Please consider France’s Climate Change Commitments Trigger Rising Diesel Prices and Street Protests.
> On Saturday, more than 282,700 people, many clad in yellow vests, took to — and, in many places, also literally took — the streets, according to the French Interior Ministry. The ministry said a network of drivers blocked roads at some 2,000 locations across the country, generating backups for miles and causing one death.
> The protesters’ chief complaint: the rising cost of diesel fuel. The recent price hike is a direct result of President Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to curbing climate change, which included higher carbon taxes for 2018, the first full year of his term. But beyond the diesel issue, many turned out Saturday to voice any number of other frustrations with the “president for the rich,” who is seen as increasingly removed from ordinary people’s concerns.
> The stirrings of the “yellow vest” campaign behind Saturday’s protests began this summer, with online petitions urging Macron to reconsider. But the loudest voice was that of Jacline Mouraud, a white-haired hypnotist and grandmother of three from Brittany who has become the star of the movement.
> On Saturday, Mouraud was asked to explain the death of the protester. “I deplore the death of this woman,” she said, speaking to Europe 1 radio. “But who is responsible for this situation? The French government is responsible for the death of this woman.”
> According to a poll published Friday by the Odoxa agency for France’s Le Figaro newspaper — albeit with only 1,000 respondents — as many as 3 in 4 French people agree.
Location of Roadblocks
The lead image is from Anti-Carbon-Tax Revolt Threatens to Paralyze France
> The French government approved a measure in late 2017 increasing a direct tax on diesel as well as a tax on carbon, allegedly to fight against climate change. The so-called Contribution Climat Énergie (CCE), a French version of the carbon tax, has steadily increased fuel prices in recent years. Drivers across the country have balked at the rising price of diesel as it disproportionately affects workers who depend on their vehicles to get to and from their jobs. Two-thirds of French people expect a “social explosion” in coming months.
> The gilets jaunes are a grass-roots revolt against high fuel prices, and they threaten to paralyze France on Saturday.
> The gilets jaunes have organised at least 630 protests nationwide via the blocage17novembre.com website, designed by an 18-year-old student. Some call for go-slows on highways. Others want to block roads, which is punishable by two years in prison and a €4,500 fine. Interior minister Christophe Castaner says no “total blockage” will be tolerated.
> But several police unions have expressed sympathy, and promised not to punish petty or “middle-size” offences “out of solidarity with the citizens”.
> The rise of the gilets jaunes coincides with Macron’s record low 26 per cent approval rating. A poll published by Ifop on November 14th indicates two-thirds of French people expect a “social explosion” in coming months.
Make France Great Again
Those Tweets from Trump came in the midst of his visit to France last week.
Trump clashed with French President Emmanuel Macron as he arrived in Paris for a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War.
Macron Insists UK Abide by Climate Change Accord
Meanwhile, please note that Macron has placed a new demand on the UK in Brexit:
Macron Wants Climate Change to be Part of “Final” Brexit Deal.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Imagine how much “Russian interference” would be splashed across the pages of American journalism if Putin had said the same things about France as Trump has!!
The tax should be refundable. It would still encourage people to use less carbon but if you only use the average then your overall costs don’t go up.
People are finally getting fed up with their Socialist masters making them, little by little, properly poor.
I guess the French are not into curbing climate change where the rubber meets the road.
Being careful with energy usage is sensible but how often are these regulations used as non-tariff barriers? OFTEN.
Already talk of penalizing US for non-compliance to the Paris Accord.
They need some inflation in France too. Fuel is always a good way to stoke general market prices, shame for the plebs though.
There’s a hell of a lot of crony capitalism in France going back a very long way. That’s one reason they like the EU. Regulatory capture, crony capitalism etc to the detriment of open competition and ultimately the consumer.
Interesting news out of Renault today – possible arrests.
Good to see.
So we’ve had VW etc fiddling on emission tests, now possible Renault arrests for income matters etc. Banks next perhaps.
Question – what would be the consequence of a DB collapse in the EU and globally and what could cause it?
While a tax on carbon is an effective way to reduce carbon emissions, it will never be popular, nor accepted.
A tax on carbon is a way to lower local carbon emissions. It doesn’t magically cause fossil fuels to be left in the ground. Frenchies may no longer be able to afford demanding as much of it. Which will lower prices. Affording African militias the opportunity to burn more.
To believe that, in a world where billions of people’s children are starving, something as valuable as fossil fuels will be left in the ground for eternity; just because some rich twit on central bank welfare gets to feel virtuous by harassing his countrymen over it, is almost as naive as believing government is some sort of useful institution.
China emits more CO2 already than both USA and EU COMBINED and China’s CO2 emissions increased 4% in the first quarter of 2018 so all the cutbacks in CO2 in EU that will destroy EU countries economies will be more than negated by China’s increases alone since PAris Climate Change deal gave China freedom to increase their CO2 emissions until 2030 and since China’s “cut” is keeping emissions at 2030 level China is actually incentivized to increase their CO2 emissions as much as possible until 2030.
When one ads Africa’s increasing middle class and Africa’s population quadrupling into over 4 billion it is clear CO2 emissions will keep increasing massively no matter what EU does.
EU population seems to be so dumbed down they actually vote for politicians demanding and agreeing to massive CO2 cutbacks in EU that will destroy EU countries economies and feeling righteous while voting after which they continue buying Chinese made products therefore causing as consumers continued huge CO2 emission increases in China.
Media let’s European Greens spew hallucinatory rubbish without challenging them and major parties try to copy the Greens hallucinatory rubbish as policies in order to please the dumbed down electorate.
Maybe it is a Bad Idea to use the tax regime to try to enforce social goals. It would be better to keep the tax regime focused simply on providing the funds governments require to operate, and keeping taxes as simple and as broadly-applied as possible.
If the Political Class want to achieve some social goal — cutting CO2 emissions or reducing smoking — let them use direct mandates or rationing. Bring their actions out into the open so no-one will ever forget.
The bigger 2nd level picture. Tax diesel to use the revenue for tax breaks to encourage Private Equity groups out of London.
Others items, it could encourage EV adoption.
What he may not have realised is that encouraging more blatant capitalists to Paris can highlight social gaps in wealth. It can encourage more employment etc but will it do so quick enough for there not to be a backlash?
Macron is a form of populist nationalist with a bent to favour Capital over Labour. It can be a dangerous tightrope when the plebs wake up.
Yes, before anyone argues, he is Nationalistic & Populist if you talk to certain circles. Yes, he is also favouring Capital over Labour.
He has never laboured a day in his life but boy has he scurried around in the corridors of capital.
Never worked a day.
Always had everything on silver platter since young.
Is a fervent globalist with some nationalist policies like stopping African migrants wanting to come from Italy to France at the french border and sending them back to Italy if they sneak through the border.
However that was started by socialist Hollande in 2015 so it is NOT Macron’s policy he has just kept it up.
Globalism is driven largely by global corporations and their bought off political lackeys.
Macron got too much too young and he really believes that he is the globalist hero who will save the liberal globalist elite clique running the establishment in most western EU countries.
Macron should concentrate on deporting all criminal immigrants and stopping family based re-unification straight to welfare that is done by many 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants that bring wives and husbands from the original home country to live in France and make many babies on welfare.
Macron is right to continue the Hollande started policy of stopping migrants on the Italy border and throwing them back to Italy if they sneak to France but otherwise he is very clueless and full of himself and his great theories.
The Climate Change promises EU has made and that Macron and Merkel cheered are completely insane and unachievable without destroying EU economies.
You are correct. Climate change is based on faulty science and massive human overpopulation. Look at China.
I presume a social explosion means dealing with overpopulation or all those crazy immigrants that France has allowed to enter the country?
Seems like the common folk of the entire western world are sick of globalism, destruction of their culture/way of life and paying for insane big government schemes.
The national press of these places all seem to act the same way by calling them Nazis.
Something has got to give.
Indeed.
Very ironic that anyone sick of globalism is a Nazi. Isn’t a Socialist/Corporatist (otherwise known as Fascist) government what Hitler was going for? Why is it that Socialists blame that their opposition for exactly what they are doing at the moment?
I think you’re right. My fear is that when something gives the results are chaotic and everyone (well most) will lose. I would rather see managed change, if that’s even possible at this point.