EU : WHICH PROBLEMS NEED ACTION NOW ?.

The proposition by the Council of the EU of Jean-Claude Juncker as Candidate to become the next President of the EU Commission when José-Manuel Barroso retires, has resulted not in a discussion or examination of Juncker's aptitude for this key position but rather why Britain, or David Cameron want changes in EU Politics and Treaties !

Chancellor Merkel has proposed "her Man" because he will promote EUROZONE Policies and Golden Rules to protect the EURO at all costs.  Has she also, together with her close friends, realized that there are non-EURO problems in the EU from which electors want protection ?

To be quite clear, some of these problems are listed below;

   -  Protection from unconrolled immigration from Asia and Africa.

   -  Selective Immigration and Migration.

   -  Revision of EU Human Rights.

   -  Patent Protection and/or limitation of cheap Asian products.

   -  Non EU abuse of cheap child workers.

   -  Restoration of certain legislative rights to National Parliaments.

   -  No EU Foreign Policy concerning Al Quaida.

The recently elected MEPs will very shortly be obliged to accept or reject the proposition that Juncker should become the new President of the EU Commission.   Before they vote to adopt Juncker, should he not explain that he is conscious of the whole "Spectrum" of his new duties, and also clearly admit and explain that he knows MEPs will need his help to introduce certain rectifying legislation wanted by electors everywhere, not only in Britain ?   

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FRANCOIS HOLLANDE : EN PANNE ?

Depuis deux ans François Hollande entamait chaque mois le même refrain : "La courbe du chômage allait s'inverser".  Las, ce mois ci encore,  25 000 chômeurs de plus ont été enregistrés portant à 5 millions le nombre de sans emploi toutes catégories confondues.

Par ailleurs, la prévision de croissance de 1% du gouvernement vient d'être révisée à la baisse par l'INSEE et ramenée à 0,7% ...

Et on attend toujours la mise en œuvre du pacte de responsabilité que François Hollande annonçait en janvier dernier, la simplification des normes et la réduction des dépenses publiques, réformes promises par François Hollande ...

 

 

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JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER : NOW A QUICK VOTE TO ENSURE HIS ELECTION !

Having convinced everyone that Jean-Claude Juncker is the one and only suitable candidate to be the next President of the EU Commission, Chancellor Merkel will now push for a swift vote in the EU Parliament to ratify her choice and ensure his election as President ! 

It would be very convenient if this "problem" could be settled before the Summer recess scheduled for end July to 31 August 2014.  The vote in the EU Parliament is due to take place on 14/17 July.

To help her, Chancellor Merkel can count on the untiring services of José Manuel Barroso, the last nominated and unelected President of the EU Commission for the last  10 years.  Chancellor Merkel can also count on the 92 German MEPs to help ensure a majority vote in a Parliament which has 751 members. 

However a majority vote for Juncker may not really be a foregone conclusion.  He is recognized as being a dour and fervent slave of total EUROZONE domination of Europe.  The recent EU elections of MEPs has also, however, revealed that changes of principles and of politics in the EU are wanted and expected by the electorate.   

This could lead to delays if newly elected MEPs become stubborn about rubber-stamping Juncker as President ! Will he make a speech to the EU Parliament to introduce his ideas and convince MEPs how he will be "their man" if they elect him ?

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IS JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER THE RIGHT MAN ?

Manual Barroso, the out-going President of the EU Commission, knew he had to do what the Ministers of the European Council wanted, but these rules have now changed.  Does Jean-Claude Juncker really understand the role which he will be expected to play, as President of the EU Commission, to satisfy the Ministers of the EU Council, but also to satisfy the MEPs if they elect him as the President of the EU Commission ?

This function is not a "reward" or "honour" !  It is guaranteed hard work to continue building the dream of a federated Europe.  Many people are for or against this project !

It means formulating policies, modifying treaties and ensuring that taxpayers accept to bear the costs.  This also means being an independent diplomat, not a henchman of any one party. 

Has Juncker, in the pre-selection period, explained his vision of how he intends to work, to both the Council and to the EU Parliament ?  How can you adopt a Candidate if you do not "know" him or his ideas ?  

Is Jean-Claude Juncker the right man for the Job ?

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WILL THE EU PARLIAMENT ADOPT JUNCKER ?

With the benediction of Angela Merkel and her friends in the Eurozone, Jean-Claude Juncker from Luxembourg has become the red hot favourite to replace the retiring (nominated but never elected) Manual Barroso as President of the EU Commission.  His nomination for the post will be proposed at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers (26/27 June 2014) and must then be ratified by the EU Parliament.

This all appears quite harmless but it suits what Merkel really wants - no changes to EU Treaties which she considers are quite adequate for solving future problems.

In view of the recent EU Parliamentary elections, which revealed that voters wanted changes and elected many new politicians to force these changes, the automatic adoption of Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the EU Commission should perhaps not be considered as  certain.

Should a Eurozone henchman be elected as President or someone with a more open and independent frame of mind ?

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REFEREES NEED HELP : WILL FIFA ACT ?

 

Every football fan watching the World Cup in Brazil has seen the new modern style of play.  This can  be described as being "possession football at all costs".

In the bygone past reckless tackling was punished with a free kick.  Now Referees seem to hesitate and do not want to show the yellow cards to offenders for violent play.  What constitutes violent play or a violation of the spirit of the game ?

   -  Desperate tackles, "get the ball or the man".

   -  No hope,  last gasp dangerous tackles, where there is a 5 percent chance of success.

   -  Body checking with outspread arms.

   -  Feigning injury when the ball has been lost, or won with undue force.

Should FIFA not act to provide referees with some practical help ?  Would it not be better to end the use of yellow cards and replace them with instant sanctions of time penalties "in the sin bin" ?  Should writhing injured players not be systematically be treated off the pitch ?

Fans should make their feelings clear to FIFA !

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FRENCH ELECTORS FACED WITH POLITICAL CHAOS

After the local elections and then the EU parliamentary elections, there is now a frenzied fight in all sectors of Political Life in France.  

To be quite simple,

   -  Faced with heavy election losses, President Hollande appointed a new Prime Minister (Manuel Valls) who formed a new Cabinet of Ministers.

   -  The "Greens" and the Communists withdrew from the Socialist coalition.
   -  Trade Unions are now defying the Government with strikes in the Transport sector.
   -  Conservatives on the Right (UMP) are in-fighting just to elect a leader to replace Cope the disavowed former President of UMP; this has become an almighty individual battle to become the next official candidate for the French Presidential election in 2017.

DOES PRÉSIDENT PUTIN STILL RULE IN RUSSIA ?

How is it that Président Putin can...

   -  justify invading Crrimea

   -  justify maintaining combat vessels in Syrian ports

   -  tell Russian speaking protesters to stop revolts in Ukraine

   -  deny the presence of any Russian "troops" in Ukraine

   -  justify organising exercises for Russian troops on the borders with Ukraine

   -  deny the presense of Russian made tanks and arms in Ukraine

   -  not react when a Ukrainian transport plane is shot down in Ukraine killing all 49 people abord.

Will Putin now act, or react, after the attack by Ukrainians on the Russian Embassy in Kiev because they want an end to the revolts by Russians in eastern Ukraine ?

Is President Putin really in charge ?  Is he still the magician or has he become the "puppet" ?

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BLATTER STILL REFUSES TO STOP !

So the big secret is out!   Sepp Blatter after 40 years service in the FIFA organisation still does not want to retire!  At the ripe old age of  78  "HE"  has decided  against retiring now as he promised he would, before his last election 4 years ago !

To be quite frank, after 40 years service as Secretary and later
President, faced with the mess that is FIFA now, one can understand that  HE himself would prefer to clean up the mess  !   However, what HE does not understand is that FIFA does not belong to HIM !

The FIFA Statutes need revising, but they do state that the President and Executives  must seek re-election every 4 years  !   HE  cannot avoid this obligation !   However,  4  years ago when  HE was finally  "re-elected"  HE  was the only candidate left standing after Bin Hammam had been "sacked" !   HE won unopposed.

Executive  Committee members have a duty to "Football" everywhere to ensure that HE is not again one of the last two candidates standing !

Sepp Blatter must also réalise that he is not GOD !



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HUMAN RIGHTS... but also HUMAN OBLIGATIONS ?

Everyone only ever talks about Human RIGHTS, but never about Human OBLIGATIONS !  When someone pleads for his Human Rights, does this not imply that someone else has obligations to fulfill ?   

There are various sources which create rights and duties obligations at the same time.  Contracts of mariage are an example.  On the other hand, Social Care legislation covers a wide area of free aid.

In the EU at present the cost of such services and the way costs are funded, vary widely.  Normally  employees pay contributions which are deducted from their gross   salaries.   Problems arise when workless, illegal immigrants claim  their "Human Rights".  They want "equality", to be treated as equals, even when they have never made any contributions anywhere, not even in the country where they were born.

In the EU Parliamentary Elections in May 2014 voters clearly expressed the wish for changes.  They would accept selective immigration but want "Border Controls", not the present day uncontroled "open door" policy.

 

To put it another way, uncontrolled immigration costs money.  How much more are EU Tax payers expected to pay ?

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QUAND LA FOURNEE TOURNE AU TOLLE...

L'utilisation familière de certains mots devrait être bannie !  Il en est ainsi semble-t-il du mot fournée... Jean Marie Le Pen qui a suggéré de "faire une fournée d'artistes" critiques envers le FN devrait le savoir !

  Pourtant, pour le  dictionnaire "Larousse" une fournée est "un ensemble de gens à qui l'on fait subir un même sort ou qui participent à un même mouvement : une fournée de touristes".  Ce peut être également "un ensemble de personnes appelées aux mêmes fonctions, aux mêmes dignités : une fournée de sénateurs".

Pour le "Wiktionnaire", même définition du mot fournée : "un certain nombre de personnes qui accomplissent ensemble les mêmes actes ou subissent le même sort :  les visiteurs étaient admis par fournées".

Le dictionnaire Larousse qui fait autorité devra-t-il  désormais s'aligner sur ce qu'il convient d'appeler le "politiquement correct" ?  


DML
 

EU = A QUAGMIRE OF CONFLICTING IDEALS !

When company Directors get the strategy wrong the immediate result is "bankruptcy" or the "liquidation" of their Enterprises.  Employees are sacked.  Directors get  "sacked" !  Creditors get what is left.

The same thing does not apply to "supra-national" organisations or "political idealists" who have created these organisations !  Elections in the EU can be "bad", even hostile, but politicians try to carry on (hang on ?) without doing more than is necessary to "quell" temporary uprisings !

This "windows" the mood of "Idealists" in the EU at this very moment, today in fact !

The origins of the EU started in 1948 when politicians  from different countries got together to talk about the future of post-war Europe and this later led to the signing in 1957 of the EEC Treaty of Rome by the six founder member countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and West Germany).

After many agreements and treaties afterwards, the EEC became the EU of 28 countries of to-day, the latest addition being Croatia in 2013.

There have been many problems since the important Maastricht Treaty in 1993, including the accession of 16 new member countries of varying sizes and economic backgrounds, but also the creation of the EURO !  The general worldwide economic recession of the last 5 years has not helped, but it has exposed the EU to unforseen problems. 

The results of the recent EU Parliamentary Elections revealed major gains by extreme right political parties and they reflect the feelings of worried EU voters and the fact that they want action and changes. 

The extreme right parties highlighted the "Immigration and Migration" problems but there are many others which must be addressed.  They will be the subject of further articles.                 

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LE RETOUR DE SARKOZY : UNE FAUSSE BONNE IDEE!

En 2012, Nicolas Sarkozy candidat à l'élection présidentielle s'y était engagé: "Si je suis battu, vous n'entendrez plus parler de moi, j'arrêterai la politique". Parole d'homme politique...

 

Aujourd'hui ses "amis" orchestrent son retour à la tête de l'UMP avant de proposer sa naturelle candidature à la présidentielle de 2017.

 

Est-il vraiment indispensable de faire appel à celui qui est en partie responsable de l'échec de 2012 et de la victoire de François Hollande ?  D'autres personnalités doivent pouvoir émerger !

 

DML

WILL FIFA EVER CHANGE ?

Articles in the press all "expose" the now well known problems concerning the nomination of Qatar as the Hosts of the 2022 World Cup.  Was the vote "fixed", were votes bought with money, is the country ready, is it too hot to play football there, etc.  Numerous problems, all of which should have been avoided before even considering Qatar for such a venue !

What is even worse is that the same problems could again arise in the future !  What has been done since the nomination of Qatar to avoid such a possibility ?

When so many people suddenly vote to elect Qatar, a nonentity in the Football world, as "Hosts", there must have been "collusion" !  The real question then becomes,  "How on earth was this possible" ?

The answer seems to lie in the articles 30 and 31 of the FIFA Satutes.  There it is stated that all the Members of the Executive Committee and the President of FIFA can be re-elected.  There is no time limitation on the length of their service.  If only one re-election was permitted would this not make "collusion" more difficult ?  Would this not ensure that new, younger blood would enter more easily into the FIFA management system ?

Current anxiousness surrounds the World Cup in Brazil, but the next re-elections of the President and the Executive Committee members are already on the horizon.  Could these elections not be postponed for six months so that outside professionals could examine all the problems, make a report and suggest amendments ?

This in fact could be the lasting legacy that Sepp Blatter, now aged 78 and after 16 years of service as President, could leave to FIFA and the World of Football !

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HOLLANDE'S HONEYMOON IS OVER !

The euphoria of his election in May 2012, the 60 election promises he has never kept, the increasing taxes, the ever increasing unemployment figures, all of which culminated in disasterous Socialist Local Election results in March 2014, followed by the upsurge of the Extreme Right in the EU Parliamentary elections, have all completely ended the dreams of President François Hollande.

He was elected with 51,64% of the votes : now his popularity stands at under 20% in the latest Opinion Polls.  Even changing the Government after the Local Elections has made no difference.  The disaster is complete and there seems to be no way out.

What will happen next ?  Can he stop dithering or will he suddenly wave a magic wand and galvanise France with new policies ?

The popular impression is quite to the contrary.  There is in-fighting in the Socialist camp, some die-hards are even jumping overboard and many wonder if he can finish the last three years of his Presidential term of office !  Three years ..... is a long, long time !

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