PARIS SERA-T-IL INONDE ?

 

LES RATS SONT DANS PARIS...

Les souris et les rats sont dans Paris mais la Maire de Paris a la solution pour y remédier!

D'après Nicolas Canteloup

BREXIT COSTS AND EU SECURITY ?

During all the ongoing Brexit negotiations the EU has repeatedly demanded huge compensation payments from Britain before it can leave !

However, reports never seem to mention any contribution payable by the EU to Britain (and also France) for its anti-Islamic State warfare in the Middle East.  

At least twice in living memory Britain has saved Europe during and after a World War with the help of USA and British Commonwealth troops !   Is the next World War not going to be against I S Terrorists in Europe and on other Continents ?

The EU at present is simply not equipped to defend itself.  It has no security measures at its Frontiers, no Army and no Defence Plans or Organisation !   The fact that so many uninvited immigrants can "appear" in the EU is treated only like an embarrassment.

The sad truth is that EU citizens are really worried about the lack of security.   In recent national elections they have clearly voted against traditional Parties :  they want changes and action ! 

If EU leaders do not act, there could be not just one BREXIT but several other "EXITS" !     

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FOOTBALL TRANSFER FEES ESCALATE !

The estimated and approximate cost payable by Manchester United for the transfer of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal, is about 175 Million pounds for the four and a half years duration of the contract !  Sanchez will be paid a pre-tax salary of about 450 000 pounds per week !

The recent escalation of the cost of the services of leading footballers is alarming to say the very least !  

To think that in the post-war years of the 1940s and 50s Stanley Matthews, an ever present  English international footballer, was paid the princely sum of £20 per week, which was twice the weekly minimum wage.....!

The two Manchester clubs, City and United, have virtually "bought" the top two places in the league table, for the time being !  

But, will their "investments" generate enough income to pay all their star players ?   Or will the Spectators and TV companies be expected to pay more ?    Or will it be for the Shareholders of the Clubs to provide the finance needed ? 

What seems a certainty is that other professional footballers will also want either a salary increase or a transfer to another club !   How many will refuse to play because they are "injured"......to get what they want ?

There could be another period of turmoil coming in the World of Football !            
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PUTIN IS THE NEXT EU HEADACHE !

The next Russian Presidential Election will take place on March 18, 2018 and as expected the current President, Vladimir Putin is one of the candidates.  How many other candidates will be accepted as being qualified to run, remains to be seen !  

Putin is a popular candidate and will certainly start some sabre rattling to impress Russian electors that he is protecting them and their country.  He was a KGB officer in Eastern Germany in 1989 when the Berlin wall was breached.  Later some USSR Satellite countries joined the EU and then more after the Russian economy collapsed !    

As a result Putin is now determined to restore the former importance of Russia internationally; will he try to grab back some of the countries on the Russian border with the EU ?    This may explain why he is constantly a thorn in the side of Western Countries.
   
There are several key examples - Crimea has been occupied, Russian troops are in Eastern Ukraine, his troops help Syria in the Middle East, Russian Armaments are supplied to his Allies ! 

What can the West do ?   One could almost say that only France and Britain have operational armies capable of defending the EU !   Military Service was abandoned in Europe 50 years ago....

Putin will be ready to act in March !   Will EU Leaders have their plans ready to counter any move by Putin ? 
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FRENCH PRISONS ARE OVERCROWDED !

During the last 40 years in France the ever growing lack of sufficient prison cells has been deftly ignored by all  Presidents and all political Parties.

Reports and statistics on Prisons lack precision and this prevents any meaningful comparisons from one era to the next.  There is however one certainty : some leading prisons in France are now overcrowded by 40%.

Any simple solution, like just building more prisons, would never solve all the needs or create a modern Prison System on a National basis.   A complete inventary of all weaknesses is therefore required.

Just a few critical weaknesses immediately reveal the extent of this serious problem :

1 -  Long term and short term prisoners are detained in the same prisons, terrorists there indoctrinate other prisoners, 
2 - Prison cells built for 1 or 2 occupants house 2 or 3,  
3 - Security in prisons is weak : drugs, phones, knives etc. are smuggled in and are traded among inmates,
4 - Prison warders are attacked and their morale is low,
5 - To avoid overcrowding shorter prison terms are imposed  and earlier remissions of sentences are accorded !

President Macron has vowed to change France in many respects and last week turned his attention to the problems faced by French prisons !   Some guardes have gone on strike after having been attacked by prisoners.

To find a solution may take a little time, but Macron wants to be seen as a man of action !   

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WILL A MERKEL COME-BACK BENEFIT E U ?

A desperate Angela Merkel worked hard to retain her "job" as Chancellor of Germany, after she had been dropped by her former Coalition partners.   Yesterday they reached agreement on the main conditions for another Coalition "deal" !

What conditions will Merkel be obliged to accept finally in a new deal with Martin Schulz and his SPD party ?  How will this affect not only German Politics but also future EU Policies and EU Treaties ?  These key points still need to be ironed out.  

The outline deal will have to be approved by the SPD delegates and later by the Party members.   A new Government for Germany is expected to be anounced in March.    

In 2015 after Merkel's spontaneous "open-armed welcome" to miserable refugees fleeing the Middle East war, EU countries were flooded with more than a million immigrants.  Germany willingly selected huge numbers of qualified workers which it needed for its factories.

However, electors in many EU countries, including those in Germany, now want less immigrants.   Added to this there is also the wish that EU frontiers are closed to improve National Security. 

Can and will Merkel satisfy all the wishes of both German and EU electors ?

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HARCELEMENT ? ? ?

LAST CHANCE FOR MERKEL, but....

In the General Election on September 24, 2017 the two main Coalition Parties in Germany lost 105 MPs (SPD - 40 and CDU - 65).  The AfD (Alternative Party for Germany) gained 94 seats and the FDP (Free Democratic Party) gained 80 seats.  

Martin Schulz (SPD), the Social Democratic Party leader, announced that the Party wanted to reorganise and no longer wanted to be part of another Coalition.   Angela Merkel, the Leader of the Christian Democrats and the German Chancellor, was therefore obliged to seek other partners for a new Coalition, but all her attempts failed.

Then suddenly Schulz proposed that he and Merkel should open new discussions !  The real question now is to know what will change in their new Policies if they do agree to form another Coalition ?

One issue is not negotiable : Merkel certainly will want to retain her position as Chancellor !   

However, certain issues must be addressed in view of the firm swing in the Election against the Coalition.  For example :   Less but also selective Immigration,  Better external EU Border Controls, Better and more secure EU Defence Systems particularly against Terrorism, Taxation and Redistribution Policies in Germany.....

Finally, if there is no agreement between Merkel and Schulz, President Steinmeier will be obliged to propose another General Election !   If THAT is the case, it will probably result in further losses for each of the Coalition Partners !

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EU CITIZENS FEAR THE LACK OF SECURITY !

While EU Politicians are happy and proud to announce the defeat of the Islamic State in the Middle East War, they seem to ignore the fact that their Electors and EU Citizens are still preoccupied about where and when the next Islamic Terrorist attack will take place ! 

Daily there are Press reports of how planned attacks by Islamic cells in the EU have been foiled due to the diligence of the Police and Security forces !    BUT, sooner or later comes the news that an attack by terrorists has successfully killed more innocent citizens !    In some cases the terrorists were "known to the Police" !

Then come the statistics and explanations !  Prisons are overflowing with Terrorist suspects and there are even known cells where other "simple" prisoners are indoctrinated by Islamists serving long term sentences !

Is this acceptable ?   Should normal innocent citizens and taxpayers be exposed to the risk of attacks by Terrorists who have the intention to kill as many people as possible and to destroy property ? Should taxpayers be expected to pay to keep them alive in Prison ?

The principles of the EU forbid the execution of "murderers" !   And, are  EU Borders "totally secure" at all times ?  Should all "Visitors" not have documented permission to enter a country or the EU ?

In fact, should ALL persons, who are proved to have actively participated in a project of mass killings, not face the Death Penalty ?   Could such a law not also make some people think twice and also become a "deterrent" ?

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