A few hours from the end of 2019, the dispute could harden in France. In a document that BFM TV was able to obtain, sixteen deputies of the majority summoned the president to react quickly on the state of his proposed pension reform.
They asked that “the pension reform be clarified both in its content and in its objective” . Among them, fifteen LREM deputies as well as Matthieu Orphelin, ex-deputy of the party which left the presidential group, but which continues to sit in the ranks of the majority.
They denounced one point in particular: the pivotal age. “The pivotal age would be socially unjust […] Alternative solutions to the pivotal age exist, keep the dialogue alive in order to reach a viable consensus for all and thus carry out this important reform” , they told Emmanuel Macron.
The deputies therefore asked the president to put some water in his wine, especially since they consider the pension reform necessary. “The pivotal age at 64 for everyone is not the alpha and the omega to finance the pension system, there are alternatives. We are all for a perfect and universal reform and there is no one who says ‘let’s keep the special regimes, let’s stay with the current system’” Jean-François Cesarini, MP for Vaucluse told BFM TV.
But working more should not be at the expense of the “personal journeys of each”, said the deputy, which is why it is necessary to adjust the age depending on the kind of employment. On the eve of the New Year, Emmanuel Macron is preparing to be uncompromising during his vows to the Nation and will stand firm on the main lines of his reform, leaving Edouard Philippe fighting in the front line.
According to the Elysee Palace, the president must reaffirm his “strong ambition” for a pension reform that “corrects many inequalities” while being “open to dialogue”. He should also call for “appeasement, not confrontation”. Long awaited by the unions, this speech could influence the direction of the movement in the coming days.
Moreover, the torrents of indignation raised by the absence of presidential vows on the occasion of Christmas, has been denounced by the Elysée denounces an “unnecessary controversy”. But it says a lot about Macron’s sinking popularity nevertheless.
There are silences which make discontent rise. For the first time since his inauguration in 2017, the President of the Republic did not deign to send his wishes directly to the French on the occasion of Christmas.
The Nativity, which certainly concerns Christians first and foremost, remains a time of peace and love under the sign of the universal. Realizing the importance of this special time, many global leaders, whether Christian or not, formulate wishes each year at this period.
In France, a territory adorned with a “white cloak of churches” to use the formula of the year 1000 coined by historian Raoul Glaber, Christmas finds a very special resonance. Also, because Emmanuel Macron has been hiding from the French on December 24 and 25, it has caused some confusion among the population.
In fact, after having voted twice against the National Rally of Marine Le Pen, in 2002 and 2017, the author of “Au revoir là-haut” said that he would not repeat his mistake.
It was real rage that Pierre Lemaitre expressed in French weekly Le Journal du dimanche. He says he was very upset about the policy of Emmanuel Macron. The famous writer – who is a leftist -assured the weekly that he regretted his vote in the second round of the 2017 presidential election. The winner of the 2013 Goncourt Prize even hinted that he could vote Marine Le Pen in the event of a new duel in 2022.
“The day I learn that more and more women are giving birth on the street, Bernard Arnault becomes the richest man in the world. What does Emmanuel Macron do? ISF, unemployment insurance, pensions,” he said. And the author attacked famous artists of the left, like Alain Souchon or Renaud, who support the head of state.
“They are not opportunists, they are sincere. They got gentrified. They want calm. Their old values no longer make them feel anything,” he said, explaining that, conversely, he was radicalizing: “I am getting more angry. I do not hate the rich: my struggle is the gap between the rich and the poor.”
He added: “For the last election, I did not vote for Emmanuel Macron but against Marine Le Pen […]. There was Jacques Chirac in 2002 and Emmanuel Macron in 2017. There will be no third time,” he assured the JDD.
This choice is motivated by the repressive policy according to him implemented by the government of Edouard Philippe. “Police violence is indisputable. The police attacks are scandalous,” he said. For him, “we have entered an authoritarian democracy”.
“Could Marine Le Pen have done worse?” he concluded.
News that French President Emmanuel Macron plans bestow France’s greatest honor to the city of London, is proving to be another nail in his coffin.
Le Figaro reported that the Legion of Honor, France’s highest order of merit, will be conferred on London during France’s ‘year of de Gaulle’ in 2020, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the death of former president and French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle.
The general lived in exile in the British capital during the Nazi occupation of France in the Second World War.
“Macron would do well to reread the history of France,” an angry French citizen tweeted in response. Another person wondered “is it April 1st already?”
This gesture by Macron seems totally irrelevant since he is not focusing his attention on resolving the ongoing strikes against pension reform, but on trivial matters.