美国国家公共电台 NPR--France's government faces a no-confidence vote after Macron raises retirement age

France's government faces a no-confidence vote after Macron raises retirement¹ age

Transcript²

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to reporter Lisa Bryant in Paris about French president Macron pushing through his pension plan overhaul³ without a full vote in parliament. Could outrage⁴ cost him his job?

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

How much can French lawmakers really do now that their president has bypassed them?

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

Emmanuel Macron forced a change in his country's retirement system yesterday. He'd been facing a tough vote in parliament, one that led to the street protests we've been describing on this program. So Macron invoked⁵ a provision that let him raise France's retirement age on his own with no vote. Lawmakers protested by singing the national anthem⁶.

(SOUNDBITE OF PROTEST)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Singing in non-English language).

PFEIFFER: Soon, they hope to go from singing to voting no confidence in their government.

INSKEEP: Reporter Lisa Bryant is covering this in Paris. Hey there, Lisa.

LISA BRYANT: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: OK. So the president has faced weeks of protests, polls showing his move is unpopular. Why would he act without parliament to do it?

BRYANT: Well, for Macron, it's about the numbers. The pension system is paid for by employment taxes. But demographic changes - in other words, people living longer - and a shrinking workforce⁷ threaten insolvency⁸. He says the system can't afford retirement at 62. Most people here are opposed to the reform. And Macron didn't appear to have the votes in the lower house of parliament, especially from the center-right Republican party. So rather than risk a vote, he used a rarely used constitutional lever, Article 49.3, which allows him to enact⁹ the reform without a vote of parliament.

INSKEEP: Wow. What was it like when lawmakers realized they'd been cut out of the action?

BRYANT: Well, the scene yesterday in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, was chaotic¹⁰, deputies yelling, banging on desks. Take a listen here.

(SOUNDBITE OF PROTEST)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting in non-English language).

BRYANT: They're yelling at Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who has just announced the government will enact the pension reform without a vote of the assembly. Outside, thousands gathered in Paris to condemn¹¹ the reform. There were also protests in cities like Marseille. Unions have called for more strikes and protests in the coming days. Opposition¹² parties have called for a vote of no confidence probably on Monday. And if it succeeds, Macron's prime minister and cabinet are ousted¹³. And the pension reform measure is defeated. The government says this will effectively be the vote on the pension plan it denied parliament.

INSKEEP: Well, let's try to get some perspective here. Sixty-two years old as the retirement age, that's on the low side for the United States, where there's a sliding scale. You might retire at 62. You might retire at 70. But how does it compare to other European countries, essentially¹⁴ France's peers?

BRYANT: Well, France is an outlier with such an early retirement age. In much of the rest of Europe, it's 65 and up. The French are fiercely protective of their universal health care and generous pensions. And it's a choice society has made. Work hard, pay high taxes, but also retire at a relatively¹⁵ young age with a high standard of living. So the past two months, there have been hundreds of thousands of people marching against the reform, also a series of nationwide strikes including public transport, refinery¹⁶ workers, teachers, garbage collectors. And in many parts of Paris, the trash hasn't been collected in more than a week. And there are huge piles of garbage in much of the city.

INSKEEP: If I may ask, how is your neighborhood smelling these days?

BRYANT: (Laughter) I am actually lucky. I've got - we have a private collector. It's a poor neighborhood of Paris, and it's gotten private collection. Some of the richer parts of Paris, there's a lot of garbage out there.

INSKEEP: Wow. Wow. Interesting contrast - the opposite of what you'd think. Lisa, thanks so much.

BRYANT: Thank you.

INSKEEP: That's reporter Lisa Bryant.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

4 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

5 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

7 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

8 insolvency   

n.无力偿付，破产

参考例句：

• The company is on the verge of insolvency.该公司快要破产了。
• Normal insolvency procedures should not be applied to banks.通常的破产程序不应当适用于银行。

9 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

10 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

11 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

13 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

14 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

15 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

16 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。