French Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt was caught solving a crossword puzzle in the middle of a parliamentary debate over the highly controversial pension reform. “I did a stupid thing,” the politician admitted to broadcaster BFMTV on Friday.
Since the debate has now lasted two weeks and there are constant interruptions, he picked up the puzzle during a break and continued.
Dussopt has to defend reform in the National Assembly against strong criticism. Pension reform is considered one of President Emmanuel Macron’s main projects. Unions consider the project unfair and brutal.
The government wants to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. In addition, the number of years of payment required for a full pension is expected to increase more rapidly.
Conservative MP Aurélien Pradié chided the minister from the pulpit on Thursday “for not doing crossword puzzles like you just did while the national representation is expressing itself”.
This is a fundamental question of respect for Parliament. There were huge anti-reform rallies and strikes in France for weeks.