Le roi des ordures: How Macron’s Pension Age Push Led to Paris on Fire
Édith Piaf’s 1954 hit Sous le ciel de Paris remains prevalent in 2023 with the line “près de Notre Dame, parfois couve un drama,” which roughly translates to, “next to Notre Dame, there is a building drama.” Following Macron's decision to raise the pension age from 62 to 64, riots have been pervasive in Paris. In most Western countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, the average official retirement age is between 62-68, but leaning towards the end of the range, putting the French in first place for the youngest pension age. It has been two weeks since Macron’s controversial decision, but the protests seem to have only begun.
The controversy following Macron’s decision may be because he raised the pension age during an economically difficult period, but its roots go much beyond this surface-level analysis. On March 16th, 2023, Macron announced this decision following the utilisation of the 49:3 article in the French constitution, which allows the government to pass a bill without a vote of parliament. Preceding this decision, there had been months of discussing and arguing this bill, and President Macron and Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne had no hopes or positive attitudes towards winning the majority to pass the bill – thus, the enactment of article 49:3. The controversy and outrage began immediately, from politicians and citizens alike. The parliament could put a vote of no confidence ahead, but that would require the radical left and the radical right to collaborate, which is not favourable in the cards for either party.
Macron has a history of being unpopular with those in the workforce and proposing bills that would arguably disadvantage them. The pension system in France is the one with the youngest age in the European Union, but one that the people of France argue they deserve. There is significant funding put towards the pension system based on payroll charges of the working society, but this leads to the guarantee of a state pension from France. Increasing the age of 62 to 64 would create a lot of new requirements and difficulties for the French, including the loss of privileges for those who work in the public sector.
This move made by President Macron is not out of the ordinary – in 2019, he wanted to remove the 42 “special regimes” that different categories had. This led to an outburst of rage and protests, and would not stop until the COVID-19 pandemic required Macron to halt such reforms. In a country where the left is radically left, and the right is radically right, a centrist president, such as the Renaissance party Macron, is bound to make a decision that would cause such riots. Regardless of the political standing of one in France, they are angered by the lack of relationship between the society and the government. Macron is no different than former presidents Hollande and Sarkozy. He has created reforms and displayed ideas that he will enact regardless of the opinion of the French, and believes he will change France, but against their will. As well, Macron provided false promises to France, stating he will attempt to remove the influence of interests in politics and unions. This did not happen. The protests are ultimately a result of the culmination of the anger of the French citizens that was set aflame by the usage of the 49:3 article.
Despite the news attention on the severity of the riots and protests in France, this is not something new to them. Macron’s utilisation of article 49:3 goes against a very important standard in French culture of popular sovereignty. There is a larger distinction between the people and the government now, which fuels and allows the current protests. Rooting back to the French Revolution, if the people of France feel they are being weakened and pushed by the government, they will push back harder. From smaller protests such as Sorbonne University students protesting against justice issues to the Yellow Vest protests (also under Macron's presidency), there is no fear from the French to demonstrate what they are capable of to the government. With a history and cultural background of protesting and rioting, due to an absolute monarch ruling, the French do not want to return to that ruling of power. When there is any indication of ignorance of citizens' voices, they turn to protest to remind the government of what they are there for.
With protests often ending with violence from the police or ultimate authority from the government, it is questionable what it will take to end the strengths of the current protests. From setting the Bordeaux city hall on fire to unions around Paris refusing to remove rubbish bins, the French are putting all their force to demonstrate to Macron what they are capable of. Former Rothsfield and Co. investment banker Macron is dealing with the consequences of the reform that will impact the working class of France, and the consequences are winning. With no clear end in sight for the protests, the people of France are making their French Revolution ancestors proud.
Image courtesy of Jeanne Menjoulet via Flickr, ©2023, some rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St. Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.
