The French GE ... voting starts Sunday. ??

Pension is very complicated here, there are so many different systems depending on who you worked for. I think is was said there are at least 30 odd.

This is why Macron wanted to change it to a more equal system and says if you have worked it counts towards your pension which isn’t the case at the moment.

At the moment the year is divided into quarters , and you have to have earnt a certain sum, for it to be counted in. The sum of all the these are added and with other things taken into account, the pension is calculated.

There so many abnormalities depending who you have worked for, making huge pension inequalities.

If, the wage was too low it isn’t counted in as worked on the pension system. This is certainly the case of students working in the holidays and seasonal workers.
or
Teachers working in private schools could get less than government run ones, the average of the 25 years of your working life against the government ones taking your 12 best years.

Other government workers, are for the last six months of work, put on a higher wage which is counted as the base of their pension instead of the 25 years.

Railway workers can retire early, a throwback from shoveling coal but they don’t want to relinquish now etc etc

It is all very complicated not at all straight forward like in the UK.

The French Social Security System III - Retirement - Cleisshttps://www.cleiss.fr

I have been dealt with very well for my pension considering I worked basically for 20 years.

I am not sure about pensions being more straightforward in the UK mokryna.
Whilst cotisations, trimestres etc are complicated I think you do normally end up with one caisse.
People here are often bemused by the fact that we have a state pension each, DH has two different occupational pensions and I have another one that is taxed in the UK.
Certainly makes the tax declaration hard work. ? (Must do it next week).

Le Pen's flagship policy is the banning of headscarves. Presumably that would apply to Catholic nuns?

That's more or less what Macron said to her varian. How it would be impossible to ban people from displaying religious symbols in public.

varian

Le Pen's flagship policy is the banning of headscarves. Presumably that would apply to Catholic nuns?

In Belgium, where I live for some of the time, one week the police were going around fining Muslim women for covering their faces and the next week going round fining everyone else for not covering their faces.

Mamie

I am not sure about pensions being more straightforward in the UK mokryna.
Whilst cotisations, trimestres etc are complicated I think you do normally end up with one caisse.
People here are often bemused by the fact that we have a state pension each, DH has two different occupational pensions and I have another one that is taxed in the UK.
Certainly makes the tax declaration hard work. ? (Must do it next week).

Next week for UK tax??

French tax form! Has to be done by May 24th in our département and we need time to do it online, check it several times and then submit. Three forms to fill in. ?

Too complicated my daughter comes to help, thank goodness, but she hates doing it.

I have another one that is taxed in the UK ?

I have to pay my UK state one in France

It is U.K. Govt pensions which are taxed at source - Teachers, local Govt workers etc. There is no choice about that. Our State - Old Age Pension - is taxed in France. Yes

volver

That's more or less what Macron said to her varian. How it would be impossible to ban people from displaying religious symbols in public.

What about if Queen Elizabeth (or anybody like her) ever went for a walk in the French countryside? Or somebody having chemo?

Bon Chance France!

Remember that Le Pen lost her court case claiming that she wasn’t a fascist.

The court ruled that she is a fascist.

I'm not sure how it works, but I've just come across something whereby if you are resident in France but don't have the right to vote, you can chat up a French person who doesn't wish to use their vote to vote for your preference.

Feeling a bit sick waiting for the result….

Yes!

Phew.

Good margin too!

…..and breathe…….

Félicitations, la France.

Relief all round.

The French voters appear to have had the good sense to reject Putin backed populism - unlike the deluded Brits who voted for Putin's brexit.

Allez Macron. Phew!

varian

The French voters appear to have had the good sense to reject Putin backed populism - unlike the deluded Brits who voted for Putin's brexit.

Yes

Well done Macron, I’m glad the majority of French voters are sensible, as the alternative didn’t bear thinking about.