Sarkozy

[Chancer]

C'est un projet as they say.

[NormanH]

Better do it fast before the right wing get in and close the  gates..

[Quillan]

Funny enough I know three Brits who have embarked on getting French citizenship mainly on the basis, they feel, that the UK public would be stupid enough to vote for leaving the EU. Whether ultimately they will need their French citizenship if the UK votes to leave needs to be seen but they see it as a belt and braces job.

[NormanH]

If Le Pen gets in she even wants to abolish double nationality, which is what most Brits opt for.

She wants to insist on people choosing one or the other.

[Gluestick]

[quote user="Quillan"]

Funny enough I know three Brits who have embarked on getting French citizenship mainly on the basis, they feel, that the UK public would be stupid enough to vote for leaving the EU. Whether ultimately they will need their French citizenship if the UK votes to leave needs to be seen but they see it as a belt and braces job.

[/quote]

Typical scaremongering. If Britain left the EU then it would immediately apply to rejoin EFTA and I believe it remains a member of the EEA; and if not it would join.

[Quillan]

[quote user="Gluestick"][quote user="Quillan"]

Funny enough I know three Brits who have embarked on getting French citizenship mainly on the basis, they feel, that the UK public would be stupid enough to vote for leaving the EU. Whether ultimately they will need their French citizenship if the UK votes to leave needs to be seen but they see it as a belt and braces job.

[/quote]

Typical scaremongering. If Britain left the EU then it would immediately apply to rejoin EFTA and I believe it remains a member of the EEA; and if not it would join.

[/quote]

Well as I said it is how they feel, how right that is I don't have a clue, we will perhaps find out, or not hopefully.

Joining the EFTA is pointless, ask the Norwegians. The UK would still be forking out money, still obeying EU legislation but won't have a vote. I can't say about the EEA because I don't know, I would have to research it.

Funny enought I was wondering what would happen if the US joined the EFTA, that would be funny. America controlled by the EU, can's see that happening. [;-)]

[Gluestick]

Sarkozy is far too market-driven for France's good.

His American venal capitalist chums, are desperate for EDF to be privatised; so they can mount another Enron! They are dribbling at the concept of taking over a developed nuclear generation system and milking it to the detriment of a majority of French energy consumers and the betterment of their bank accounts!

"Doing a Thatcher" would destroy France for all time. Already, US influence in such as brand-leveraging and media is doing its best to dismantle France's cultural heritage.Both Juppé and de Villepin tried to reform the social compact and failed, bitterly. What are needed are Step Changes: not Paradigm Shifts.

Worth remembering, during the sub prime debacle, since France restricts borrowing by statute and the French are not, mainly, concerned with obsessive obscene consumption and excess credit, all apart from the limited exposure of a few French banks to MBSs and derivative products connected thereto, the French banking and financial system was relatively unscathed by the monetary problems of 2007-08.

Hollande, I believe was a typical electoral reaction and swing left, against the unpalatable and incompetent M. le President Bling Bling.

What France needs now is a true centrist-led moderate government, not yet another knee jerk electoral swing to the right.

[Gluestick]

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="Gluestick"][quote user="Quillan"]

Funny enough I know three Brits who have embarked on getting French citizenship mainly on the basis, they feel, that the UK public would be stupid enough to vote for leaving the EU. Whether ultimately they will need their French citizenship if the UK votes to leave needs to be seen but they see it as a belt and braces job.

[/quote]

Typical scaremongering. If Britain left the EU then it would immediately apply to rejoin EFTA and I believe it remains a member of the EEA; and if not it would join.

[/quote]

Well as I said it is how they feel, how right that is I don't have a clue, we will perhaps find out, or not hopefully.

Joining the EFTA is pointless, ask the Norwegians. The UK would still be forking out money, still obeying EU legislation but won't have a vote. I can't say about the EEA because I don't know, I would have to research it.

Funny enought I was wondering what would happen if the US joined the EFTA, that would be funny. America controlled by the EU, can's see that happening. [;-)]

[/quote]

Renegotiating EFTA's terms of reference is possible: Cameron or indeed anyone else, will never, and can never renegotiate UK's (or indeed any other member state's) compact with the EU: mainly since it is being dominated by Merkel, who's eye is set on a Federal Europe.

Norway has a very strong bargaining chip: oil and gas reserves to cry for; and major sovereign wealth funds........

[mint]

Gluey, I so agree with your post above.

American companies are even now doing more than a bit of sniffing around the NHS and might even have some input as I write.

There is not much about American practices imported into the UK that have done us many favours.  Black Friday, Cyber Monday, what the heck's next?

I visited about 5 shops this afternoon  (probably more than I have visited in the last month) whilst waiting for 2 tyres and tracking to be done and guess what, hardly any customers to be seen, nevermind the frenzied shoving, swearing and fisticuffs that were apparent in many shops in the UK[;-)]

OK, exaggerating somewhat for comic effect but your mention of obscene consumtion has set me right off[:D]

Edit:  I meant the post BEFORE your latest one[:)]

[NormanH]

Yes that post is spot on.

Many people see the need for changes in France, such as simplifying administration and streamlining the unwieldy local government millefeuille so that there are fewer levels doing the same thing.

This wasn't done in Sarkozy's last period in office and is slowly and timidly been done by Hollande.

Sarkozy represents a big business grab of French assets, coupled with a smothering of an independent judiciary and a blanket ownership of the press.

Very sinister, and reminiscent of Berlusconi

[Pickles]

[quote user="NormanH"]Many people see the need for changes in France, such as simplifying administration and streamlining the unwieldy local government millefeuille so that there are fewer levels doing the same thing.

This wasn't done in Sarkozy's last period in office and is slowly and timidly been done by Hollande.

Sarkozy represents a big business grab of French assets, coupled with a smothering of an independent judiciary and a blanket ownership of the press.

Very sinister, and reminiscent of Berlusconi

[/quote]

I find it difficult to remember what Sarko actually achieved.

He did (at the end) reduce some taxes (some of which were immediately reversed and indeed increased retroactively by Hollande). He introduced the autoentrepreneur scheme.

He totally failed to reform pensions or social security.

He completely failed to address the overly-large and top-heavy civil service.

He failed to reduce state spending.

He failed to reform the accumulation of very-well-remunerated jobs by politicians (of all parties).

He reduced the amount of advertising that the state TV channels could carry, in favour of his chums who own the privately-owned channels.

He introduced the requirement for a breathalyser, again strangely in favour of another chum.

[Gluestick]

[quote user="mint"]Gluey, I so agree with your post above.

American companies are even now doing more than a bit of sniffing around the NHS and might even have some input as I write.

There is not much about American practices imported into the UK that have done us many favours.  Black Friday, Cyber Monday, what the heck's next?

I visited about 5 shops this afternoon  (probably more than I have visited in the last month) whilst waiting for 2 tyres and tracking to be done and guess what, hardly any customers to be seen, nevermind the frenzied shoving, swearing and fisticuffs that were apparent in many shops in the UK[;-)]

OK, exaggerating somewhat for comic effect but your mention of obscene consumtion has set me right off[:D]

Edit:  I meant the post BEFORE your latest one[:)]

[/quote]

One of my heroes, Mint, was the late and much missed Alistair Cook (Letter from America); for me he summed it up, perfectly, when he wrote:

"Britain has imported all the worst aspects of American life: and none of the good things!"

I well remembering arguing with a young marketing whiz, in the late 60s (we were both then working for Ford Europe) and this bloke was extolling the wondrous benefits of "Planned Obsolescence": the concept of a new car lasting say five years and then being junked.

Ford's European cars then rusted away to a pile of ferrous oxide rather quickly!

However, many Americans keep domestic appliances far longer than Brits do! And repair them....

Sad to say, the younger French (In the North) now buy ready meals and load their carts with mass-produced junk convenience food; we see them in supermarchés all the time.

Pick up more and more food items (say crisps) and they are Pepsico, or Coca Cola, who have taken over traditional French brands: same with Proctor and Gamble. Same in Spain.......

I fear Sarkozy is far too myopic in his myopic belief, a market solution would be the economic and fiscal wonder pill for solving all France's growing problems.

France, structurally and socially is far different from Britain, America etc. It is a sort of working man's state, which tolerates les grandes legumes.

Since the beginnings of the end of WWII, France, as Italy, Greece et al, flirted with Marxism: it is still, naturally a quasi-socialist state.

Unfortunately, the Socialist political parties and politicians, use socialist dogma as a blunt club: and therefore one perceives a nation state switching between the idiot excesses of pretend socialism and the equal excesses of market-driven right wing theories.

When what is urgently needed, now, is the moderation of a centrist; who fully realises the excesses of trade union contracts, forged many years ago, must be revised. But not in one massive hit!

Difficult times for a country I love, for its history, culture and heritage.......

[Gluestick]

[quote user="Pickles"][quote user="NormanH"]Many people see the need for changes in France, such as simplifying administration and streamlining the unwieldy local government millefeuille so that there are fewer levels doing the same thing.

This wasn't done in Sarkozy's last period in office and is slowly and timidly been done by Hollande.

Sarkozy represents a big business grab of French assets, coupled with a smothering of an independent judiciary and a blanket ownership of the press.

Very sinister, and reminiscent of Berlusconi

[/quote]

I find it difficult to remember what Sarko actually achieved.

He did (at the end) reduce some taxes (some of which were immediately reversed and indeed increased retroactively by Hollande). He introduced the autoentrepreneur scheme.

He totally failed to reform pensions or social security.

He completely failed to address the overly-large and top-heavy civil service.

He failed to reduce state spending.

He failed to reform the accumulation of very-well-remunerated jobs by politicians (of all parties).

He reduced the amount of advertising that the state TV channels could carry, in favour of his chums who own the privately-owned channels.

He introduced the requirement for a breathalyser, again strangely in favour of another chum.

[/quote]

Well, I remember him, Pickles, mainly for two boasts: as Interior Minister he was going "To wash away all the rabble in the banlieues with a water cannon!"

Didn't he realise there is a water shortage? [:-))]

But mainly, for his vaunting boast that he would "Solve most problems in one hundred days!"

And then thereafter, did nothing much at all............

[Quillan]

[quote user="Gluestick"]I well remembering arguing with a young marketing whiz, in the late 60s (we were both then working for Ford Europe) and this bloke was extolling the wondrous benefits of "Planned Obsolescence": the concept of a new car lasting say five years and then being junked.

Ford's European cars then rusted away to a pile of ferrous oxide rather quickly!
[/quote]

Funny enough one of my clients was Ford New Holland, they were bought by Fiat back in the late 90's. Fiat said the metal used for the chasis on the tractors was to thick so they changed the spec. When sombody mentioned rust Fiats answer was to paint the chasis brwn rather than black. That way the farmer wouldn't spot the rust.

Japanees cars, Datsun Cherry, remember them, started to rust the moment they left the showroom. I don't think the Americans had the monopoly. Also if you look round your house very few things you own ever came from America apart from computer software.

[Gluestick]

[quote user="Quillan"]if you look round your house very few things you own ever came from America apart from computer software.[/quote]

Of course items don't "Come from  America", Q!

My Dell PCs and Laptops; etc. Are made from parts and facilities all over the World and come (Europe) from Ireland. Even Pentium CPUs, whilst proprietary to Intel, are laid down and encapsulated in various global facilities. However the companies are 100% US owned.

However, the salient point is major brands are owned by American transational trading multinationals. Think Kraft, e.g. and their hollow promises on Cadburys......

Worse, venal hedge funds and private equity funds control large blocks of UK company shares and play ducks and drakes with 'em!