Monday 25 September 2017

Nous sommes le lundi vingt cinq septembre

As we noted yesterday there are "blocages" and "operations escargot" especially around petrol refineries this morning. Part of union protests at the government's implementation of  ordonnances bringing certain aspects of its reform of the "Code de travail".
President Macron declared that demonstrations in the streets were not a sign of democracy and far left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon retorted that street actions had achieved many improvements for the French, including the revolution, reform of the education system and a fourth week holiday. Mixing such important reforms with relatively trivial achievements does not seem to be an endorsement of general industrial unrest. But most controversially he said street action had defeated the nazis; to a general chorus of "what, on the beaches of Normandy?" Many allied troops gave their lives to defeat the nazis and liberate France and to rate this below the success of the Resistance in harassing an already defeated German army in Paris is worthy of the derision French people have bestowed on it, and an insult to the memory of the allied armies.
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