Sarkozy meet France: STRIKE

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7093373.stm
<snip>
France is suffering travel chaos after transport unions broadened a strike in protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reforms.

Train, subway and bus workers joined an open-ended walk-out. Hundreds of kilometres of traffic jams were reported on roads into the capital.

State-run gas and electricity sectors workers are also protesting.

The BBC's Alasdair Sandford in Paris says that with students, teachers, civil servants and even magistrates threatening strike action over separate issues, the fear for the government is that this becomes a general wave of protest against economic hardship.

Mr Sarkozy wants to cut pensions that allow some public employees to retire on a full pension as early as 50 and says he is determined to stay the course, despite the strike threat. "I will carry out these reforms right to the end. Nothing will put me off my goal," he told the European Parliament during a visit to Strasbourg, reminding everyone that he was elected on a reform mandate.
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Yeh right!

Bravo French people!

That "nothing will put me off my goal" stuff might just lead to a vote of no-confidence and a new election, Monsieur Poodle :rofl:

:rofl:

but Sarkozy's UMP majority are about as free spirited as US Republicans. They will stay lock step, unless polls really go into the toilet. It's four years until the next parliamentary election.

to dissolve the parliament if he choses to. There are probably some impeachment mechanisms, but France is a republic, a vote of non-confidence has no power on him, I blieve.

Against the Deutsche Bahn. It's kind of a chaos right now, but most of the people support the train drivers. The DB is being stingy with them.

:nopity:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7094525.stm

<snip>
The French trade unions staging a series of strikes and protests against a pension-reform plan are following a well-established procedure.

The government calls for urgent change and draws up a proposal; those affected paralyse much of the country; the plan is shelved.

This may not be the way the constitution says laws should be made, but France has a time-honoured tradition of legislating from the street.

French-style people power has even acquired a force that trumps representative rule.

Last year students and unions - who are at the forefront of the current revolt - objected to a move that made it easier to hire and fire young people.

The law was abandoned, although it had been overwhelmingly approved by the national assembly.

The climbdown was widely seen as a wise move: protesters in France often have more legitimacy than mere MPs.
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