French Revolutions

[marmar]

from YES! Magazine:



French Revolutions
In France, the government’s response to the economic crisis has sparked massive protests. What do they mean for the U.S.?

by Rick Wolff
posted Oct 26, 2010


In France, refinery workers blockaded oil depots, leaving as many as one third of the nation’s gasoline stations dry last week. Protestors temporarily blocked access to the Marseilles airport. Rolling labor strikes have been ongoing for weeks, with major union leaders calling for two new strike days in the weeks to come. On Monday, the French government estimated that the protests had cost the economy up to 400 million euros per day.

A democratic uprising

The historic protests are in response to the French government’s proposed austerity measures (reductions in government services, the most unpopular of them a decision to delay the pension age by two years). An alliance of trade unions, students and young people, and leftist political parties has mobilized millions to challenge the French establishment with an intensity not seen for decades.

Many of the protesters would define “austerity” as making the mass of people pay for fixing the global economic crisis that they did not cause. Having suffered the unemployment, foreclosures, and other deep social costs of the crisis itself, they are now told to accept more suffering as their governments offset the costs of supporting failed corporations.

In France, a genuine democratic upsurge has surprised all those who thought, hoped, or feared that such an upsurge could no longer happen in Western Europe. For many weeks, public opinion polls have shown that a clear two-thirds of French people support or sympathize with the goals of the demonstrators and strikers. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/french-revolutions

[madmax]

1. Read a post by a freeper

saying we should have left them to rot when they were occupied by 'the krauts.'

IIRC they lent us a hand at one time. Oh, well that was way long ago. Doesn't count.

on edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_in_the_American_Revolutionary_War

Just thought I'd add this for lurking freepers.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. Freepers prolly think of this when discussing said topic...

[leftstreet]

2. K&R

[madmax]

3. k&r

[OHdem10]

4. Reacting to Bond Markets demanding Austerity so deep and so

fast.

[reggie the dog]

5. this is how PEOPLE have a say in how their country is run

the port was blocked by demonstrators today in toulon and high school kids had demonstrations all over, thursday is another national strike day. i am going to bring my daughter to the strike for sure....

[leftstreet]

6. ...

Thanks for your updates.

Have you thought about writing in your DU Journal?