French President Emmanuel Macron pens a 2300-word letter to calm down Yellow vest protestors

France! Not just the land of great artists, but also a place where one finds amazing engineering marvels.

It’s tough to say, if you were to think about it, whether what’s more dazzling- is it the Champagne region in France or is it megastars like Alain Delon.

Similarly, what’s more commendable; is it the majesty of Paris, in its entirety or is it the eye-popping beauty of the French Riviera.

The country has been a home to artists, thinkers, writers, playwrights, actors, achievers, doers and pushers of conventional norms and boundaries.

France has given more to the realm of artistic expression and philosophical thought the way it has to the world of lifestyle and fashion. We know the buzzwords; we know the power they command and the impact they have on an audience that’s globetrotting in a perpetual need for it.

The same way one aspires to build a Renault or the government-controlled and run TGV, one wishes to scale the heights of philosophical thought of the kinds souls like Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean Jacques Rosseau were able to scale.

Yet, there’s more to France than meets the eye. And truth be told, where its recent history stands here in the epicentre of its capital- a city that’s as inspiring as the look of love in the eyes of your beloved- you’d find that there’s been strange unrest.

The closing months in 2018, effectively around November birthed a spectacle that has, in the early days of 2019 January, become nothing shy of a phenomenon. How else is one going to address or describe the passionate yellow vest protestors?

In a way mirroring the sentiment echoed by the title of Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collin’s ‘Is Paris Burning’, if one stands aware to the nature of events that took place toward 2018-end, then one could say that Paris was, indeed burning. And how?

Given the sudden decision by the French government to raise the prices of fuel, the protestors from around the city, forming much of the capital’s working population came around the Champs Elysees to protest the said decision.

During November, the vitriol raised by the common man-at-large in the capital city grew so sensational that what had begun as a harmless albeit meaningful protest against the surge in fuel prices spiralled out of control with protestors raging out against most decisions and policies orchestrated by the current Frech President, Emmanuel Macron.

And therefore, where the current moment stands, it may not be entirely incorrect to suggest that the most debated rather polarising figure in all of France could be president Emmanuel Macron.

But having said all of that, here is what Emmanuel Macron, concerned about the growing rancour between his government and those of his people has said in regards to the widespread protests that came to life in 2018.

It appears that the French President actually kicked off what is a long, possibly pathbreaking three-month long period of national debate about the country; the direction it is to take in the course of its future as it examines its current and introspects about the past by writing a long letter.

Yes, you read this right sans any errors.

While it is believed that Emmanuel Macron has stuck to his core economic agenda to execute a plan for French reforms, he has also ‘pledged’ to listen to new ideas in regards to the growth and future of his country.

This letter is directly written by the single-most powerful or influential man in the whole of France and is addressed to the nation; i.e., the French.

The popular Indian news outlet, the NDTV shared more elaborate information on the said issue and shared the following:

“For me, there is no banned issue. We won’t agree on everything, which is normal in a democracy. But at least we’ll show we’re a people which are not afraid of talking, exchanging, debating,” Macron wrote in the letter published by his office.

And here is the most interesting part of the letter. In actuality, this letter is an exact 2330 word-strong- can you believe it?

There are some other informations in there as well. Kindly make time to go through the following:

“When taxes are too high, our economy is starved of the resources that could be usefully invested in companies, creating jobs and growth,” Macron wrote.

“We will not undo the measures we have introduced to put this right, encourage investment and ensure that work pays more.”