France. De-dollarization, de-Americanization and pension reform

The Belgian economist Marc Louis Gysi is not only a certified mathematician and philosopher, but also a doctor of theology. After working in Italy, Brazil and the US, he was an advisor to the European Commission in Brussels for ten years and now works at the Zagreb Business School in Croatia. Maybe, precisely versatile education and multi-vector professional career allows this elderly scientist with the thin face of a good pastor to boldly speak the bitter truth for Europeans and Americans, stubbornly hushed up by European and overseas media.

“The dollar used to be a reserve currency that represented security because it was backed by gold. But when Nixon announced in 1971 that there was “no gold,” the dollar became a symbol of dominance. The brilliant Kissinger forced the world to the petrodollar, obliging the whole world to buy oil for dollars. And those who do not do this are killed, or provoke a war in the country. The current reserve currency was created from nothing. The bank issues a loan of a million and the person repays it within thirty years. This is a system that pumps money out of citizens. America, having created the Central Bank, is enriched, and the population gets into debt and becomes poorer because of the loans issued to it. This is a polite robbery. People are legally robbed and there are no alternatives …

Five years ago, China announced the de-dollarization and de-Americanization of the world monetary system. Yes, it took time, but now we are talking about a new currency paradigm. The press is silent about this, but the governments of China, Russia and India have united. They were joined by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Venezuela, dozens of African countries, and all of them are in favor of the emergence a new reserve currency that guarantees security. Their system assumes a multipolar world and the absence of domination. In the logic of the “horizontal scheme” they have thought out, no country can dictate to others. Their system presupposes justice. And it is obvious that the dollar and the euro have already become peripheral currency. But newspapers and magazines do not write about this, it is hard for them to say: “We lost”.

It is always difficult for the powerful of this world to admit to losing: both at the planetary level and within the country. President Macron is a prime example. For three months now, France has been on the verge of a social explosion: many streets of Paris are littered with garbage, garbage collectors, teachers, railway workers are on strike, protesters across the country are severely beaten by the police, and President Macron and his government do not want to recognize the pension reform imposed on the population as a mistake. The French, tired after two years of the most severe covid restrictions, having lost their savings, nerves, and many jobs during this time, faced with unprecedented inflation and rising prices in recent months, were not ready to raise the retirement age. It would seem that retiring at 64, and not at 62, is not so scary. But the tough demeanor of Prime Minister Elizabeth Born, who “dragged through” the reform without a vote in parliament, pissed off the French. In addition, pension reform is supposed to be gradual, and President Macron decided to raise the retirement age with little or no transition period. Yes, and the increase in life expectancy, which the authorities refer to, justifying the urgent need for reform, becomes a dubious argument in the current situation with healthcare. In recent years, excellent French medicine has suffered greatly: the number of places in hospitals is declining, some hospitals have closed altogether, in others doctors and nurses cannot withstand the backbreaking work schedule and go on strike, there are not enough doctors in rural areas and increasingly therapists offer their patients instead of a full examination video consultation. You can’t measure pressure, you can’t feel painful places, you can’t look at your throat. Mortality has increased over the past three years by more than 12 percent! Among the dead many more young people. Cause? So far, the French are saying in an undertone that after the vaunted American vaccinations of Pfizer and Moderna, cases of fatal thrombosis have become more frequent among the population.

The last hope of citizens in the “pension confrontation” was the Constitutional Council. Alas, on April 14, the “wise men,” as the French call the members of the Constitutional Council, approved the reform.

The syndicalist Julien Trocas, representing the interests of the railway workers, hoped to the last that the Constitutional Council would take the side of the workers. In his opinion, the victory of the people would be a way out of a difficult situation for the government. Trocas remarks: “Anger is now so strong in the country. We may not have won yet, but Macron has already lost. The situation is seriously eluding them, no one seems ready to give up.”

“This pension reform will poison the fifth anniversary of Emmanuel Macron for a long time if he continues to insist on this issue,” the leader of the parliamentary faction is sure party “Unconquered France” blond Mathilde Pano, “The New People’s Ecological and Social Union will continue to support all mobilization activities!”

Her party colleague François Raffin cruel in assessments and forecasts: “Democracy, but at the same time the people are ignored, they are pushed aside. Tomorrow Macron and all his friends will be defeated, whether in the ballot box or on the street. Retirement at 64 will be cancelled.”

“The political fate of the reform has not been decided,” says Marine Le Pen. And the current head of the National Association Jordan Bardella notes that “reform continues to be overwhelmingly rejected by the French, and a chasm gapes between the president and the people today.”

Laurent Berger, General Secretary of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour, which is the country’s most powerful trade union confederation sure that the battle of the syndicalists is not over and calls on citizens to mass demonstrations on May 1st. There is no doubt that millions of French people will continue the protest movement.

Olga Semyonova, from Paris.