© AFP / Boris HorvatThis glaringly hypocritical position with regards to the French protesters reveals a deeply flawed, cart-before-the-horse Western axiom that commands: ‘whatever works to the advantage of Western institutions and its political elite is automatically good for democracy.’
Unlike the 2014 Ukraine uprising, which witnessed invasive meddling on the part of US politicians and diplomats, Western support for the French Yellow Vest protests has been conspicuously missing in action.
With the streets of Paris ablaze for a fourth weekend in a row, as a swarm of Yellow Vests assert themselves against a French government which, they argue, has become increasingly detached from the cares of ordinary citizens, support among Western capitals for the protesters is nowhere to be found.
This is a bit odd since the 'gilets jaunes' are not just protesting Macron's (rescinded) plans for a fuel tax, but have
released a list of 42 demands they want to see implemented. This includes an increase of the minimum wage, pensions and wages, as well as a halt to illegal immigration into the country. In other words,
we are not talking about violent anarchists on the streets of France, but regular citizens. Thus far, the movement enjoys a high level of support among the French, with one poll showing 72 percent siding with the protesters.The United States and its allies may have trouble explaining their tone-deafness in the face of these legitimate concerns on the part of millions of French citizens. At the very least, their icy silence will reveal a no small amount of double standards and outright hypocrisy
since the West rarely misses an opportunity to interfere in the affairs of foreign states - mostly in the Middle East - when 'democracy' is purportedly on the line.
Comment: Update (Dec. 13): Theres may won her no confidence vote, 200 to 117. With May having won her no confidence vote, the pretend Brexit caravan will trundle on for another few years until, they hope, something bigger happens to make people forget all about it.
British politicians are, by definition, consumed with their own image as "politicians". They are, for the most part, leeches on the body public. Overpaid and under worked puppets who exist to create the impression of representative democracy, when no such thing actually exists in the Western world today. They therefore need lots of raw material that allows them to give the impression to the public that they are needed/useful/actually doing anything meaningful/not a bunch of freeloaders. That raw material is 'politics', drama, stuff happening in society that needs 'strong and stable' leadership, apparently. Otherwise, the House of Commons would quickly start to look like the House of Lords.
In that respect, 'Brexit' was, is and will continue to be, a godsend for UK politicians. From the beginning, not ONE of them actually thought it was implementable, but why look a gift horse in the mouth? 2.5 years of incessant disingenuous punditry, speculation, hand-wringing and dire warnings, not to mention first time TV appearances for many that would never have otherwise gotten a look in.
And now? Theresa May and the establishment party lives to fight another day (or rather, another 2 years of the 'transition period' plus a hefty extension on that). Tonight's pathetic deliberations in the House of Commons resulted in her winning the no confidence vote for one reason only - the only thing the Conservative establishment cares about - keeping Jeremy Corbyn out of 10 Downing street.
Brexit my ass.
Will of the people? You're 'avin a bleedin' laf!