A change of scenery for BBC writer

Contant d'Ivry's Neoclassical screen across th...Image via Wikipedia
Mathew Price:

The widespread protests against the French government's plans to raise the age of retirement from 60 to 62 are part of a wider battle about the future of French society and how much the government spends to support the poor.

I am going through a little bit of culture shock.

For the last three years I have been based in the US. And the only protests I have covered, the only ones vocal enough to have been worth reporting on, have been angry mobs demanding the government stop spending and get out of their lives.

Now, just one week into my new role as Europe correspondent, I am faced with angry mobs demanding the exact opposite - an end to government cut backs and a promise that the state will continue to provide for them.

Talk about a change of scene.

...
There is much more.

I have already blogged on the lazy attitude of French workers who are willing to make their kids and grand kids pay confiscatory taxes so they can take off a couple of years early.
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