Ratpocalypse - Paris - Need a 'Rat Tsar'?
- Why Paris is Awash with Vermin and the Mayor isn't Stepping In, The Guardian, March 15, 2023.
Refuse collectors in France have downed tools as part of the countrywide protests against pension changes, leaving the capital full of rubbish and rodents. Name: Ratpocalypse. Age: Ten days and counting. Appearance: Lithe, grey and partout (everywhere). Is this a dystopian sequel to Ratatouille? Has Remy gone rogue? Well, we are talking about Parisian rats, but these ones arent cute Disney cartoons. Theyre real life Rattus norvegicus invading the streets, like rodent sans-culottes. You wouldnt expect rats to wear culottes, just little chefs hats, but continue.
Why? The citys refuse collectors are on strike, so theres rubbish everywhere: about 6,000 tonnes of the stuff and rising.
Ah, France is brilliant at strikes. I saw one of the unions has even created a barbecue that travels on tram rails so they dont have to stop protesting to eat. Yes, theres some epic striking going on. Like most of the country, refuse collectors in Paris and other cities have downed tools to protest at Emmanuel Macrons hugely controversial pension reform, which would raise retirement ages. In their case, from 57 to 59. Fifty-nine? That doesnt sound too bad! But refuse collectors are very poorly paid and its a really tough job. Belgian statistics show they have a very high early mortality rate. Fair enough.
So whats been happening while they fight for their rights? A rat smörgåsbord of rubbish. The Parisian pest controller Alexandre Woog says he is receiving 10 times as many calls as usual. People are worried, he declared on French television. This cant be good for tourism. You cant recreate your favourite Emily in Paris scenes with a rat gnawing a discarded pain au chocolat in the background. What kind of monster discards a pain au chocolat? But youre right disenchanted tourists have complained to the TV channel BFM about the sights and smells spoiling their romantic breaks.
So what are the city authorities doing about it? Nothing. Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist mayor of Paris, has declared her total, complete solidarity with the strikers and says she cant requisition workers to deal with the rubbish backlog. Her opponents say she is also on strike and needs to act because of the public health risk posed by rats. Hidalgo has countered by saying its all the Macron governments fault. Maybe Paris needs a rat tsar, like New York. New York did indeed advertise for a bloodthirsty director of rodent mitigation with a general air of badassery last December, like Javert from Les Misérables with the citys famed Pizza Rat as Jean Valjean. But the mayor, Eric Adams, told reporters in January that the position is still unfilled...https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/15/the-ratpocalypse-why-paris-is-awash-with-vermin-and-the-mayor-isnt-stepping-in
Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)appalachiablue
(41,055 posts)SouthBayDem
(31,962 posts)Oh wait hes too busy dealing with the mouse problem in Britain.