DOES EUROZONE SOLUTION FIT GREECE ?

The facts of the situation are already well known.   Greece has   received long-term loans from the EUROZONE which should be repaid on a regular basis together with the interest due.  This now appears to be impossible because the country is bankrupt and 30% of its workers are unemployed.  

The EUROZONE cannot accept to write-off the 245 Billion Euros Greek Debt.  This would become a precedent which could ultimately destroy the EURO as a world currency ! 

The newly elected Prime Minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, promised electors to reorganise Greece and to restore its pride, which quite logically costs money !  As an election promise he threatened to withdraw Greece from the EUROZONE if it did not agree to a hefty Debt write-off !

The speculation now is that repayments of the Debt could be postponed (but for how long ?) and that only a reduced amount of the current interest falling due would be paid by Greece !

This, theoretically, would enable Mr Tsipras to reorganise Greece and would not endanger the EURO !  Angela Merkel would not be obliged to change any of the fundamental rules of the EU which are enshrined in Treaties !

Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), has in the meantime introduced a new policy of buying-up short term Bank debt in the EUROZONE so as to provide finance to banks which could then make loans to Industry !  This should help to Kick-start industrial activity !

Are there not some evident risks in these plans ? 

What happens if Alexis Tsipras reorganises Greece but the economy does not perform as expected ?  Will he then not want to withdraw Greece from the EUROZONE by adopting the drachme and never repay the Loans ?  Likewise, if Mr Draghi floods the world with too many EUROS will this not create a spiral of inflation ? 

Will it not be the taxpayer who will ultimately bear the cost from the loss in value of the EURO in his pocket ?  That would be like a hidden tax on his wealth !

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FRANCE: WHO COULD GOVERN IN 2017 ?

The whole political scene in France at present is in complete disarray !  On the Left the Government Coalition has lost its majority and on the Right, UMP fears that the National Front (FN) could get the upper hand.

The Government Coalition was slowly being deserted and this led President Hollande to appoint Manuel Valls as Prime Minister and then Emmanuel Macron as Minister of the Economy.  Their policies are more centrist and less left than the original Socialist policies, and this change appeals more to the "big business" leaders.  Choosing them is proving to be a master stroke by President Hollande !

On the Right Nicolas Sarkozy, who once said if he was beaten as President he would leave politics, made a non-easy comeback as President of the UMP party.  He obviously wants to stand again in the Presidential Election in 2017 !  Alas others also have this ambition !  This has cause rifts in the ranks of UMP !

Further UMP rifts are created by the FN party which has been mopping-up drifting voters, on the left and the right, for about ten years in all the elections.  In the first round of the current bye election in Doubs, the FN candidate came first by beating the Socialist.  The UMP candidate was eliminated !  

For whom should UMP Voters vote in the second round ?  No one, official, choice could be agreed !  UMP was split by this issue !

To become the President of France, the next election in 2017   will be the last chance for several well known but older politicians on the Right and Left !  Marine Le Pen, the leader of FN is feared by everyone, on the Left or Right ! 

Additionally, there are also other much younger candidates in the wings of the Socialist Party and of UMP, even if it does manage to survive until May 2017 !

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FN DIVIDES THE FRENCH RIGHT !

In the first round of voting in the last bye-election the extreme right National Front (FN ) candidate came first ; the centre right UMP candidate came third, behind the socialist candidate and was therefore eliminated ! 

This has created a real panic because the Socialists could lose the seat and FN could get a third MP into the National Assembly ! 

The regular increase of the FN share of the votes in all types of Elections, has so irked both the Socialist and UMP parties, that in recent years they have both instructed their electors to vote against FN candidates in the second and last round !

This may not be undemocratic but it does reveal a low esteem by politicians for their electors !  In recent years FN has gathered increasing support due to the inaction of the main parties with respect to Immigration, Migration and Unemployment !

Nicolas Sarkozy, has decided not to impose any official line.  This alas, does not appeal to all of the UMP leaders !  Alain Juppé and Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet have already said that between an FN candidate and a Socialist candidate, they will vote for the Socialist  ! 

In the end electors will decide for themselves how to vote !

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HOLLANDE: ONLY A TEMPORARY RESPITE...

On New Year's Day 2015 President Hollande had the lowest popularity ratings of any French President in the history of France.  This correctly reflected the general public opinion that he had accumulated problems instead of solving them !  France also had become the bad boy of the class in the EUROZONE ! 

Then, on Wednesday January 7, Muslim Extremists killed 12 people in the satyrical newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" to avenge Mahomet for cartoons they had published. The next day a Policewoman was shot dead and three days later, in a Jewish Hypermarket, a Muslim extremist again killed 4 jewish people.

Hollande immediately declared three days of mourning and invited more than 40 Heads of State to a symbolical march in Paris on Sunday January 11 ! 

Not only France but the whole World was shocked by what had happened.   The next day Prime Minister Valls declared war on Muslim Extremists in the National Assemby.  He was backed by all Parties in the House.  There was National Unity !

The Popularity Polls for both Hollande and Valls shot up to unseen levels !  

Hollande has been attending numerous Commemorations since then.  Together with Valls they have been planning increased security measures against Islamic Terrorism. 

However, the old problems are still there and unsolved !  Merkel and the EUROZONE still insist that France must introduce economic measures to balance national income and expenses !  This really means cutting State expenses amongst other things ! 

There was however, bad news yesterday in the first round of the latest partial Election.  The National Front Party has polled many more votes than the Socialists and the right wing UMP party candidate was eliminated !   

Will the Socialists be able to retain the Seat ?  Will the UMP party ask its electors to vote against the National Front Party and for the Socialist candidate ?  Nicolas Sarkozy will decide tomorrow what should be done...   

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DETECTEURS DE FUMEE:CE QU'IL FAUT SAVOIR

A compter du 8 mars 2015, chaque logement devra être équipé d'au moins un détecteur de fumée, installé de préférence dans le dégagement desservant les chambres. Si le logement est occupé par un locataire, il appartient au propriétaire de fournir le détecteur ou d'en rembourser l'achat; la pose incombe au locataire.

 

 Les copropriétés ne sont pas concernées par cette mesure .

 

L'installation de détecteurs de fumée dans les parties communes de l'immeuble est même interdite (arrêté du 5 février 2013).

 

Ceci dans la mesure où une détection de fumée déclencherait l'alarme et inciterait des gens à sortir de leur logement et à entrer dans les fumées. Or ce sont précisément les fumées qui tuent (réponse ministérielle à Marc Francina, JO AN du 29 janvier 2013).

Mr JUNCKER : PROVE THERE IS DEMOCRACY IN THE EU !

There is not one citizen nor one MEP in the European Union, who is totally and 100% satisfied with the way politicians are conducting the Affairs of State which concern us all !  

There are 28 countries, 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), and more than 500 million electors.  No one is convinced that the main problems in their country are adquately covered and dealt with at the EU level ! 

Examples of "high level" EU preoccupations are the "current" Greek + EURO crisis and the "never ending" Immigration and Migration problems ! 

Is it not time that Jean-Claude Juncker, who is the President of the European Commission, should prove that transparent Democracy does exist or is possible in the EU Parliament ? 

Could he not organise a presentation/debate in which one MEP from each country is given 5 or 10 minutes maximum to explain which three problems are the most important for his country ?  If such a debate is transmitted live to at least all the 28 EU member countries, would this not create an enormous amount of interest and goodwill ? 

A summary of the problems notified by the countries should then be prepared and published.  It could become the subject of a special debate in the EU parliament at a later date. This debate also should be transmitted by live television broadcasts. 

If Mr Juncker would undertake something like this (and why not each year ?), it would certainly restore the confidence of electors in the EU Parliament !  

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MERKEL : NO DEBT RELIEF FOR GREECE ! REALLY ?

What Angela Merkel said is quite clear !   Neither she nor Germany want to agree to a reduction of the Debt of 240 Billion  Euros which Greece owes to its creditors. 

What is not clear is " Have Merkel and Jean-Claude Juncker   (the President of the EU Commission) understood the mood of other countries in the EUROZONE ? 

Have they understood why in several countries extremists were elected into the EU Parliament in August 2014 and why at present there are strikes and protests flaring-up in Spain, France and Greece and perhaps very soon, elsewhere also ? 

It seems that the answer is that people want to avoid  "EUROZONE austerity" !   Some Leaders have been even more blunt by saying they do not want their countries to become "German Colonies" !

They say Germany seems to impose its will or solution everywhere !  Since 2010 Greece has been granted huge loans not to leave the EUROZONE but these loans did not solve the "economic" problems of the country !   Instead the measures of austerity imposed on the Greeks stifled the country !   It would have been a better solution if Greece had abandoned the EURO ! 

Now, as a result, the same question has arisen again, but a "Grexit" from the EURO is not the solution envisaged !  Only more austerity !  What is even worse is that a debt "reduction" is out of the question;  repayment of all the 240 Billion Euros is  expected !    

Greece cannot repay the Loans !   Merkel and Germany, however, do not want to envisage what could happen if Greece decides to leave the EUROZONE, and perhaps, even the EU ! Would or could this lead to other countries also leaving ? 

It is clearly the time NOW that all the ills in the Treaties of the EU need to be examined !   David Cameron has demanded this for a long time !  

Not to examine these problems now will only lead to more  problems in the future ?  The final abandonment of the EU  dream would then be upon us !

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