Unequivocal Discontent: The Paris General Strike
“The sun is lost, and hearth, and no man’s wit can well direct him where to look for it”.
John Dunne
Paris, France
The French Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité, or CRS, are notorious for their aggression with protesters, and today is no exception. Over 800,000 demonstrators have gathered across Paris to mark one of the biggest public sector strikes in decades against Emmanuel Macron’s planned changes to the pension system. The pitched battles between the so-called ‘casseurs’ and French security services attract most of the media attention, but beyond this performative game of cat and mouse, most aren’t interested in causing public damage. Diane, a shy retired teacher looks on nervously at the chaos of burning vehicles and smashed glass from a safe distance. She came out in solidarity with her former colleagues, angry and worried that these reforms will leave future generations with even less. Her pension is already barely enough to live off as it is. Despite her empathy with those in the ensuing melee, she cautions that smashing up the banks may feel good, but it won’t pay our rent.
To look for a target in the complex and impersonal system of the global political economy is tempting, and Macron in this instance seems to offer just such a target. But this isn’t like in the stories where we can merely cut off the head of the snake. The system is complicated, and we are all party to it, whether we like it or not. Often, our governments don’t necessarily have any better handle on how to reorganise the system than we do. Across the world, civil unrest is erupting with increasing frequency. 2019 was dubbed ‘the year of protest’ by the media as demonstrations unfolded from London to La Paz. Protest is no doubt an important tool for keeping governments in check when the procedural channels fail to live up to their promise. But despite historic victories, just how often does it succeed, particularly in the long-run? As many across the Middle East and North Africa found out to their dismay in the years following 2011, changing the politicians in the system, even changing the politics of the system, means little without changing the system of politics.
As the hangover from the neoliberal economics of the past four decades kicks in not just in Paris but elsewhere too, it has become apparent that our politics and markets are clearly working far better for some more than others. How did we get to this point?
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