Watching the images coming out of Paris with the riot police having to deal with the ‘Yellow Vest’ protesters is to say the least shocking.
There is a long history of the French people taking to the streets to voice their concerns but on this occasion the mood on the streets of Paris is very ugly.
What has taken place that could provoke such scenes of violence and destruction?
It appears that the rise in fuel prices announced by the Macron government is the ‘tipping point’ that has pushed the disadvantaged in French society over the edge.
But this is not the real reason why such devastation is taking place.
We must go back in time to understand fully what is happening not just in France but across Europe.
The last 20 years have been a period of dramatic change driven primarily by the move from an analogue world to a new digital world.
We have witnessed so many advances particularly in areas such as communication, manufacturing, retailing, entertainment, etc.
All aspects of our lives have been impacted both positively and negatively.
The biggest negative has been the loss of jobs particularly the jobs that can easily be replaced by new technology.
This has resulted in many in societies across the developed world being left behind due to the fact the skills they have to offer are no longer in demand.
In France today, there is high unemployment at almost 10 per cent, having risen from 7pc when the financial crisis started in 2008.
What I believe is at the root of the crisis in France is a loss of dignity.
The French are proud and passionate people, but as increasingly many citizens find themselves being viewed as inferior, and receive no public recognition of their human worth, a powerful feeling of resentment arises when they feel disrespected.
The rise of modern European democracy since the end of the Second World War is the story of societies that historically recognised the rights of only a small number of elites becoming societies that recognised everyone as inherently equal.
Societies stratified by class began to acknowledge the rights of ordinary people, and workers’ rights through a political system that expanded the circle of individuals it recognised as full human beings.
During the last 20 years real growth in earnings for those in the lower half of societies has only been around 10pc whilst those at the top have seen their wealth grow by more than 900pc, particularly the bosses of big global companies.
The share of the wealth cake has materially changed with more of the wealth in the hands of just a few.
This is a return to where we were before all the social change that took place during the last century.
Add immigration to the mix of issues affecting the disadvantaged French working class and you provide further fuel to the fire.
Like trade, immigration boosts overall GDP, but it does not benefit all groups within a society.
Almost always, ethnic majorities view it as a threat to their cultural identity, especially when cross-border flows of people are as massive as they have been since 2015.
Gordon is the former president and chief executive of BMMI. He can be reached at gordonboyle@hotmail.com