GUEST POST: Macron's May Day blues

The French president has secured institutional backing for pension reform but he still faces challenges from the street

Protests in Paris in December 2020. Different issue, same angst? Photo by Koshu Kunii on Unsplash

Over two weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron signed a pension reform into law, it remains as unpopular as ever. Nearly two-thirds of voters oppose the measure, which raises the minimum pension age from 62 to 64.

Trade unions are holding mass protests against the change on May 1, Labour Day. Although protests have died down since it was approved, the potential for further unrest is real. In February and March some demonstrations turned violent, with rioters smashing shop windows, burning vehicles and hurling flares at police.

The continuing discontent invites three questions. Are the pension reforms justified? Were they pushed through in a democratic way? Whether or not the measures can be defended in terms of policy or procedure, is widespread popular opposition a good reason to reverse them?

The answers are: yes, yes and no.

The bookkeeping case for reform is clear. An ageing populat…