Knew it wouldn't be long before le hyperprésident took over the headlines. In the last couple of weeks La France has faced strikes on the railways, strikes among state employees, protests in schools & universities, two nights of rioting in a Parisian banlieue, the list keeps growing and Sarkozy's approval rating keeps falling. Yesterday morning he got back from a trip to China, went straight to visit injured gendarmes in hospital, received the families of the two jeunes whose deaths had sparked the riots, convened emergency cabinet meeting, then had breakfast.
Yesterday evening he gave an hour-long television interview on the two main terrestrial channels, addressing in particular the social unrest and "low purchasing power" (read pay) which is being portrayed as the main preoccupation of ordinary French people. The unions and the left have pointed out that he offered nothing concrete to help increase le pouvoir d'achat, the employers and the right have applauded him for "breaking the lock" on the 35 hour week. Plus ça change...
The blockades and unrest in the universities (and a few schools) continues. In Lyon yesterday there was a strange incident when students occupying a building in part of a university campus on the outskirts of Lyon were alleged to have gone to a nearby supermarket, filled 6 trolleys with food & supplies and barged out without paying. The university principal called in the police who arrested a dozen students. Randomly according to the students, who accused the principal of using the supermarket 'raid' as an excuse to end the occupation...
