Rick's b.log - entry 2021/08/22

Down with the vaccination pass! Burn the world!

Granted, there are a few tens of thousands of people out protesting, but protesting over stuff is a part of the French character. These people are probably "gilets jaunes" that have found a new cause to wave their hand-made placards over.

Depending on who you ask, there are maybe around 100,000 to 200,000 protesters scattered around the country. Given a population of about sixty seven million, that represents a third of a percent tops. So the 0.3% (or 0.15% more likely) are making a lot of noise and fuss, while the remainder of the country is just quietly getting on with things.

In Nantes, the paper was necessary for going into places, for eating (even on the terrace), and for boarding the TGV. People were just quietly either handing the paperwork over, or loading the app on their phones (which would display the same QR code).
One person a little bit behind me in the queue was refused entry because their pass was invalid. As I noted with mine, the thing won't show up as valid until seven days after the second vaccination. The wife rolled her eyes, probably wondering how to explain this to the kids. The husband was like "oh putain!" followed by "thank you for the explanation, I didn't know". And off they went. No shouting, no violence. No waving placards and calling for Macron to be fed to the trolls.

The thing is, some people are never happy, and are too dumb to realise when something might actually work in their favour.

I'll give you an example. At work, they recently had the yearly meeting between management and the union representative. This is the time the union rep throws a load of things on the table and says "we want" and the bean counters say "nope!" to most of it, especially the ridiculous demands.
There is a thing called a "prime d'anciennete" which is an additional day off for those who have worked for more than 10 years. In addition to my five weeks paid holiday, I get an extra day because I've been there a long time.
One of the demands this year was an additional day off for those who had been their over 15 years. It was declined.

However something that the company did agree to was to provide an anciennete bonus. I don't recall the exact amounts, but I think it is 1.5% extra after five years, 2.5% after ten, and 3.5% after fifteen.

A number of people were unhappy with this because they wanted their extra paid day off. Somebody even wrote "Vive les primes!" on the blackboard.

Now, the utter stupidity of this is that while the 2.5% extra (for me, I only bothered to calc. it for my band) only represents about €30-35 a month, the thing is that if they were to take the amount that they're paid in a month and divide it by the number of days worked [see note], it works out to be about €60-75 a day depending on what category of employee they are. And note that the percentage is a percentage of the pay, so if they're paid more they'll get slightly more, so it all balances out.

Why is this important? Because the company is effectively giving the longer time employees the equivalent of a day's worth of pay every two months. So simply put that extra thirty-odd aside, and just take an unpaid day off every other month. They won't be losing, and the company has affectively offered something equivalent to six paid days a year.
But the halfwits would rather complain about the one that they didn't get.

I think the sorts of people that are out protesting are the same sorts of people. The ones that don't want to be inconvenienced by the need to have a piece of paper and/or be vaccinated. Because it's just so much better for everybody to have had a fourth lockdown instead. Then a fifth, then.....

We the sovereign people

It's such a hilariously massive bucket of stupid. Of course, I'm going to dive in with some comments of my own since this is my blog and I write this crap valuable content...

• As the entire world has already pointed out, the Magna Carta was intended to demonstrate that the King and government were not above the law, and to put limits on royal authority by establishing the law as a power in itself. This was brought about by rebellious barons that didn't like how the king was behaving. It has had some influences on law in the 800 years that followed, but it certainly doesn't in any way allow a bunch of wankbiscuits to "seize" a castle. Crap like that is what the Monarchy used to do, which is why the document was written in the first place.
• As the entire world has facepalmed over, even if the Magna Carta somehow did apply, it doesn't apply in Scotland. It was written in 1215 in England, which predates the Act of Union (1707) by about five hundred years.
  Furthermore, the celebrated clause 61 that they claim allows them to claim immediate redress, only applies to barons (specifically, one of the 25 elected to monitor the upholding of the charter), and it was actually repealed the following year.
  Which means the ninnies are quoting a clause that's been null and void for around 800 years from a legal document of dubious origin that never applied in Scotland anyway.
• Which must be why that woman is so out of breath. It must be really taking it out of her, all this attempted thinking, causing her entire body to heat up.
• "Sovereign people" is a dumb thing that is doing the rounds on social media. It's a bunch of idiots that think that quoting the Magna Carta and using phrases like "I don't consent" means that the existing legal framework, policing, and government don't apply to them. And, of course, they don't have to pay taxes.
  The thing is, I would imagine that if somebody was to smash a bottle of whisk(e)y (with or without the 'e', it'll hurt either way) across their cretinous skulls, they'd want the police and rule of law working for them pretty bloody quickly.
  "Sovereign citizen" doesn't mean shit. If you don't like the laws and the government, move. But you don't get to opt yourself out. Not unless you have billions in the bank and are corrupt as hell, but that's a whole different story.
• "We the people" - isn't it deeply ironic that a phrase being thrown around is the first three words of the American Constitution? I suppose this is what happens when you get your legal education from social media. Imagine how shocked they will be when the judge rules them as the incompetent halfwits that they are, and doesn't whack a gavel to underline the point. That doesn't happen on this side of the ocean (excepting the Inner London Crown Court). Plus, as far as I'm aware, nobody "approaches the bench" either. That, too, is an American thing. But, then, if you believe Hollywood, the entire American legal system is predicated on who can hold a better argument, rather than annoying trivialities like, you know, facts.
  Oh, and hate to break it to you all, but Dwayne Johnson is an actor. Those things he does? It's not real.
• The bloke leading them doesn't sound Scottish. Are a bunch of delusional Scots being led around by an <gasp> English </gasp> person?
  I'm telling you, independence. Send 'em packing. Then they can go and "seize" Ludgershall Castle.
• The policeman's response is a class act. "Aye, okay, no worries". No tasers, no handcuffs, no "assume the position". Just a calm measured treatment of some crazies. Though, I'm surprised he didn't call an ambulance for that poor woman. Simply existing really takes it out of her!
• Share this on social media! Hell yeah, but you're all famous for a whole different set of reasons than expected. Didn't quite go as planned, did it?

There are, of course, strong parallels here with the French health pass protesters. A small number of loud wallies doing something dumb.

Now a plea for Nicola Sturgeon: If they, the sovereign people, want Edinburgh Castle so badly, why not oblige? Google informs me that the castle has some rather spectacular dungeons. Oh, and even better, they've already stated that your government and laws don't apply to them, so they've effectively Guantanamo'd themselves.
Go on, toss 'em in the dungeon. And post it on Facebook Live. We (the non sovereign normal people) would appreciate the distraction.

How about it?

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David Pilling, 23rd August 2021, 03:34

Since vaccines have almost no effect in stopping people spreading delta, there's now no point in vaccine passports. Not to say they will drop them immediately, because they may help get the vax numbers up, but long term going away.    "Woman using Magna Carta to try and keep salon open during lockdown facing second fine"    But...    "This is all incorrect. Clause 61 of the 1215 Magna Carta set out rules for 25 specific barons. It did not allow the general population to rebel, and it was also removed from subsequent versions of the document."

Rick, 28th August 2021, 09:13

Oops, forgot to add the footnote.    Well, it was to say that our pay is a little more complicated. Because months all have different numbers of days, our pay is actually worked out as a fixed number of hours per year divided by 12. A separate counter tracks if we're ahead or behind...    Legally, it is set as "151,67 heures par mois. 1 607 heures par an." according to LegiFrance, which is 46 35 hour weeks (five holiday weeks, plus another to cover various public holidays). We are all currently working a half hour extra. This goes as time in advance, so if the factory closes for a week in February we'll have time in hand for it. Otherwise, a holiday (or extra pay) towards the end of the fiscal year (end of March).    Yeah, it's a bit complicated. Did I mention that the French love their paperwork? ;)

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