DEMOSCIOCRACY/ DEMOSCIOCRATIE

France today: a country asking to be heard — English

A France asking to be heard

Behind strikes, gatherings and demonstrations, citizens express different difficulties: making a living from their work, doing their jobs in good conditions, protecting citizens and taking part in decisions that concern them.

This article compares six forms of mobilisation and opens a reflection on answers that Demosciocracy could propose. The archive photographs are dated and contextualised; they must not be confused with events happening today.

The return of the Yellow Vests

Paris, Place de la Bastille, 17 November 2018. Archive of the Yellow Vest movement. Photo : Jean-Paul Corlin — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified image.

The Yellow Vest movement made concerns about purchasing power, daily travel and the place of citizens in public decision-making visible. Looking back at it raises an essential question: how can residents make their needs heard beyond election periods?

Police distress

Paris, April 2012. Archive of a police gathering following a judicial investigation being opened against an officer; this image does not show a current mobilisation. Photo : Jean-Pierre Dalbéra — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Unmodified image.

Public safety also requires good working conditions for those who provide it. The debate about police distress concerns resources, recognition and relationships between officers, institutions and citizens. It deserves a precise response compatible with the protection of freedoms and equality before the law.

Firefighters’ distress

Lille, 27 June 2017. Archive of a firefighters’ demonstration outside the prefecture. Photo : Lamiot — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified image.

Rescuing, protecting and responding in emergencies requires teams that are available, trained and equipped. Firefighters’ mobilisations invite us to examine emergency organisation and working conditions. The quality of the service provided to the public must remain central.

Teachers’ distress

Reims, 7 March 2023. SNES participation in the demonstration against pension reform. Photo : G.Garitan — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified image.

School prepares everyone’s future. Concerns expressed in education raise questions about recognition of the profession, teaching conditions and resources for pupils. A lasting response must hear staff, families and pupils while making choices and funding clear.

Fishermen’s distress

Rennes, 4 February 1994. Archive of the fishermen’s demonstration in Place de la Mairie; photograph digitised in 2016. Photo : Franck Garel — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified image.

Fishing supports families and coastal communities. Its difficulties call for a balance between viable livelihoods, operating costs and protection of marine resources. Decisions must be understandable, discussed with professionals and backed by suitable resources.

Farmers’ distress

Trévenans, 26 January 2024. Archive of the farmers’ mobilisation. Photo : Thomas Bresson — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Unmodified image.

Agricultural mobilisations put the ability to live from one’s work and continue one’s activity at the centre. The discussion must bring together income, production conditions, environmental requirements and access for everyone to quality food.

Open the debate and let Demosciocracy manage

The author proposes examining these difficulties in the light of his constitutional project for Demosciocracy. Its ambition is to reorganise institutions and reduce general state expenditure by more than half. This figure is an objective proposed here; its scope depends on the chosen perimeter, detailed measures and costing. It is not, by itself, a guarantee that every difficulty will be solved. The issues would be discussed openly and submitted to the chambers defined by Demosciocracy, visible to everyone.

Please share this with friends, relatives and everyone around you. It will help French people learn about this new possibility of life: freedom, equality and truth. I need you to change this democracy of princes of the Republic and make those who wasted our money pay the debt.