European politics remain, as ever, very weird:
A 'Black Thursday' of demonstrations and strikes against pension reform descended into violence in France today.
The worst trouble was in Paris, where protesters fought running battles with police around Bastille square.
Anarchists calling themselves 'Black Bloc' were blamed for infiltrating a 'planned march and then turning on officers.
"Pension reform" is, in this case, the act of raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.
France's absurdly lavish retirement system built on leftist policies can't survive otherwise. That's it. That's all there is to it.
But apparently, that's unconscionable:
It should be noted that retiring at 62 is not really a left-right issue, at least not in France. The matter is more or less politically homogenous there:
His pension reform ideas have proved deeply unpopular, with 68% saying they are opposed to it, according to an IFOP poll this week.
All the country's unions have condemned the measure, as have the Left-wing and Far-right opposition parties in the National Assembly.
