protests and violence across france sparked by a fuel tanks increase earmarked to fund the fight against climate change but the middle class and the poor they're outraged tonight emanuel microland once celebrated the president a reform now derided as the president of the rich and that tax hike it's been postponed but not can't go off in berlin this is the day. this is not at all a retreat. by a political think that's really interesting is that you're absolutely right they'll always be able to attack someone else or in any case they'll freeze it for a few months and then once it comes down of it they'll raise it that sits back you

can quite. believe that you know that we benefit a lot in a democracy by listening to each other and doing so in a calm way and that's why this saturday we must absolutely prevent what happened last saturday. or sunday night mostly these days at least there's an opening he's no longer insisting on holding the course. people. also coming up tonight mourning the late u.s. president george h.w. bush german chancellor angela merkel bullet in his state funeral tomorrow she says bush was a u.s. leader who sold german reunification coming and refused to stand in its way i listen to him like holmes does. george bush the old one of the clinton you can't be a little bit. we

begin the day with democracies disconnects there are three glaring examples to report on tonight the first one takes us to france today the government of president macro an announced that it is postponing a controversial fuel tax in greece now that tax hike designed to help battle climate change sparked two weeks of protests and violence across the country by people who say their president is more concerned about the end of the world and less worried about those who can barely make it to the end of the month. oh again on tuesday people took to the streets to keep up the pressure on paris not only to show their support for the yellow vest protest movement but also for protest against education angry students interludes walked through two schools over plan changes to a key exam needed to enter university there were also clashes with police in march

say as protests swept the country for a second day running. well how important is the decision to postpone that tax hike better late than never or too little too late i put that question earlier to correspondent. in paris he is a correspondent with the newspaper les as. well the next few days we'll answer that question i think michael didn't have much choice we. had two movies been very silent over the last few days. and today's decision i guess is still attempt to to stop this to rick protests. that we will see the yellow protesters ask just say they won't back down they they will demonstrate again next saturday. but at least these might. change that to do the cools

and make people think again what can we do won't. that was correspondent seebohm of on there speaking with me from paris earlier i'm joined now by barbara vai's a low political correspondent she is in brussels tonight belgium where protests inspired by the french yellow vest protests turned violent just last week good evening to you barbara the french president wants to use the fuel tax increase to fund renewable energy in france now a fuel tanks many would say an obvious tax on the poor do we know why president why he didn't include some type of tax on the wealthy in tandem with this field tax increase. if you were clever if you knew the mood of his french citizens better if you will would act more strategically than he would have done that probably his problem is that the thirty first thing when he came into office was lift taxes on high incomes because he wanted to sort of increase investment and

that is something that nobody in france has forgotten and that now sort of really comes back like a boomerang against monk wrong and that really sort of gave him the the name that he is a president of the rich so no he missed his chance and he also showed that he doesn't know the mood he simply doesn't know the everyday life particularly of people in the provinces in the countryside they are completely reliant on their cars because there's been public transport for years on end and plus the incomes are lower and unemployment is higher so that is i mean it is really a recipe for disaster does he not listen to use advisors does he not have better sense doesn't he talk to the regional governors for instance to his own parliamentarians who come from the regions nobody really knows because he's court in paris is completely closed it's sort of hermetic and nobody looks inside but

there are problems there are other correspondent in brussels on the story fortunately for producer barbara thank you. our next democracy disconnect takes us inside the british parliament. the british parliament votes next week yes or no prime minister to resign may's brix plan up today in an unprecedented move lawmakers of held a motion declaring the government to be in contempt of parliament over brags that m.p.'s say the government has not fully disclosed the legal report that it was given concerning the u.k.'s exit from the european knew this motion mr speaker as a last resort the issue before us is simple. this house passed a binding oda the government is really willfully refusing to comply with that all

done. that is contempt of parliament. the army for the right three hundred seven knows the last two hundred ninety three. the artist to the right three hundred eleven the new still the last two hundred ninety three so the oh i use have eight oh i have eight unapplicable to mr speaker at this house has now spoken on itself huge constitutional political significance it is i think a precedent it for this house to find ministers in content the motion makes clear the government must now publish the attorney general's final legal advice in full at the start oh of five days. at the start so five days of debate that will set the cools our country takes the decades to come. it's not easy when the passions run so deep but looking around this chamber i know we can meet this moment

so i promise you today this is the very best deal for the british people i ask you to back it in the best interests of all constituents and our country and with my whole heart i commend this motion. all right high drama there in london let's take this story now to brussels our correspondent barbara faisal she's watching things going evening to you again barbara the british government in contempt of parliament for not sharing everything you know what that it knows about breaks it i mean is this a case of a of government ineptitude or is this a government trying to hide something. thing friend really i mean this is the most plain stupid f. absolutely dumb thing that a government can do that is under pressure anyway and you really wonder what for heaven's sake is happening in the heads of particularly treason a second in command david livingston for instance who is responsible for this sort

of thing and what are they thinking there is no answer because they'd simply walked into this like you would walk into the wall and it's your head and now had heads have been hit today particularly that off the reason may and her ministers and they they really it was this was this foreseeable disaster and she can sort of now feel what the mood of the house is and she can already sort of know what will happen next week. this comes just a week before their crucial december eleventh vote on bret's that by lawmakers there in the one did where were you born in brussels do european union leaders do they say or write we already know it's going to be shot down next week. everybody fears that of course because you know they do read british newspapers and they do talk to their british counterparts and the british functionaries who are still in brussels and everybody knows that. according to common idea of what what how

things can fall it will it will just go down they will be voted down and that means that at the summit next week and last months which is just following two days later there will still be no clarity about what will happen with banks it is that on is it off is the deal somehow can it be salvaged in a way will there be a second round of those will had to reason may have to step down will there be new elections will there be a second referendum i mean everything is on the table and everybody is really sort of there is a lot of fun quietly behind the scenes because you simply don't know kaos days in london that's not good for anybody and you know there was that there was accused today of over the european court of justice where you had the argument that britain should be able to cancel briggs' it without asking the permission of the other

members of the european union i mean when you hear that being talked about in the european court of justice that tells you that a lot of people are saying that this is all much ado about nothing the brits are probably will never happen what do you say to that. this idea is somehow gaining ground in a way if you listen to british colleagues talking about it and they talk about nothing else more or less for weeks and weeks on end now this is the only the one and only topic and the island is really torn every each way about this but the idea that this could just not testing because it is not possible to be to bring it about there is no deal parliament says they don't want no big deal to resume a isn't safe in office anymore but there is no other conservative leader it would take rather long to have new elections and then get a new prime minister who would then have to start from where except the deal or go

to the deal done again i mean this is it is just crazy it seems really like it is a situation that that counts be solved by a normal political means anymore and so the thing then might just be to turn around and say just forget about it there we've got britain we've got the vest in france spain a rise of the far right later in the program we're going to be talking about the political culture that the have passed along with george h.w. bush. on tonight's program you know we're talking about this democracy disconnect and it seems that the list at least here in europe just keeps getting longer longer and. the list keeps getting longer and the problem the main problem is that you cannot i mean the normal the normal mechanisms of your of the european union that ministers get together and then the leaders the political leaders get together and they figure out

a compromise and then things somehow carry on carrying on that doesn't work anymore . the national leaders are more and more helpless as we if now see for instance if we move to france and across against it for instance internet driven revolts and movements that that diffuse that can be really sort of there's nobody you could talk to really among the yellow vests and you look at a similar phenomenon in other countries and so the problem is that the the the machinery the machinery of nationhood of state and of the european the european union begins to sort of slow down this seems to want more and more send and then no new recipes at the moment and so it is a very difficult and interesting times we're living in and there will be very nobody will really go into their christmas and be very relaxed this year because the next year everybody fears it's going to be. over

a very slow so much for hope. this year result thank you. or to that list of democracy disconnects we can add if only the government in rome wrote in to power by criticizing the european union for denying the people of italy much needed funds for social programs for example but running for office and governing it turns out are two very different things the european union is threatening disciplinary action against italy because it's the latest budget violates deficit and debt spending rose now it seems rome is willing to work with brussels into slim their own spending especially on social programs. and that home to venice is one of italy's riches regions in the north of the country seventy has many supporters here but as the right wing populist continues

to tussle with e.u. number one of the venetian businessman driving into leeds economy it's getting consent. to go back to my loser who sells the world famous murano glass believes that the government has not been acting in italy's best interest we should begin according with the euro but i would waste the time in the past because if you would go with the euro against you i don't think. i do see any anybody. so bad to my loses says he can't yet tell how his business will be affected but one fear that he shows with many businesses in the north is that the country's debt crisis has made tensions with brussels even wise and well all of it to me in the long run experts are worried as well. the worst case should now do you know i think is a disintegration of europe italy the economy and industry companies

need europe more europe not rational. but more conserve about we need to manage it we need to reduce the public debt and just north of bennis entry visa where the region's largest companies operate it seems the bigger the business the bigger the warri. go who runs a packaging company says entrepreneurs here have lost faith in italy as political leaders across party lines. to people who i think we all have the same concern. this is a government that governs badly. they would bring prosperity they were to increase productivity. psagot believes both governing parties are more interested in their own political q just and success at the ballot box than the country's economy. nor

this government has no ideas and has no long term objectives. there are only focused on the here and now and increasing the support. for. the net as businesses are hoping and agreement can be reached one that satisfies both rome and brussels and is effective in boosting economic growth for the sake of italy's economy and the whole euro zone. a deadline and the ultimatum which some fear could trigger a twenty first century nuclear arms race today the united states and its nato allies accused russia of violating the one thousand nine hundred seven i.n.f. treaty which bans intermediate range nuclear weapons at nato headquarters in brussels u.s. secretary of state michael peo gave russia sixty days to comply with the treaty or

the u.s. may call it quits be used teri schultz was the first correspondent today to ask mr probus what that sixty day ultimatum meet its questions the first one goes to teri schultz from deutsche of ela terry what does this mean concretely what will the next steps be are you just waiting the sixty days and hoping that europe can help pull russia back into compliance what exactly how exactly will this play out now and then does the six months start in sixty days just a few more details on that thank you that so as i said in my remarks we would welcome a russian change of heart a change in direction the destruction of their program and their. follow on continuance of the terms of the treaty so over the next sixty days they have every chance to do so with that being said the burden falls on russia to make the necessary changes that russia and russia only can take this step the united states

and our nato allies to envision what russia's lawless conduct will not be tolerated in the realm of arms control or anywhere else and our terry jones joins me now from brussels good evening to you terry so where do we go from here if the u.s. were to withdraw from the i and treaty in protests which was implied today no that would mean that there is no means of checking russia would it be then a free for all when we're talking about intermediate nuclear weapons. well let me take some of those questions separately brant and i have to say the u.s. didn't just imply it would it would quit president trump has made it clear he will quit the i.m.f. if russia does not come back into compliance so what happened today was in response to european nervousness european displeasure with going quickly the u.s. agreed to wait sixty more days before it launches the six month required waiting

period before the treaty is dead so this was in direct response to interventions by chancellor merkel and president mccaughan over the weekend at the g. twenty in argentina so now what secretary pompei has said is ok basically to the europeans you've got sixty days moscow you've got sixty days and if we don't see any progress we're done and i don't i don't think there's any question about about what the u.s. plans to do it remains to be seen nobody really here that i've spoken to thinks russia is going to come back into compliance they've put an enormous investment into this missile system that's accused of breaching the i.n.f. treaty it would have to destroy the missiles the launchers all of the paraphernalia that go with that system nobody thinks that's going to happen so yeah at the end of that sixty days plus six months you're right it's basically going to be a free for all the united states of course wants to be free to advance its own missile systems with it with china surging ahead and russia surging ahead so it

simply thinks it should be free to do the same thing now. between russia. we certainly talked about them a lot here at nato today there was an entire session on georgia and ukraine and of course it doesn't help russia's case when it is you know breaching international law and by blocking ukrainian ships in the current strait it was used by secretary pompei zero as another example of russian lawlessness russian aggression and he says look this is one more reason why the united states should not be constrained by a treaty russia is russia is not it hearing to simply saying you know we don't expect the russians to obey international norms and what ukraine was was looking for here was i mean ideally more military support to defend itself against against russia

what it got was all twenty nine ally saying they morally support ukraine but there were no measures taken to. have any more exercises that are already planned nothing really materially in support of ukraine all right our teri schultz stay right there terry will be with you in just a moment of the u.s. has begun mourning the late us president george w. george h.w. bush his body is lying in state in the rotunda of the u.s. capitol in washington to morrow at the national cathedral a state funeral will be held including a eulogy by another former president with the name bush the current u.s. president donald trump will attend but will not speak. president donald trump with his wife malani of beside him pays his respects.

a brief visit but important trump and the former u.s. president didn't always see eye to eye. earlier a ceremony was held to pay tribute to president george h.w. bush a politician who to respect from all political sides. there was a kindness about the man. that was evident to everyone who ever met him. all his years in public service were characterized by kindness modesty and patriotism. president bush who died aged ninety four will lie in state in washington's capitol rotunda and till wednesday members of the public have been gathering to pay their final respects. i feel like you. with the love

is right barbara and his daughter rather than me and i just try to come here to people back to him and thank him for. what he did for. the wonderful man i'm by to be vocal on being able to attend this is a privilege. the body of america's forty first president had been transported from texas to washington. or let's go back to teri schultz in brussels to george h.w. bush he was no stranger to war games he was a decorated world war two fighter pilot the u.s. ambassador to china when that country was opening up he was the former head of the cia i mean this was a qualified president when he became president what do you think his legacy will be right here would your. well brant you know there have been a lot of mentions here in europe of the legacy of president bush and you know i think that he was

a man with whom he europeans could feel comfortable he knew their history having been a world war two veteran having lived through the cold war having helped end the cold war by many accounts he played a role in germany's unification as chancellor merkel has pointed out and i think that what i really find striking is that people can't help but compare him to the president that we have now in the united states someone who doesn't seem to know how nato is funded that's those are those are you know things that that would not happen with with with president bush so i think that here at nato headquarters there has been a somber remembrance of him many leaders have mentioned mention of him fondly and i think that really as people think about president bush's death they're really saying goodbye to him to you know a time gone by our correspondent teri schultz in brussels thank you. the date is nearly done the conversation continues online you can see on your screen

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