Earlier we looked at the bizarre question of conservatives going up against the popular will to push unpopular solutions that are favored by their donors. One of the questions was that of the retirement age, which conservatives would like to raise, as an alternative to forcing the very wealthy to pay their fair share in the form of the payroll tax. I can only hope that when the conservative Democrats “give in” to the Republicans and “compromise” away Americans’ futures, the reaction will be as robust as the one was in France yesterday when Emmanuel Macron, realizing he didn’t have the votes to pass his pension “reform” (raising the retirement age), implemented an emergency special powers clause, Article 49.3, to force his will on the public.
France immediately erupted in protests, from the left and from the right. Left-wing members of Parliament sang “La Marseillaise” loudly to stop Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, from making excuses for Macron suddenly and unilaterally raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. The decision to ignore the will of Parliament was taken minutes before MPs were scheduled to vote, once it became obvious the even some members of Macron’s own Renaissance party would vote against it. Spontaneous protests sprang up all over the country Thursday evening. Today you can expect unions to intensify the pressure to Macron’s government which could-- but probably won't-- be voted out of office. There are two no confidence resolutions pending, one from the far right and one from the left. They will be voted on Monday and the right-wingers have already announced that they will vote for the no confidence motion that the left has proposed. Two-thirds of French voters are opposed to Macron’s “reforms.” Without a majority for the no confidence motion, the pension "reform" is deemed approved.
Thousands of people came out on the streets of Paris and other French cities to reject the move, singing the national anthem and waving trade union flags.
Some protesters clashed with police as evening fell. A fire was lit in the middle of the Place de la Concorde and police with shields and batons fired tear gas and moved to clear the square.
By nightfall, 120 people had been arrested, Paris police told AFP news agency.
But unions vowed to maintain their opposition to the pension changes, with the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) saying another day of strikes and demonstrations was being planned for Thursday 23 March.
…[T]he bill is regularly described by opponents as "brutal,” "inhuman" and "degrading.”
Morale in France is low and getting lower, and people see retirement as a bright spot in the future. But many feel that this is a rich man's government taking even that away.