French Senate OKs Retirement Reform in Tense Vote
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/10/22/world/europe/AP-EU-France-Retirement-Strikes.html?_r=1&src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fworld%2Feurope%2Findex.jsonp
PARIS (AP) — The French Senate, pushed into an early vote, approved on Friday a hotly contested bill raising the retirement age to 62, hours after riot police forced the reopening of a strategic refinery to help halt growing fuel shortages amid nationwide strikes and protests.
In tense balloting after 140 hours of debate, the Senate voted 177-153 for the pension reform. The measure is expected to win final formal approval by both houses of parliament next week.
Probably he should have upped the ante a little, move the age up to 65 in order to better match UK and Germany — and to send a message to the rioters, that s- don’t fly no more.
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