Industrial Chaos Looms In France

[davidg]

Even simpler in France. Don't watch the TF1 news otherwise you'll be the last to hear about any forthcoming action.

Correctomundo mon petit Niçois ! And like me, you have a border nearby you can hop over. Hell you could even go by pedalo.

[xux42]

One of the more endearing traits of the French is to create civil disturbances at the drop of the hat, certainly must make their government think twice before proposing unpopular policies

Meanwhile in the UK medieval serf state .............

Yeah - the apathy is weird.

Surely this is the moment for London/SE refinery workers & tanker drivers to link with Belgians and Dutch in a pincer movement that would seize up NW Europe and the South of England inflicting massive economic cost until their demands are met.

Or snatch business from French businesses.

Whatever - just don't sit there!!!

Edited October 18, 2010 by xux42

[non frog]

....

Whatever - just don't sit there!!!

We're on our tea break mate. Will have a look at your proposals after Fred makes another cuppa.

[blankster]

We have the recipe for the same thing here. The prospect of 500,000+ public sector redundancies, increasingly likely collapse of the coalition, anger turned on bankers and other rich people. Don't you sense that mood is developing here too?

Edited October 18, 2010 by blankster

[Mayalabeille]

Yeah, yeah, yeah................... happens every 3 to 4 years, most often led by one of the rail syndicate joined by everybody else.

Will all die down in a couple of weeks and everything will be back to normal, who will cave in is the question but there is always one side that does.

Edited October 18, 2010 by Mayalabeille

[Harry Monk]

I hope the protests spread here, I just love civil unrest for its own sake. Cars burning, policemen bleeding from head wounds, petrol bombs, when I watch it on the telly it is pure erotica.

[blankster]

We had the poll tax riots and that was all whipped up as there wasn't really anything to get angry about it was just leftists protesting against Thatcher basically.

But now there is a lot to get angry about. The banks gambled our money away and Gordon Brown gave them more of our money to save themselves. Now we have a new coalition government that is hell-bent on punishing us, the people, for being robbed by Gordon Brown to pay off the rich bankers. If that doesn't make you angry, then I don't know what will!

Edited October 18, 2010 by blankster

[Bruce Banner]

We're off to France on Thursday morning for a few days. I'll fill the tank just before the ferry terminal and put a couple of gallon cans in the boot, that should be plenty. A friend of ours in France is a retired senior policeman, he laughs whenever they have these demonstrations "It's the way the French do it" he says.

[Harry Monk]

We're off to France on Thursday morning for a few days. I'll fill the tank just before the ferry terminal and put a couple of gallon cans

Probably a good idea even without a shortage, petrol is even more expensive in France than here.

[RufflesTheGuineaPig]

Self-fulfilling prophesy though isn't it? Morons believe drivel - drivel comes true - morons think they actually know WTF they are talking about.

It's simple game theory. You know others will panic buy, thus you best plan is to beat them too it.

Cars burning, policemen bleeding from head wounds, petrol bombs, when I watch it on the telly it is pure erotica.

Good luck finding petrol for those petrol bombs.

[live in hope]

We're off to France on Thursday morning for a few days. I'll fill the tank just before the ferry terminal and put a couple of gallon cans in the boot, that should be plenty. A friend of ours in France is a retired senior policeman, he laughs whenever they have these demonstrations "It's the way the French do it" he says.

Just a matter of time before the ferries and tunnel are blocked though. Always happens.

[Bruce Banner]

Probably a good idea even without a shortage, petrol is even more expensive in France than here.

I drive a diesel car so I usually arrive with an empty tank an fill up at the Carrefour for about €1.10 a litre.

[Freeholder]

The French have an inability to face facts of Greek proportions. The current unrest is about raising the retirement age to 62 from 60. If they take to the streets over a proposal that modest what will happen when, as it must, their government really does try to curb the growth in its spending. France has had a good ride on the EU gravy train but I dont see the more realistic and increasingly pissed off Germans letting them get away with it any longer.

[stormymonday_2011]

Crude oil and gasoline rose the most in two weeks as a strike in France curbed supplies in Europe’s second-biggest fuel market.

Oil climbed as much as 2.1 percent as French truckers blocked highways and officials said they’d use police to prevent strikers from cutting fuel supplies as the standoff hardened over President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to raise the retirement age to 62. With the country’s refineries on strike, industry groups said 15 percent of service stations are dry.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-18/crude-oil-futures-climb-in-new-york-as-dollar-pares-increases-against-euro.html

Another WTF moment from the weird and wacky world of the commodity markets. French oil refineries are on strike so the price of crude goes up 2.1% presumably because the less of the product being used the higher the price must go. No wonder the world economy is f*cked when all trading decisions are made on the basis of this sort of contrarian logic.

Edited October 18, 2010 by realcrookswearsuits

[Harry Monk]

France is a wealthy country, same as the UK, it's just that the wealth has all been funnelled towards a tiny minority. What is needed now is action to push it back outwards again.

The clang of the bascule, the dull thump of the lunette and the thunderous crashing of the blade gets my vote. Vive la Veuve!

[stormymonday_2011]

The French have an inability to face facts of Greek proportions. The current unrest is about raising the retirement age to 62 from 60. If they take to the streets over a proposal that modest what will happen when, as it must, their government really does try to curb the growth in its spending. France has had a good ride on the EU gravy train but I dont see the more realistic and increasingly pissed off Germans letting them get away with it any longer.

I am afraid you have been reading the (deliberate ?) misinformation being spouted about this subject by the British media including the BBC. The retirement age you have quoted is the MIMIMUM age you can retire in France and collect a reduced pension. The increase to 62 is not the reason so many French workers are pissed off. They are more concerned about the raising of the full retirement age from 65 to 67 in particular because it is hedged around with huge clawbacks that the French state is proposing to take from French workers forced to retire early from illness or layoffs. These are not being done on a pro rata basis depending on the years paid in but can involve a reduction of 30% in the value of the pensions of people retiring just a couple of years early

Edited October 18, 2010 by realcrookswearsuits

[Freeholder]

I am afraid you have been reading the (deliberate ?) misinformation being spouted about this subject by the British media including the BBC. The retirement age you have quoted is the MIMIMUM age you can retire in France and collect a reduced pension. The increase to 62 is not the reason so many French workers are pissed off. They are more concerned about the raising of the full retirement age from 65 to 67 in particular because it is hedged around with huge clawbacks that the French state is proposing to take from French workers forced to retire early from illness or layoffs. These are not being done on a pro rata basis depending on the years paid in but can involve a reduction of 30% in the value of the pensions of people retiring just a couple of years early

Thank you for that. I have indeed been reading the UK medias reporting.

[redwine]

Vive la Veuve!

Long live the widow ????

[Harry Monk]

Long live the widow ????

The French do not call the guillotine "Le guillotine" but refer to it as "La veuve", which you quite rightly translated as "the widow".

[davidg]

The retirement age you have quoted is the MIMIMUM age you can retire in France and collect a reduced pension.

Erm... no, you can draw a full pension at 60 (62) if you have 40 (42) years of contributions. So for people who started work between 15 and 18 would be able to retire at 60 on a full pension. The 65 (67) figure is the age to get a full pension if you do not have 40 years of contributions. BTW the figure for the UK is 30 years of contributions.

[davidg]

The French do not call the guillotine "Le guillotine" but refer to it as "La veuve", which you quite rightly translated as "the widow".

yeah, you'd better get a new phrase book harry me old moine.

[Harry Monk]

yeah, you'd better get a new phrase book harry me old moine.

You are welcome to do your own research, but I would recommend that you extend this to asking the French people you know

[Jack's Creation]

Self-fulfilling prophesy though isn't it? Morons believe drivel - drivel comes true - morons think they actually know WTF they are talking about.

Your example proves the point.

[non frog]

Your example proves the point.

Yes. Stations closed up tonight - no fuel. See - they were right all along - its going to run out. Roads jammed up with people driving all over - looking for some fuel and using half a tank to get to somewhere there is any left. Madness.

[Realistbear]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1321277/Angela-Merkel-Multiculturalism-Germany-utterly-failed.html

If they think things are getting bad in France the above seems to point to a different sort of trouble brewing in Germany.

Edited October 18, 2010 by Realistbear