a year ago, a world away

sauvons l’hôpital public

reactionaries behind wheels

France was hit by hundreds of blockades yesterday, sometimes with dramatic consequences, as a reaction to the planned ecological tax on gas announced by the French government. As in every occasion French drivers are impacted by new laws or taxes, from reducing the legal speed limit to installing new radars, to tolls for trucks, they react like a Swiss watch, blocking streets and highways, often with success in the end. As in the previous “bonnets rouges” movement (making me wonder why these actions are always connected with clothes!). While being highly privileged to be able to bike to work (or to use the local trains, when they run) and to shop locally, I am struck by the doubly myopic of the protesters, myopy of not seeing the larger picture of the urgent need to cut the addiction to cars  with obvious negative consequences in the short term and myopy of seeing these protests as “spontaneous” and “politically neutral” despite the immediate recuperation by the fringe political parties. And thus hope the French government will hold on that measure (despite its poor record so far in terms of ecological policy).

Trump is coming…

 

In conjunction with the official (if not state-) visit of Donald Trump to the UK, a list of demonstrations throughout the kingdom, on top of the national demonstration in London on July 13, Together Against Trump, jointly organised by the Stop Trump Coalition (STC) and Stand Up To Trump (SUTT). (Even stoptrump.uk wrong address returns an appropriate heading!)

Oxford snapshot