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[smjjames]

-Introduce yearly "State-of-the-union" style speeches.

If he's trying to copy the US on this one, it's not mandated by law, but by sheer tradition (like so much else, heh). It's been done since George Washington.

It'd probably be more palatable for the French if he started making an annual practice out of it rather than mandate it.

Edit: Actually, While it's certainly been done since Washington, it was sent in written form from Jefforson until Wilson in 1913, and it was variously sent in written and televised/radio form in the 20th century. So, it being televised and a speech consistently is a much more recent development.

[Sheb]

Well, it doesn't say he wants to mandate it by law.

[hector13]

What about the Bastille Day interview? Isn't that a kind of state of the union type dealio?

[Sheb]

What about the Bastille Day interview? Isn't that a kind of state of the union type dealio?

That's a TV interview, not a speech. He wants to address Congress (that is, the two houses of parliament) in a speech.

[martinuzz]

In the Netherlands, it is starting to show that increasing the retirement age might have negative consequences for the state budget.
Sick leaves, and consequent disabilty are rapidly increasing with the older workforce doing physically hard jobs like elderly care, bricklaying and metalworking.
People might get older and older, that doesn't mean that our backs get more resistant to wear and tear.
Where the government had hoped that increasing the retirement age would be a netto benefit to the treasury, they are now starting to see that disablity checks are expensive. Employers are complaining too, because the first two years of sick leave, the company has to pay the welfare (70% of last earned yearly wage, same as consequent disabilty pay by the state)

There's more and more voices sounding in the public debate that physical labour should be excluded from increasing the retirement age.

[Loud Whispers]

ban them from working as consultants during their term

Ahh so they have to be independently wealthy... O-o
*Checks their wages*
Nevermind... Can I be a MP? I want a 200,000 dollar salary.
Err wait that is US... in the UK it is around 100,000 dollars. Yet this is France so... 15,000 dollars? No that isn't correct... OHHHH per month! So 180,000 dollars.

POI, UK it's 74,000 sterling, not sure what that is in dollarydoos. French MPs make 169,568 eurodollarydoos a year; European MEPs make about 96,000 eurodollarydoos. IIRC, Italy's MPs get the most money if you don't factor in oil money countries
source on dollarydata

[hector13]

How long have the U.K. parliamentarians been getting their 74k? I remember being quite furious while I was still there - a little over 3.25 years now - when they got that 11% pay rise, which I think took them to 74k.

[Loud Whispers]

How long have the U.K. parliamentarians been getting their 74k? I remember being quite furious while I was still there - a little over 3.25 years now - when they got that 11% pay rise, which I think took them to 74k.

It looks like Cameron was just bribing rebellious MPs into docility in 2015 with the 10-11% pay rise

Downing Street has refused to say whether Cameron will donate the extra cash to charity, insisting that how he spends his salary is “a private matter”.

Wtf
How the hell did Cameron get to approve his own pay rise, that's bang out of order

So yeah they've been getting their 74k since 2015, but they got another increase to 76k this year. You know, I'd think 76k is reasonable for an MP, since running their own offices, employing people to help them, renting a house in their constituency and Westminster in addition to traveling to and fro gets extremely expensive, but they get to claim expenses for all of that and pocket the money. To say nothing of the expenses scandal, that's the problem with professional politicians; you don't want to put someone in charge of fixing your problems when their primary motive for serving you, is to make themselves wealthier

[Loud Whispers]

Political parties were a mistake

[scriver]

That's the greatest take on that situation ever. I love it.

[smjjames]

Political parties were a mistake

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Lol. Also nice touch with the blue and red shirts, if intentional.

Technically the parties began almost right away with people liking Washington's policies vs those who disagreed with his policies.

[martinuzz]

Your whole nation started with a single party.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Boston Tea Party

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Technically the parties began almost right away with people liking Washington's policies vs those who disagreed with his policies.

In all practical terms it began before that, with the informal federalists and antifederalists.

There were also all those weirdos, like the ones that wanted an American monarchy of one stripe or another.

[martinuzz]

France and Germany have agreed that they are going to develop a new, European fighter jet. Any EU country is welcome to join in the effort.
With this they like to show determination in revitalizing EU unification and cooperation.

I guess the JSF just doesn't deliver as promised. Lessons learned there, US aerospace indstry is unreliable, at best. Can't stick to a timeline, can't stick to a budget.

[smjjames]

France and Germany have agreed that they are going to develop a new, European fighter jet. Any EU country is welcome to join in the effort.
With this they like to show determination in revitalizing EU unification and cooperation.

I guess the JSF just doesn't deliver as promised. Lessons learned there, US aerospace indstry is unreliable, at best. Can't stick to a timeline, can't stick to a budget.

You don't think you'll end up with the same problems?