Reform

Branded racist by the EU and the UN over its policy towards Roma gypsies, France is battling interal strife over plans to change the age at which you can retire. Phone tapping has allegedly been used to trace the source of leaks to the respected newspaper Le Monde, which has aroused another wave in the political seas. Is Sarkozy in the Eye of the Storm?

To discuss the French pension reform, Marc Perelman interviews Rafael Nedzynski, from « Force Ouvrière » Union; Frédéric Bonnevay, Economist with the Fiscal Policy Forum; Edward Whitehouse, Pension expert, OECD; and Philip TURLE, Journalist, RFI.

French people have taken to the streets: French MPs were discussing today the pension reform proposed by the government, the major sticking point for most French workers being retirement age that would go up from 60 to 62. But President Sarkozy sees the change as essential to help balance his budget, and reduced France's deficit.

The government's proposal to raise the retirement age in France draws hundreds of thousands to the streets, but also hundreds of amendments from opposition parties. The government promises concessions, including extending the possibility for those who do difficult jobs of retiring early. The future of France's Prime minister may be threatened in a cabinet reshuffle - should François Fillon stay or should he go? And we'll also take you to Lille for the country's largest jumble sale.