PUTIN KEEPS A LOW PROFILE... !

For the last month Putin has been keeping a low profile.  Then suddenly he is seen with his long standing friend, Tsipras, in Moscow !

The first immediate announcement was that they did not discuss the possiblility of Financial "help" for Greece !  That is absolutely standard.  Has Putin ever admitted being involved in doing anything ? Has he not always denied everything ? 

What this does remind us of is that Putin did suddenly "disappear" for about 15 days last month !  Speculation was rife !

Suddenly catching and prosecuting the murderers of Nemtsov has been forgotten !  The crumbling Rouble Fortunes of Putin's Oligarch henchmen is no longer discussed !  After all they do still own large slices of leading Russian industrial companies even if some of their fortunes have been impounded in the West. 

The Sanctions the West has imposed are however an inconvenience, just like the low Oil and Gas Prices !  With the warm spring weather sales will not pick up for at least six months ! 

How long will the Russian reserves of Foreign Currency last to preserve the Rouble ?  Is it still quoted on the Exchange Markets ?  Will Russia try to annexe the East of Ukraine just as it did with Crimea last year ?  How can Putin achieve this without any Russian troops in Ukraine ? 

Last year all hell broke loose after the calm of the Sotchie Games !  What can the West expect this year ?

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DES "SALLES DE SHOOT " BIENTOT EXPERIMENTEES !

L'Assemblée nationale a adopté mardi 7 avril l'expérimentation de salles de consommation de drogue à moindre risque , appelées communément "salles de shoot", dans le cadre du projet de loi de modernisation du système de santé.
Ceci a inspiré notre ami caricaturiste MARIN.


"Une triste perspective mais , hélas, dans bien des cas, proche de la réalité."

BLAIR GRABS THE LIMELIGHT !

In 2007, after 10 years at the helm as Prime Minister, having found a new job elsewhere, Tony Blair left a sinking ship !  When the Conservatives came to power in 2010 Britain was bankrupt and in a complete mess !

Now Tony Blair has suddenly re-emerged to help Ed Miliband and Labour in the General Election  fight against David Cameron's Conservatives ! 

Blair has endorsed Miliband 100% for his leadership and his policies which is normal for a former Socialist Prime Minister !  In particular he backs Miliband for his stand against Britain leaving the EU, but is this really a reason for voting against the Conservatives to win the Election ? 

Has David Cameron not made it quite clear that if he is re-elected next month, he intends to force changes in EU Treaties and AFTERWARDS hold a Referendum to let Electors decide if Britain should stay in the EU ? 

There are some stubborn Leaders in the EUROZONE and they sometimes forget that there are other member countries in the EU !  With all the EURO problems it is perhaps time to think about creating an independent EUROZONE within the Framework of the EU ! 

There are many things which need revising in EU Treaties as this Blog has already underlined ! They are necessary because the world around us is changing which Mr Blair, in his capacity as an Envoy in the Middle East, may have noticed !

The changes necessary are not only for the benefit  of Britain alone but for all member countries of the EU !  To be quite clear, Britain needs the EU and the EU has always needed Britain in the past ! 

This General Election should be fought on internal UK political policies and issues to decide which party and its leader is best to lead the country ! 

In the end it may even prove to be be much too early to hold a Referendum in 2017 to decide whether the UK should leave the EU or not ! 

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UK : 1st ELECTION DEBATE - MILIBAND JUMPS THE GUN !

Without wanting to judge the merits of any of the  seven political Leaders in the televised Debate last night, it seems that the technique used by Ed Miliband to get his message across is already well known in France ! 

He hammered home his message of what he would do if he became Prime Minister.  To do this he has simply copied the technique used by François Hollande in the now famous last minutes of the last Debate, against outgoing President Sarkozy in the May 2012 Presidentials. 

Hollande stunned Sarkozy when he said about 17 times in two minutes "I as President will..." and reeled off a series of promises ! 

Sarkozy was completely poleaxed and Hollande   became the new President a few days later !  That was three years ago.   Hollande reneged on his promises afterwards and at present France is in a complete mess for a number of reasons ! 

Ed Miliband seems to have got his timing wrong !  It is not in the first round of debates that this technique is best used.  It is right at the end of all the debates, when there is little time left to counter such an attack, that this technique is best used !

Ed Miliband seems to have jumped the gun !  Or, is he hiding something even better ?

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"GREXIT" OR NOT, EUROZONE MUST CHANGE TO SURVIVE !

It is not the small loss of 245 Billion Euros due to writing-off the Loans made to a bankrupt Greece that would break-up the EUROZONE !  It is the risk that other countries in difficulty may also choose to "exit" the EURO to avoid facing long periods of austerity.

If Greece is forced to adopt its former National Currency (the Drachma) it must then manage  its own "Balance of Payments" problems !   The European Central Bank (ECB) does this for all EUROZONE countries, but its policies are not  always appreciated everywhere !

This example is typical of the unease in the EUROZONE countries at present !  In spite of the ever changing world around the EUROZONE, it is stoïcally refusing to update even slightly, the principles and ideas enschrined in Treaties which were adopted more than 30 years ago ! 

Is this not retrograde ?

 

Here are a few examples of varying standards in the EU and EUROZONE which must be updated ;

 

  -  Immigration is not controlled

  -  Migration is not controlled
  -  Rights to Free Health services vary
  -  Retirement ages and conditions vary
  -  Taxation is not standardised
  -  A common Foreign Policy for Defence and Commerce is required !
  -  ECB banking principles must be controled by the EU Parliament.
   
All the 29 countries in the EU protect their National interests too much when legislation is proposed.  This is not abnormal but it does not enhance the EUROZONE nor the European UNION !

In principle the objective of an EU and EUROZONE powerblock is justified and absolutely necessary to confront other already well known geographical  powerblocks !  

The danger is that if all 29 countries will not bury their National interests, what could become the "Federated United States of Europe" will not "FUSE"!   It will disintegrate due to more "Grexits" !
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LES TROTTOIRS AUX PIETONS !

Les amendes pour stationnement gênant sur les passages piétons, les trottoirs et les pistes cyclables, passeront de 35 à 135 euros à compter du 30 juin prochain a confirmé le Ministère de l'Intérieur.

La même augmentation devrait donc s'appliquer aux "deux roues motorisées" passibles également d'une amende de 35 euros actuellement en cas de stationnement gênant.

Le relèvement du montant de l'amende devrait  toutefois rester sans incidence pour les "deux roues motorisées" à Paris et n'améliorera donc pas la circulation des piétons sur leurs trottoirs !

En effet à Paris, compte tenu de l'insuffisance du nombre de places de stationnement, une tolérance existe en faveur des deux roues motorisées : le Préfet de Police dans une note du 13 mars 2008,  demandait à ses services de "faire preuve de discernement dans l'action de verbalisation" en appréciant "si le véhicule à deux roues occasionne ou non une gêne réelle pour le cheminement des piétons". Jusqu'à ce jour cette note n'a jamais été  remise en cause. 

Mais la tolérance est devenue laxisme et c'est en toute impunité que les motos   envahissent les trottoirs parisiens ...   Se frayer un passage sur les trottoirs au milieu de dizaines d'imposantes motos   est devenu périlleux pour les piétons !

Pour remédier à cette situation , des vœux ont été formulés, des promesses ont été faites: 

- Le 17 décembre 2013, à l'initiative de Christophe Najdovski, le Conseil de Paris a voté à l'unanimité un "vœu" contre le stationnement des deux roues motorisées sur les trottoirs.  Depuis Christophe Najdovski, élu de EELV au conseil municipal, a été nommé adjoint au maire chargé des transports, de la voirie et des déplacements...

- Par ailleurs Anne Hidalgo, alors candidate à la Mairie de Paris, s'est engagé à créer 20 000 emplacements de stationnement "deux roues motorisées" supplémentaires dans Paris en surface et non payants...

Quand les trottoirs parisiens seront ils enfin rendus aux piétons ?

DML


 

UK : WHAT KIND OF COALITION AFTER THE GENERAL ELECTION ?

There seems to be only one unanswered element before the next General Election in the United Kingdom on Thursday, May 7, 2015 !  

"Which other Party will be in the best position to participate in a Coalition Government with the Conservatives if they alone do not obtain a working majority ?"

Skirmishes have already taken place as all the Parties and their Leaders try to "position" themselves.   In the end everything will of course depend on the number of elected MPs each party obtains in this "first past the post" election ! 

A Conservative Party majority is not at all certain  despite its competent resurrection of the bankrupt Britain they inherited in 2010 from the Socialists after their 13 years in power !  

There have been three significant events since the last General Election in 2010 :

1)  Scotland voted in the Referendum against Total Independence and to stay in the UK, but probably not against more delegated Local Government.  As a result it is expected that more than just 6 Scottish National Party (SNP) MPs will be elected  in May ! 

2) In Scotland 29 Socialist MPs and 11 Liberal- Democrats were elected in 2010.  Any large swing to SNP will be felt by these two parties !

3) In the 2010 Westminister Parliamentary Election no United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) candidate was elected.  However, in the EU Parliamentary Elections in May 2014, 24 UKIP MEPs were successful, as well as 20 Socialists and 19 Conservatives ! 

It would seem that in this General Election UKIP will win seats at the expense of the Conservatives and Socialists ! 

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The foregoing observations do not take into account any of the political promises of any of the Parties ! 

 

Theoretically a "hung Parliament" is therefore a distinct possibility !  However, as always, before Election Day anything can happen !  Mistakes will be made and as always, voters will have the last word !

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