{"id":182037,"date":"2019-01-13T08:05:09","date_gmt":"2019-01-13T08:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=182037"},"modified":"2019-01-17T05:51:59","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T05:51:59","slug":"french-democracy-dead-or-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=182037","title":{"rendered":"French Democracy Dead or Alive?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diana Johnstone \u2013 The Unz Review Jan 11, 2019<\/h1>\n
\"Gilets<\/a>

Gilets Jaunes song performed at French traffic circle: Les Gentils et les M\u00e9chants. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

Paris, France, 9 January 2019<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n
French Democracy Dead or Alive? Or perhaps one should say, buried or revived? Because for the mass of ordinary people, far from the political, financial, media centers of power in Paris, democracy is already moribund, and their movement is an effort to save it. Ever since Margaret Thatcher decreed that \u201cthere is no alternative\u201d, Western economic policy is made by technocrats for the benefit of financial markets, claiming that such benefits will trickle down to the populace. The trickle has largely dried up, and people are tired of having their needs and wishes totally ignored by an elite who \u201cknow best\u201d.<\/h5>\n
President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s New Year\u2019s Eve address to the nation made it perfectly clear that after one unconvincing stab at throwing a few crumbs to the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) protest movement, he has determined to get tough<\/h5>\n
France is entering a period of turmoil. The situation is very complex, but here are a few points to help grasp what this is all about.<\/h5>\n
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    The METHODS<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    The Yellow Vests gather in conspicuous places where they can be seen: the Champs-Elys\u00e9es in Paris, main squares in other cities towns, and the numerous traffic circles on the edge of small towns. Unlike traditional demonstrations, the Paris marches were very loose and spontaneous, people just walking around and talking to each other, with no leaders and no speeches.<\/h5>\n
    The absence of leaders is inherent in the movement. All politicians, even friendly ones, are mistrusted and no one is looking for a new leader.<\/h5>\n
    People are organizing their own meetings to develop their lists of grievances and demands.<\/h5>\n
    In the village of Commercy, Lorraine, a half hour drive from Domr\u00e9my where Jeanne d\u2019Arc was born, inhabitants gather to read their proclamation. Six of them read in turns, a paragraph each, making it quite clear that they want no leaders, no special spokesperson. They sometimes stumble over a word, they are not used to speaking in public like the TV talking heads. Their \u201cSecond appeal of the Gilets Jaunes de Commercy invites others to come to Commercy on January 26-27 for an \u201cassembly of assemblies\u201d.<\/h5>\n