Posts from — November 2010

by guest blogger Marc Cogan

Saturday showed us the last of the scheduled demonstrations against the Sarkozy government’s reform of the pension and retirement system–or, at least, of the current big change proposed by President Sarkozy: raising the retirement age from  60 to 62.   Now, the French unions and French workers are not delusional.  They too know that in this day and age retiring at 60 is a luxury few if any countries can afford.  But the unions are also all too aware that any change in the pension system passed into law this year will be only the first of a far more extensive set of concessions yet to come.  Rather than have the changes sprung on them one by one, the unions would like to be at the table negotiating the whole longterm package.

The series of impressive demonstrations put together by the major French unions over the last few months against the new laws–marches and strikes that were impressive both for the size of their participation and the breadth of public support–were more likely to have been aimed at leveraging an invitation to the unions to negotiate the new shape of the pension system than at stopping the passage of this first change.  Given the Sarkozy government’s majorities in both houses of the legislature, passage of the law was never in much doubt.  In fact, the law changing the retirement age from 60 to 62 received final approval on Tuesday, Oct. 26, when the Senate passed the final version of the bill.  This was more than a week before Saturday’s scheduled march, which would have made the march both futile and anti-climactic if its purpose had been to block passage of the law.

Seen in the context of a longer battle over the ultimate overhaul of the pension system, though, Saturday’s demonstrations took on their own appropriate strategic value, and in  this context were probably meant to be the culmination of the whole suite of demonstrations.   From that standpoint, they must have been something of a disappointment.  The weather certainly did not cooperate with the demonstrators.  Saturday dawned heavily overcast, and in Paris the rain began before noon–a steady, cold, and sometimes heavy rain.  Turnout was down, obviously, but in Paris at least, I’d say participation was still quite high.

The demonstration followed a familiar route: Place de la République to Place de la Bastille to Place de la Nation.  The organizers are real pros at this, knowing how to slow the marchers down so that the entire route is filled for hours; knowing when to hold marchers in place so that lines which may have gotten a little stretched and thin thicken up and seem more impressive.  As you can see from the photos, while umbrellas were de rigeur, the boulevards were pretty well filled, and for the more or less “standard” length of time for the itinerary.  (The photos were taken along the Boulevard Beaumarchais near the Place de la Bastille.)  The end of the marchers had still not filed through the Place de la Bastille more than two hours after the start of the march.

Spirits seemed good, despite the weather and despite the Senate vote which had already made the retirement age change law.  Many of the marching groups chanted calls for “tous ensemble, grève générale” (“all together now, general strike”).   While a general strike hardly seems likely at the present time–no noticeable public support for such a move, nor would this be the appropriate or most effective moment for it–Saturday’s marchers clearly recognized the need for some way of keeping the pressure on the government, and further agitation is no doubt being planned.

Guest post.

One of Paris’s lesser known (by tourists, anyway) treasures, the 4.5km Promenade Plantée – literally translated as ‘the planted stroll’, and also known as la Coulée verte – is a pleasant walk on the west-east axis of Paris from Opera Bastille to the Périphérique in the east. The section to the Jardin Reuilly is about 2 km. The promenade is elevated above street level on what was formerly a defunct railway viaduct (the railway closed in 1969) of 75 arches. The original red brick arches have been restored, renovated and enclosed with glass. They now house arts and crafts workshops, galleries, furniture showrooms, a restaurant and a café. The walk itself is a tranquil stroll between beautiful garden beds, at an eye-level with third-floor apartments. One can ascend to the viaduct behind the Opera near Bastille(or at Avenue Ledru-Rollin) at the western end. There are other stairs located at intervals.

In the early 1990s, the City of Paris and SEMAEST, Société d’Economie Mixte d’Aménagement de l’Est Parisien, transformed the weed-infested railway line into the Promenade Plantée, although walking along it one would imagine it to be much older.
The design was created by landscape architect Jacques Vergely and architect Philippe Mathieux.

The architects for the Viaduct des Arts were Patrick Berger and Jamine Galiano. The Promenade Plantee was the model for the plan developed by the Friends of the High Line in New York City.

The photo to the right shows a small group of artists completely absorbed in their work. The man in the foreground in the red t-shirt had a tiny palette of water-colour paints which he was using on a very small sheet of paper; all his equipment fitted into a case smaller than an iPad! Just as I took the shot the fellow in the grey jacket ambled with a studied insouciance into the space, making a nice foursome; the artists were so engrossed they looked up at no one.

Below, a gallery of photos from the Promenade and le Jardin Reuilly at the eastern end of my walk. Click to enlarge.

[Show as slideshow]