Two million protest in France against government austerity policies
Antoine Lerougetel
World Socialist Web Site
Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:21 EDT
France Protest 1
<--- http://www.sott.net/articles/show/2...-France-against-government-austerity-policies
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Woerth, Sarkozy, try a bit harder, soon France will be the world champion for corruption
As many as two million people, according to trade union estimates, took to the streets in 200 towns and cities on Thursday in France's day of action in defence of pensions. The numbers considerably surpassed the one million mobilized on May 27, reflecting rising popular resistance to the austerity programmes being imposed at the behest of the banks in France and by governments all over Europe.
The protests, however, called by the trade unions, were designed to contain and dissipate this mass opposition. In this, the unions are supported by the bourgeois left Socialist Party (PS), the Communist Party (PCF), the Left Party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon (PG) and the ex-radical New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) of Olivier Besancenot.
The pension cuts are part of measures required by the European Commission to reduce France's budget deficit of 8 percent of gross national product to 3 percent of GDP by 2013, which will involve €100 billion in cuts. Sarkozy aims to raise the pension age from 60 to 63.
However, on the day of the protest Le Monde published an interview with Socialist Party deputy Didier Migaud, who chairs the Court of Accounts, the fiscal watchdog. He presented the body's latest report on the state of the country's finances, which stresses that €100 billion will not be enough. Migaud is a member of the national secretariat of the PS as an adviser on finance and fiscal policy to Martine Aubry, the first secretary of the party.
France Protest 2
© World Socialist Web Site
A real pension at 60 is possible - tax profits
He urged: "It's necessary to act on all parameters, age, pay-in period, level of pensions, cost of contributions and the fund base. ... But pensions are not the only issue. We have to scrutinise social funding globally. "
In this Migaud is fully in line with the IMF director general and PS heavyweight Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is the frontrunner for the nomination as PS candidate in the 2012 presidential elections. Strauss-Kahn has been instrumental in imposing the Greek austerity programme, among others, which have cut wages and pensions by up to half.
Antoine Lerougetel
World Socialist Web Site
Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:21 EDT
France Protest 1
<--- http://www.sott.net/articles/show/2...-France-against-government-austerity-policies
<
Woerth, Sarkozy, try a bit harder, soon France will be the world champion for corruption
As many as two million people, according to trade union estimates, took to the streets in 200 towns and cities on Thursday in France's day of action in defence of pensions. The numbers considerably surpassed the one million mobilized on May 27, reflecting rising popular resistance to the austerity programmes being imposed at the behest of the banks in France and by governments all over Europe.
The protests, however, called by the trade unions, were designed to contain and dissipate this mass opposition. In this, the unions are supported by the bourgeois left Socialist Party (PS), the Communist Party (PCF), the Left Party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon (PG) and the ex-radical New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) of Olivier Besancenot.
The pension cuts are part of measures required by the European Commission to reduce France's budget deficit of 8 percent of gross national product to 3 percent of GDP by 2013, which will involve €100 billion in cuts. Sarkozy aims to raise the pension age from 60 to 63.
However, on the day of the protest Le Monde published an interview with Socialist Party deputy Didier Migaud, who chairs the Court of Accounts, the fiscal watchdog. He presented the body's latest report on the state of the country's finances, which stresses that €100 billion will not be enough. Migaud is a member of the national secretariat of the PS as an adviser on finance and fiscal policy to Martine Aubry, the first secretary of the party.
France Protest 2
© World Socialist Web Site
A real pension at 60 is possible - tax profits
He urged: "It's necessary to act on all parameters, age, pay-in period, level of pensions, cost of contributions and the fund base. ... But pensions are not the only issue. We have to scrutinise social funding globally. "
In this Migaud is fully in line with the IMF director general and PS heavyweight Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is the frontrunner for the nomination as PS candidate in the 2012 presidential elections. Strauss-Kahn has been instrumental in imposing the Greek austerity programme, among others, which have cut wages and pensions by up to half.
