Daily Lessons from Life 16 Oct 2010 - France braces for fresh pension reform protest

"France braces for fresh pension reform protest - Sat, Oct 16, 2010 AFP

PARIS - France braced for another day of street rallies against pension reform Saturday as rolling strikes cut the fuel pipeline to Paris airports and shut down most of the country's oil refineries.


High-school students have increasingly joined the protests against President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, with riot police firing tear gas and arresting over 200 at student rallies on Friday.

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux has told police to 'limit the use of force to what is strictly necessary' when dealing with the students ahead of Saturday's protests, the fifth in less than six weeks.

The Unions want to pummel the government into backing down from this pension reform!"

This is a classical real life example of Predictably Irrational behavior! I am sure some learned and smart people in the Unions and in the Student Bodies understand that France is facing, like many so-called advance countries in the world, a diminishing population and an imbalance in that there is a growing older population with lesser younger one. By simple mathematics capable by a primary school student, this CANNOT last!! YET, the response to a Rational Policy is Irrational Strikes to 'pummel' the government to back down from such a 'stupid' plan!!

Lessons for me are:

1. when there is fear that cut into self-interest, emotion takes over. Or rationality is conveniently pushed aside as it is NOT advantageous to face the Truth! e.g. the older Unionists want to enjoy their retirement and pension, the younger one does not want the older workers to work for 2 more years as jobs are already scarce for them!;

2. the protagonists in this situation MUST recognize that the efforts to 'share the truth' must be RELENTLESS and on a MASSIVE scale. No effort should be spared to communicate with the people. Not by sermonizing but through sincere and honest dialogue;

3. Facts and figures should be displayed everywhere and IN-YOUR-FACE! Coupled by emotional appeal on 'where will France be? what will be the future of the French people' IF the people insist on resisting this plan?

It is a very challenging issue. Creating enough jobs for the majority of the population in ANY COUNTRY is increasingly a very difficult challenge. Perhaps my call to re-look the Old Economic Model of Growth needs to be heeded. As I said before, I do not have the answer as I lack the expertise. The people in government EVERYWHERE should band together to research this question. One answer I posted is: Less consumption in terms of Quantity but work on increasing low cost quality living and responsible consumption may help!

Viva France!!