Guardian Europe columnists Rokhaya Diallo and Alexander Hurst are taking questions from readers about the ongoing protests in France. They are joined by Michael Wolfcarius, who asks for a broader perspective on the recent wave of protests in various European countries, including Spain, Italy, Serbia, and Albania. Diallo agrees that these movements deserve to be considered together, while also acknowledging their unique national contexts. She notes that housing, living costs, public services, and corruption are common concerns driving people onto the streets in these countries. These issues touch on the fundamental aspects of a decent life and people's ability to shape their future. Hurst adds that what connects these protests is the widening gap between what people need and what political institutions seem willing to deliver. He believes that these incidents express a crisis of political responsiveness, where people feel that the existing political systems are unable to deal with the scale and nature of the crises facing them. This sense of "loss of control" has led to a shift in the social narrative, from "this is broken, but things can and will get better" to "this is broken and things can and will get worse". Hurst also touches on the impact of the arrival of AI, which he believes has been understated. He argues that the investment pitch of powerful companies is not just about replacing certain jobs, but also about making human beings themselves seem replaceable. This feeling is present, even if it's not immediately apparent in those terms.