainwashed ‘anarchists,’ the people who put on their Yellow Vests to join British protests this weekend have embraced the ethos of the French movement by abandoning left – right name calling as both sides of the debate rally to the same symbol. This is not left versus right (a synthetic conflict engineered by propagandists and mainstream media,) and understood the battle is between the ruling elites and their cronies verus The People.

The Yellow Vests ceased to be a uniquely French phenomenon in mid December when protests took place in Netherlands, Belgium and other EU member states. Since then the movement has spread further afield with protestors in yellow vests taking to the streets in Egypt, India, Turkey, Canada and Australia. Before the Christmas break British protesters had started donning the distinctive high-visibility jackets to make their own (very different) points, but this weeken was the fiirst on which large scale demonstrations happened. In the UK, an array of left-wing movements vowed to use the yellow vest during their protests in favor of bringing down the Tory government and abandoning austerity. RT’s Polly Boiko explains. But this is where the similarities between the French and British factions end.

Far Right sand Far Left activists, some of whom belong to hardcore far-right groups like the English Defence League or Far left organisations like Aintifa or Unite Against Fascism, are also trying to capitalie on the hi – vis vest symbol of protest. They vent their anger at the Brexit deal stalemate, heckle politicians, and harass Muslims and Jews both online and offline. Such groups “who are trying to use anger and mobilize it against refugees and migrants and ethnic minorities are not welcomed in our demonstrations,” said Shabbir Lakha, spokesman for the anti-austerity People’s Assembly. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with people who harass Brext supporters, conservatives, Jews, or white people who stray into the wrong part of town of course.

READ MORE: Yellow Vest demos are sign of Europe-wide anger over financial woes & govt indifference – French PM

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France’s yellow vest revolt against Macron will cause huge headache in 2019

Since the first incarnation of the EU an The Common Market, FRANCE has always been considered one of the bastions of European stability and a poster state for financial and political integration among European Union countries. But former Goldman Sachs banker Emmanuel Macron has thrown both France’s position as Germany’s chief sidekick and the dream of European integration into a federal suprstate called errrrmmm Germany, into doubt  as he scrambles to quell a growing revolt against his leadership that threatens to continue into 2019.

The so-called “yellow vest” movement has spawned violent protests across the country since November, forcing French authorities to deploy tens of thousands police officers to quash weekly demonstrations. The largely leaderless, grassroots citizens’ movement emerged in the face of a proposed fuel tax that would have pushed up the price of petrol, hitting many people in rural and suburban areas who depend of cars and have very little access to public transport. But the “yellow vests” have since been joined by thousands more demonstrators concerned about the growing costs of living as French people struggle to make ends meet while Mr Macron, the country’s president, continues to implement business-friendly reforms to the economy.

In a televised address to the nation, Macron promised a £13.4 billion package of concessions including a a rise in the minimum wage in a bid to stave off the crisis that could bring down his government. Unfortunately the movement has transformed into an anti-government rebellion intent on displaying discontent in Mr Macron’s leadership.

This has left European Union with a dilemma as plans increase the minimum wage meant the budget would run at a 3.2 percent deficit, instead of the 2.8 percent originally forecast. Brussels has recently threatened economic sanctions on Italy for exceeding deficit limits by a smaller amount.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, have promised to carefully watch developments in the French budget as politicians attempt to head off another confrontation with Italy’s nationalist government.

The Italian prime minister “explicitly mentioned the revolt of the yellow jackets” in his most recent deficit talks with the EU.

The movement also threatens to cause waves during the 2019 European Parliament elections after the French Communist Party announced it plans to feature “yellow jackets” on its list of candidates, while nationalist parties across Europe threaten to form a bloc that will dominate the European Parliament.

Index of posts on France