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Patmobile

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Posts posted by Patmobile

  1. Whether you get a chance to send in a postal vote depends on the constituency you last lived in in UK

    My mother used to live in the Fareham constituency before joining us here in France 4 years ago. She gets her postal vote in good time and has voted in the last General Election and in the AV referendum.

    We were last registered as living in Tower Hamlets where there is a huge amount of Postal Voting by "ghost" voters who live, oddly enough, by the hundreds in houses belonging to local political figures and their friends and families, but who are never actually seen coming and going. These "ghost" postal voters always get their voting papers in good time.

    Too bad, however, if you live abroad like us. We either get our papers way too late (like posted to us the day before the election) or not at all.

    Last I heard, this transparent vote-rigging in the constituency was going to be investigated. I did e-mail the Prime Minister after the last General Election to complain about my, probably deliberate, disenfranchisement.

    I still haven't had any AV referendum voting papers, though.
  2. If your the seller who also has a Viners cutlery set for sale, then I've just put in a bid!

    My Belkin gear just doesn't seem to like being in a network with a Livebox 2.  It's a few years old, and I haven't used it for 3 years, but I installed it like it says in the manual, and ran the CD that came with it. 

    It is supposed to be able to work in "Bridge" mode, but as someone already said, Belkin products don't seem to always like being with non-Belkin stuff. 

    I have a redundant netgear router with wi-fi that I could experiment with, but if I get the eBay auction stuff - and if it works - then I'll know not to mess about any further.

    Patrick

  3. I really need to be able to work online while I'm in other parts of the

    house, so does my wife.  I would appreciate a reply from someone with some technical expertise.

    For exercise we already have bikes, a rowing boat, a well-equipped gym, a huge garden to mow, sweep, weed and look after, and a 3 storey house to renovate, maintain and clean.   

    As well as running businesses, we're up and down the stairs, or ladders, all day and that we sometimes have to phone each other to communicate if we're in different parts of the house.

    This is a serious question - so if someone can help I'll be grateful 

    Patrick 

  4. I live in a large house built of concrete and steel.  It's about the size of a small block of flats and my wi-fi coverage is restricted at present to a couple of rooms in one corner of the building. 

    I would like to extend my effective wi-fi zone to cover more of the house, but I'm having problems making everything work together.

    In my office I have a couple of desk PCs hard wired in a network via a switch, which is in turn wired to the Livebox on the ADSL line.  My wife and I work side-by-side and occasionally add one or both of our laptops into the network, either by plugging in a patch cable to the switch, or, from another room nearby, by wi-fi via the Livebox.  All this works OK with few problems except that, only very occasionally, our 4 different versions of Windows refuse to co-operate with each other.

    To extend the network further around the house I bought a couple of Devolo dLAN 200 AVmini network extender plugs which use the electric mains wiring in the house to carry the network.  This works, but involves carrying cables about and plugging in the adaptors, the laptops (their batteries don't last long when you're working) and trailing network cables.

    I also have an iPod Touch which connects to the internet only by wi-fi, so is limited to use in a small part of the house.  It's so useful my wife wants one, too.

    I tried to extend the wi-fi zone using an old but serviceable Belkin Wireless Network Access Point that I had used in our previous home.  I connected it in another part of the house to the network switch via the Devolo adapters.  The PC in the office with the Belkin management software installed is definitely communicating with the Access Point this way.  The Livebox can also see the Belkin unit, so there appears to be no lack of  network connectivity.  Encription is not a problem - I have not set it up on either the Belkin or the Livebox, as the house stands in the middle of 3 acres of walled and gated grounds, so there's no-one nearby.

    When I go into the room where the Belkin Access Point is installed, I would expect my laptop and my iPod to find my wi-fi network, exactly as they do when they are near the Livebox.  Nothing doing!

    Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

    Patrick

               

  5. REUTERS

    "Viviane Reding, the EU's

    fundamental rights commissioner, dropped her previous accusation that the

    “disgraceful” policy amounted to illegal discrimination against gipsies.

    Instead, she warned France that it was in technical breach of EU law by failing to properly incorporate

    a 2004 free movement directive into national law, a substantial softening of

    her previous position.

    “The Commission accepted France’s assurances that the measures taken have

    neither the aim nor the effect of targeting a specific 'minority’ and that

    French authorities apply EU law in a non-discriminatory fashion,” said a

    two-page statement.

    The case has strained relations between Paris and Brussels after an angry

    confrontation between Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, and senior

    Commission officials at an EU summit on Sep 16.

    Mrs Reding was forced to withdraw her comparison of the Roma policy with Vichy

    France’s Second World War collaboration with Nazi round-ups of ethnic

    minorities after President Nicolas Sarkozy demanded an apology for a “disgusting and shameful

    attack on the honour of France”.

    Eric Besson, the French immigration minister, proclaimed victory for France."

    Brussels lawyers, at great expense, no doubt, have advised that though France is in technical breach of EU law, there is no Human Rights case to answer.  I could have saved them the time and (most of) the expense

    Patrick

    PS:  NormanH, I read, write and speak French, English and German and have at least "a modicum" of legal training, but it wouldn't take a multilingual international lawyer to find the flaws in the EU's "case".  I never said what Sarkozy did was nice, just that he, and France, broke no laws and infringed no-one's human rights.  Their human dignity, maybe...

  6. I'll believe he wants to distance himself from his predecessors when he denounces the "dodgy dossier" cooked up by Blair and his cronies and calls for a proper judicial enquiry.

    What's the betting all the paperwork has been "mislaid" just like Blair's expenses records.

    Patrick

  7. [quote user="Quillan"]

    I don't think its right to target a specific group like this. I agree with what the EU has said and to which Ade100 refers in that as a citizen/passport holder of an EU member state you can freely move around the European Union but you can't be a drain on the resources of the country in which you have chosen to reside. The only problem of throwing out all those that are a drain is that it would undoubtedly upset many other EU states when their citizens are returned. I mean, if you implement a law based on this EU directive then it has to be applied equally and fairly to all. I also don't understand why, like many Brits who paid very little in to the French State system, they can't be given some form of grace in the same way like if you have filled in a tax return for the last 5 years but the amount is zero or whatever you can stay.

    [/quote]

    If this ever went to court, which it won't, because of the acute flimsiness of the Brussels case, the French government would say, quite justifiably, they are not "targetting" Roma but "prioritising" their removal from shanty encampments.  If multiple large gangs of illegal Brits were setting up unsightly,illegal, unlicensed, unhealthy camps on both public and private property and using them as bases for various unwelcome forms of illegal activity, they could expect to be "targetted" in the same way.    

  8. I'm not arguing any moral point here.  I'm simply suggesting Brussels should butt out and shut up.  There is no point them wasting European taxpayers' money trying to take such a weak case to court.

    The Brussels bureaucrats simply can't say that other EU citizens wouldn't be treated in the same way - no other vagrant ethnic group from another EU country has taken advantage of EU rules to come to France and set up shanty encampments.  But, if large parties of Celts, say from Cornwall and Wales, or Gaels from Ireland and Scotland came into France and squatted illegally on public and private land, are they saying they would not be seen as lawbreakers by the French government, and be treated in some other more favourable way?  Are they suggesting the French government would not make it a priority to clean up the camp sites and send the vagrants back?   Are they suggesting the name of the ethnic group the squatters, themselves, proudly claim should not be used when discussing them?

    If Brussels could give examples of different official French treatment for different races in the same circumstances they might stand a chance of winning a court case, otherwise they should stop wasting everyone's money and time by threatening pointless legal action. 

    Patrick

     

  9. [quote user="Albert the InfoGipsy"]

    [quote user="Patmobile"]There might also be an argument as to whether "Roma" is in fact a distinct race or just a name for people of no particular race or nationality who live a nomadic way of life. 

    [/quote]

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people

    Particularly have a look at 'Origins'.

    As you suggested, I'm considering changing my forum name.

     [/quote]

    Hi Albert,

    I'm not saying there is no Roma, Romany, Rom, or whatever race, just that even to start to prove an act of racism you would potentially have to overcome first any defence argument that various groups of Romanian and Bulgarian travellers camping illegally could not be considered to be of one identifiable racial type.  

    Patrick

  10. [quote user="pachapapa"]

    But following your line of thought that, a priori, gets SNCF off the hook during the Vichy France Era; they were just transporting a mixed group of undesirables of multiple creeds and ethnicities.

    But I fancy with a proper court and VERY competent lawyers in california it wont be a done deal; interesting to see how it turns out though as there are similar TGV projects for Texas,the Chicago area, Florida, NewYork, etc.

    [/quote]

    The crux of this very different case is that these people, Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals etc., mostly of French nationality, were being rounded up in their own country, having committed no crime other than belonging to a particular racial, religious or genetic group, and knowingly transported by SNCF to slavery or death camps.

    It's a completely different case in almost every way.

    Sarkozy's government has not infringed the Human Rights of the Roma shanty dwellers.  They have not complied with the law and are expelled (though with financial comfort) to their country of origin where they are not enslaved, tortured or shot, and they are not prevented from returning whenever they like.  Moreover, they will be permitted to stay, the next time, provided they are in full compliance with France's legitimate requirement that they have jobs or are capable of supporting themselves, and are not breaking the law by creating unlicensed encampments.

    Patrick

  11. It might be considered a racist policy if there were no other criteria for action other than being "Roma".  However, as I read it the government called for action to clear illegal encampments of all types - adding, perhaps unwisely, Roma encampments as a priority.

    I reckon in a proper court any reasonably competent lawyer could argue sucessfully that the government meant no racial bias, merely setting an order in which action was to be taken against any and all offenders, excepting none.

    There might also be an argument as to whether "Roma" is in fact a distinct race or just a name for people of no particular race or nationality who live a nomadic way of life. 

    If it goes to court France should win this case.

    Patrick  

  12. Thanks all for your replies.

    Polly, I can't open either of the links!

    My aim was originally to sell the piece of land as a plot for a substantial house.  I don't think this is going to happen sometime soon, so plan B would be to try to make some revenue from letting out a holiday mobile home or two.

    At the moment the piece of land is doing nothing.  It's not exactly a wood, but it has quite a few trees on it.

    Patrick

    PS. OK I copied the links and managed to open one of them, but not the second one.  Thanks. anyway

  13. We've been trying for more than a year to get a CDU to split off a bit (about 1600 sqm) of our land as a building plot for a single substantial family house, but we've just received a fourth negative response from the Mairie, in spite of a favourable opinion from the Conseil General.  This time they have found even more new reasons for refusal.  I'm now convinced the Maire and commune are strongly against this modest development so to avoid any conflict with my fellow villagers, and a waste of time all round, I am dropping the idea.      

    I've come up with another plan which is to put one or two mobile homes on the piece of land, which we never use, and can't see from the house. 

    We already know from the work we've done on our previous applications that water and electricity services can be brought onto the site at moderate cost.  I now need to know what regulations there are governing the siting of mobile homes on private land.  Am I right that a CDU would not be required?

    I'm sure there will be lots of members on this forum who know the drill or can point me in the right direction to find out.

    Patrick  

  14. I'm following the posts on the Loire forum but can't be sure I can get involved with the building - or even the trip, as September tends to be a busy time for me.

    I'm looking for a suitable lightweight design

    By the way, to keep up with the latest terminology, shouldn't you be known as Albert the InfoRoma or even InfoRom?  Look out or they'll expel you!

    Patrick  

  15. I don't know what is required for power driven craft, but if your boat is less than 5 metres long, moves exclusively under human power (i.e. oars, paddles, punt pole, etc) and you only want to use it on lakes, canals and rivers, it does not have to be registered.  Same applies if you want to use it in the sea not more than 300 metres from shore.

    Also boats less than 2.5 metres in length with motor propulsion of less than 3kw (4cv) are exempt from registration for use on the waters defined above.

    Every other craft outside of these exclusions has to be registered and a "Carte de Circulation" obtained (to be carried on board at all times).  I presume this applies to any power boat of over 2.5m, since obviously it would not be exempted under the above rules.

    I believe there is a horsepower limit, above which the owner/driver needs to have a personal certificate of competence, too.

    As Albert points out, not all rivers and lakes allow powered craft at all, and limits apply on some other stretches of water.

    Patrick

     

  16. This year's guests include a couple who :

    1) forgot to bring the address of the gite with them

    2) forgot to bring our carefully compiled step-by-step route directions from Calais with them

    3) forgot to bring the street map of the town showing the location of their gite with them

    4) forgot our phone number

    Fortunately they remembered the name of the town we live in and our name, went to the tourist office and asked there - otherwise they would never have got here.

    Once installed in their gite they rang us up to ask us how to make the TV work.

    "We have disconnected the video player", they said, "we don't need that". 

    It wasn't a video player - it was the satellite box, without which no TV programmes could be received at all.

    When they got home after their holiday they wrote to ask when they would get their security deposit back.  I had to point out to them that we hadn't asked for one and they hadn't given us one!

    Patrick  

  17. I've noticed that many of the smaller motorway exits are now automated and unmanned.  This has never been a problem for us as we always use a telepeage bleeper, but a client soon to be arriving at one of our gites is worried about the type of cards that are accepted. 

    "We

    have read a lot recently in our BMW  club magazine and

    newspapers about people having problems using Mastercard credit cards in

    France. Most cards here seem to have gone over to M/card from Visa including

    ours. We have also read that the motorway tolls are now automated and

    don't accept cash, and again only Visa cards would work. The enquiries I have made here all say that Mastercard is

    widely accepted.  Is it?"

    I replied that I didn't know but would try to find out.  Can someone provide the answer?

    Patrick

     

  18. [quote user="Mattyj198"]

    So next year I plan to spend the summer

    doing renovations on our new house in France. It has 2 houses, one

    will be the main house accessible by gates from the street and the

    other the guest house where we will rent out rooms. That house has a

    door right out on to the street.

    [/quote]

    Call me cynical but it sounds perfect for guests who want to run off without paying.   I would block up the door to the street and if necessary put in another door somewhere to make them enter and exit through the gates.  That, or make them pay in advance.

    Patrick 

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