Post: #276

(12-10-2018 12:43 PM)Foolsgo1d Wrote:  ^ Wont happen. British people are not revolutionaists like France nor are they pathological like the Germans.

These protests are an indication but how is life day to day in france? Im of the opinion that if the majority of people get 2-3 meals a day and have electricity and water then they wont step out of that zone in order to eradicate the people at the top.

I commuted somewhere today with a guy who is fully entwined in French life and mixes with enough locals using his fluent French (even though he isn’t) and every time i see him it takes an hour for him to rant and rave about just how goddam difficult it is to live in France.

How he’s trying to do the right thing by himself and his family but he just can’t get on because of the taxes and the red tape. It’s not just him, all of his French friends have the same issues.

I keep telling him to get out, all of his former French colleagues are now over in Switzerland living well and earning well. He now works exclusively with Romanians because they can’t get over the border into Switzerland.

He’s the frog in the pot and he can’t see it.

Post: #277

I'm sure something is lost in translation, but Macron's speech seems technocratic, personally threatened, and utterly lacking in a unitary national vision.

The proposals make sense to me from an American taxpayer's perspective, but even the way he explains them seems like he's describing the New Deal in a high school history class, like there's going to be a quiz later and you don't need to really "get it". I'm curious to hear how it's received by those who live in the French system.

Post: #278

(12-10-2018 10:02 AM)Jetset Wrote:  

(12-08-2018 12:45 PM)Montrose Wrote:  The crowd were ´white trash’ from rural Picardy, Normandy and Artois, with a strong country accent, rather genial and cheerful.

This is not a deep insight, but one of the things that struck me when I visited France - and I realize that the people I met were subject to selection bias - was that rural people were pretty upbeat and alert.

I would go so far as to call them "bouncy". It's not easy to find communities of rural Americans, at least in the northeast and midwest, who can be described this way.

It's easy to roll your eyes when someone who drifts through most of their life like a dead-eyed zombie complains about the government and makes a bunch of empty promises about what they're going to do about it. They've never done anything about anything and they won't do anything about it now. It's less easy to dismiss people who are, if not sophisticated enough to fully understand what they're getting into, broadly functional, curious, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed enough to figure it out as they go.

You speak the truth about the northeast US. In New Hampshire, we live in a bubble. Or, at least we have for a long time. I'm not even quite sure why, but I suspect it's because it's such a rural state - it hasn't been a major target for large corporate interests. But the state has gone purple recently, largely because all the wealthy people that vacation here also vote here, but also the shifting demographics of Salem and Nashua, I suspect.

Side note, you should see some of these fucking houses. They're not just big, they're big and on the sides of mountains (Triple H has a fucking house up here, shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh).

We have a couple of real estate developer brothers who have been sponsoring the resettlement of "new Americans" for the last dozen years. Seems remarkably transparent to me. Things are shifting, slowly, but noticeably. Our political representation in Washington is entirely blue and female, for instance.

But generally speaking, there's a political hush over the landscape. I've seen people on the side of the road with signs, usually for a candidate, occasionally for a cause, and there are plenty of political campaign bills in yards and such (I saw a work truck covered in Trump signs a few weeks ago in downtown; I also see a ton of "stand with planned parenthood" signs), but I never see any marches, or protests, or anything like that. There was ONE incident, the only one like it I've ever seen in 5 years living here, and that was a bunch of high school students and adults holding an anti-gun rally on the state house lawn. Gun Owners of NH and a couple of other groups showed up with their own signs to counter protest. The troopers and local cops were there in some pretty impressive numbers keeping an eye on things. And then it just sort of dissipated.

I don't know what we are. There are definitely plenty of savvy blue collar guys in the state. But I can't say if there's any fervor behind it.

Post: #279

Macron's Address starts at 0:13:53....

Post: #280

Macron's speech in one word: uninspiring

Post: #281

We will soon see if Macron has won the crowd with his declaration.

Post: #282

(12-10-2018 04:37 PM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Macron's speech in one word: uninspiring

Disagree, it's inspiring all right; it's going to inspire bigger protests.

Post: #283

(12-10-2018 03:07 PM)Ski pro Wrote:  

(12-10-2018 12:43 PM)Foolsgo1d Wrote:  ^ Wont happen. British people are not revolutionaists like France nor are they pathological like the Germans.

These protests are an indication but how is life day to day in france? Im of the opinion that if the majority of people get 2-3 meals a day and have electricity and water then they wont step out of that zone in order to eradicate the people at the top.

I commuted somewhere today with a guy who is fully entwined in French life and mixes with enough locals using his fluent French (even though he isn’t) and every time i see him it takes an hour for him to rant and rave about just how goddam difficult it is to live in France.

How he’s trying to do the right thing by himself and his family but he just can’t get on because of the taxes and the red tape. It’s not just him, all of his French friends have the same issues.

I keep telling him to get out, all of his former French colleagues are now over in Switzerland living well and earning well. He now works exclusively with Romanians because they can’t get over the border into Switzerland.

He’s the frog in the pot and he can’t see it.

White Flight / economic migration isn't in the DNA of most Western Europeans yet. Not like the ones who came to USA and over the generations would move to different farms and cities.

There's virtually no reason for someone to be in UK / France / Scandinavia unless they have some kind of government job clearing $80,000+ a year. Especially if you can figure out how to make money online then your quality of life will be higher elsewhere (definitely was the case for me. I went from roommates + eating beans & rice at home to no roommates and eating well in Eastern Europe / Asia. I get nagged all the time by relatives and friends about when I am coming back).

Post: #284

(12-10-2018 05:47 PM)BaatumMania Wrote:  I get nagged all the time by relatives and friends about when I am coming back).

Give it a few more years...then they'll be asking how they can join you over in Asia.

Post: #285

Haven't seen any full transcripts of Macron's speech, so I'm relying on Zeroedge's article on it; regular MSM seems very quiet or isn't reporting on the speech, at least not in English.

Quote:Macron - whose approval rating is at an all time low, says he has asked his government to increase wages by 100 euros per month beginning in January as part of a series of new measures to be released in detail on Tuesday. He also announced that overtime hours won't be subject to payroll tax, and that his administration will scrap a tax hike on poor and low-income retirees. Furthermore, Mcron asked companies to pay end-of-year bonuses which won't be taxed, and will suspend a CSG levy on pensions below 2,000 euros per month.

Now we'll see whether the French really want change or not and see whether they recognise this as the cheese in a trap. Overtime hours not being subject to income tax favours people working themselves to death. Also favours employers colluding with employees to cause tax evasion, since the source for what's overtime and what's not comes from the employer.

Quote:"When violence is unleashed, freedom ends," said Macron - while acknowledging that there is a "deep anger" at the French government that is justified - yet which should not devolve into violence.

That's amusing words from someone whose country was basically founded on violence, that's what the storming of the Bastille was rather about.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #286

(12-10-2018 07:13 PM)Paracelsus Wrote:  That's amusing words from someone whose country was basically founded on violence, that's what the storming of the Bastille was rather about.

Could say the same about the US. But look at us. Red flag laws, Corporate monopolies that are basically separate governments doing whatever they want, due process out the window in a lot of cases, and the bankers

Post: #287

The speech was basically a joke. It was recorded and not a live broadcast when everyone expect him to appear and talk to people. Guess he's too afraid he will let slip his usual "im surrounded bt plebs" attitude. Speech sounds like the usual election campaign full of promises and no substance.

Feedback is rather negative if twitter/Facebook is anything to go by. All of these are band-aid solutions or worse, because none of those is enforceable. Minimum wage only concern a very small number of people. Year-end bonus as well as extra hours all depend on the employer and most dont pay for extra hour anyway. You can't force companies to pay those, only "encourage" like he said, and obviously no company like giving freebies to the plebs.

Most of the gilet jaunes are unconvinced. They are currently in the thinking phase but as soon as they see through this farce they would get back to it. Again its gonna be a battle of will. We will see if they decide to continue, in which case they would need to up the ante.

Post: #288

(12-10-2018 05:07 PM)balybary Wrote:  We will soon see if Macron has won the crowd with his declaration.

Post: #289

I've not seem much on this, but from what I have it brings to mind a phrase which I have been thinking about a lot of late.

The left have been going on for a few years about "late capitalism" as a way of describing the circumstances that have led to the yellow vests movement.

But capitalism is simply property rights enforced by government. It isn't anything other than that.

In that regard your property rights have been in decline for the last ten years or so. It's diminishing capitalism, but is far from late capitalism. And the left says capitalism is disappearing under its own weight, whereas it's disappearing under the weight of the growing state.

Then if you look at it from the other corporatist angle, "capitalism" has never done better with hyper-oiled corporate machines like Amazon that have wrecked the credo distribution in retail, which I don't think is sustainable long-term.

What we are actually see is late social democracy. Macron is the last shot at the continuation of the social democratic model of balancing the interests of those who can manage their lives, those who can't and everyone in between. The social democratic model is no longer viable due to demographics, immigration and a over-pampered youth who don't know how unusual the relatively fat times they grew up in were.

If you look at polling in Britain people want lower taxes and more services. The people have been removed from decisions which used to be handled locally or privately and have reneged on most of their responsibilities to politicians they don't like who can only get elected by lying.

No one can get elected by telling the truth. It's interesting, as much as we have an elite running roughshod over us on issues such as sovereignty and immigration, they are completely trapped on economics. Macron told us what he'd do and many were OK with it enough to vote him in. He hasn't even done a good job of his pledges on business and he's in the toilet. The population is largely economically illiterate.

The only thing any party can do to get elected is say they will continue the welfare state and promise a brighter future.

This seems to be the what's going on with the yellow jackets. People who want more for the same or less input.

Tony Blair had a 93% approval rating when he was elected. It took about ten years for him to become as reviled as Macron. He's got to the same point in one year and without disastrous wars based on lies.

In terms of France - the future is Melenchon, La Pen and other such figures. Social democracy is dying rapidly and will be replaced by those blaming everything on the rich on those who want to cut back on some of the disastrous left-wing policies.

Post: #290

(12-10-2018 11:27 PM)gework Wrote:  ...

The only thing any party can do to get elected is say they will continue the welfare state and promise a brighter future.

...

People say this but is it true?

They said Trump's election strategy was suicide but he won. Sometimes people are less allergic to the truth and the promise of a hard slog back to greatness than one might think.

Such as it is, most major political parties are shills for the elite regardless of whether they cast themselves as progressive or conservative, so it hardly matters what their election promises are.

My ears will perk up when a politician promises me misery now in exchange for a better future for my kids.

Post: #291

(12-11-2018 12:52 AM)Leonard D Neubache Wrote:  

(12-10-2018 11:27 PM)gework Wrote:  ...

The only thing any party can do to get elected is say they will continue the welfare state and promise a brighter future.

...

People say this but is it true?

They said Trump's election strategy was suicide but he won. Sometimes people are less allergic to the truth and the promise of a hard slog back to greatness than one might think.

Such as it is, most major political parties are shills for the elite regardless of whether they cast themselves as progressive or conservative, so it hardly matters what their election promises are.

My ears will perk up when a politician promises me misery now in exchange for a better future for my kids.

But what is misery? The end of a new iPhone every 6 months? The end of being able to stuff my face with hot and spicy cheez its and double stuffed oreos? The end of working a soul sucking job you don't honestly give a fuck about? The end of consuming Jewish approved faggot degenerate entertainment? The end of sending our kids to school to learn about transrights and white guilt by a bunch of pedophiles? The end of having a lazy over paid doctor prescribe you designer drugs to cover up your symptoms with no intention of truly curing you? The end of driving a shiny new car with heated leather seats the bank let you buy?

This is the modern American dream, or the western dream, that most of the people around us are comfortable and content with. A lot of us don't live it. I don't live it, because to me IT IS misery.

I'm not in the west currently, but I think a lot about what life could be like if I return indefinitely. I think the life I'd live, would be considered misery to most empty cosmopolitan Americans. But in the end they'll find that the jokes on them.

Post: #292

(12-10-2018 12:34 PM)sterlingarcher Wrote:  Imagine if there was a military coup in the UK...

The Army is a true British demographic, unlike urban civilian populations.

Under the 1% of red trousers wearing old money motherfuckers there are thousands of regular British guys sick of fake wars.

If that were to happen, it would have to be soon, 'cos our globalist overlords are working hard to change those army demographics as quickly as they can. I know this from having relatives and friends in the forces, plus the fucking adverts and promotional material they give out is a dead giveaway. Bastards.

Post: #293

(12-11-2018 01:50 AM)aeroektar Wrote:  But what is misery? The end of a new iPhone every 6 months? The end of being able to stuff my face with hot and spicy cheez its and double stuffed oreos? The end of working a soul sucking job you don't honestly give a fuck about? The end of consuming Jewish approved faggot degenerate entertainment? The end of sending our kids to school to learn about transrights and white guilt by a bunch of pedophiles? The end of having a lazy over paid doctor prescribe you designer drugs to cover up your symptoms with no intention of truly curing you? The end of driving a shiny new car with heated leather seats the bank let you buy?

This is the modern American dream, or the western dream, that most of the people around us are comfortable and content with. A lot of us don't live it. I don't live it, because to me IT IS misery.

I'm not in the west currently, but I think a lot about what life could be like if I return indefinitely. I think the life I'd live, would be considered misery to most empty cosmopolitan Americans. But in the end they'll find that the jokes on them.

Post: #294

(12-11-2018 01:50 AM)aeroektar Wrote:  ...

But what is misery? The end of a new iPhone every 6 months? The end of being able to stuff my face with hot and spicy cheez its and double stuffed oreos? The end of working a soul sucking job you don't honestly give a fuck about? The end of consuming Jewish approved faggot degenerate entertainment? The end of sending our kids to school to learn about transrights and white guilt by a bunch of pedophiles? The end of having a lazy over paid doctor prescribe you designer drugs to cover up your symptoms with no intention of truly curing you? The end of driving a shiny new car with heated leather seats the bank let you buy?

This is the modern American dream, or the western dream, that most of the people around us are comfortable and content with. A lot of us don't live it. I don't live it, because to me IT IS misery.

I'm not in the west currently, but I think a lot about what life could be like if I return indefinitely. I think the life I'd live, would be considered misery to most empty cosmopolitan Americans. But in the end they'll find that the jokes on them.

What most people really want is some sort of drama. I'm convinced the one reason globalism could never work (short of an alien invasion) is because human beings are wired to always perceive a threat from somewhere, even if no such threats exist. No bloodlines that weren't ever wary of a bear or a lion or an enemy tribe creeping up on them were ever naturally selected and so human beings actually feel safer when they have an enemy than when they are supposedly safe. I say supposedly because we're wired never to believe that we're ever truly safe. It's just not in our programming to believe truly in peace.

This is why feminism and anti-antisemitism and anti-racism is so easy to sell, even to people that have never truly been oppressed much less persecuted or attacked in any way whatsoever.

Tie that hard slog back to greatness with a common enemy and people will be happier on war rations fighting the baddies than they were in their soul-less consumerist lives prior to the new normal.

The real common enemy of the people is of course the elites, and this is why they're ramping up their efforts to create social bulwarks against anti-semitism. Because the same way not all muslims are terrorists while most terrorists are muslims, not all Jews are elites but most elites are Jews.

Post: #295

(12-09-2018 04:20 PM)Ski pro Wrote:  With respect to my French rvfs on here, I’ve been waiting a long time for the frenchies to come to their senses. I’m there often and have been for the last decade and every single one I speak to complains of all the taxes and how hard it is to get on there.

I moved away for that reason.

However, the other thing that I noticed in all my times there is that unfortunately, they don’t have the stomach (on the whole) to actually fight. I saw it night after night after night. Lots of posturing but when it came down to it, the moment to fight and knock the other man down, they would run away.

I wish as much as the next man that this is a revolution but it won’t be. It’ll fade and die and be comprised somehow. You don’t have it France, you’re perpetual losers and your country is too far gone already and doomed to fail. The signs are all around you, just look around you or visit other countries with less socialism.

The signs are even in the list of demand document. MORE civil servants! MORE... as if you don’t have enough sitting around doing fuck all. Don’t expect the new wave of migrants to take up your cause, they hate you like macaron does.

I’ve been saying this in the migrant invasion of Europe thread for a while now. Your country is on the brink if collapse. Get out while/if you can. This is not another revolution. You don’t have the stomach for it.

Show us the way. Come next time with me and show me how to fight. I will report here.

Post: #296

(12-10-2018 07:46 PM)Dalaran1991 Wrote:  Guess he's too afraid he will let slip his usual "im surrounded bt plebs" attitude....Minimum wage only concern a very small number of people. Year-end bonus as well as extra hours all depend on the employer and most dont pay for extra hour anyway. You can't force companies to pay those, only "encourage" like he said, and obviously no company like giving freebies to the plebs.

To be angry about taxes, you have to be earning a living to pay taxes on. These are people who protest on the weekend because they have jobs during the week. They're angry because they feel that they're doing everything right and it isn't working.

That's why I was stunned to see Macron drift off into talking about pensioners and widows.

He had an opportunity to speak to the vision his party supposedly has, of a more entrepreneurial France, and to tie together the thing these people have in common with Parisians: that they're all busy with the business of their lives.

Instead, it sounded to me like a dog whistle condescension about a gaggle of hopeless Village Poors. "Oh, yes, we here in the city do know how empty and sad it is in the provinces, but we momentarily forgot you exist because your lives don't impact us at all. Whoops! Sorry."

If it sounded in French the way it sounded translated into English, having said this would be a major crisis for an American politician. Even the translator seemed surprised.

Post: #297

@3:08, there’s that phrase again... ”We can’t go back”.

Bit of a sidenote, has anyone else noticed how often that phrase has been popping up in the past 6 years or so? Like a subtle affirmation.

Post: #298

Because I don't think it's been posted yet:



Viva la EU. Viva tyranny!

Post: #299

(12-11-2018 09:23 AM)Mr. D Wrote:  @3:08, there’s that phrase again... ”We can’t go back”.

Bit of a sidenote, has anyone else noticed how often that phrase has been popping up in the past 6 years or so? Like a subtle affirmation.

They can't go back but they can go further in the fuckery by taking more than they give:
People asked for more money at the end of the month, right ?
Macron gave 100€ more on the lowest income authorised by law so if we do a quick calculus:

(1 153.82 € + 100€) x 12 = 15 045.84€

Here comes the joke: The minimum to be able to not pay taxes was 14 711€ in 2017 so they give you 100€ each month only to take back 10% (150.45€)

Post: #300

The 100€ additional are not taxable.