100 posts
Nicolas Sarközy, the Roma and the Junkies he feeds at French taxpayer's expense.
Nicolas Sarközy is deporting Roma. Does any one care about Roma? He is deporting men , woman and children and according to him this is to suppress crime.Does any one care about Roma?Nicolas Sarközy is a descendant of Hungarian emigrants to...
The French System of Collective Bargaining
Collective bargaining in France was generalised by law in 1950, which established the industry as the main level for bargaining. In 1971, collective bargaining at the ‘inter-professional’ (cross-industry) level was also established. Finally, the...
France's 'gypsy deportation' is becoming the EU's problem
The controversy over France’s deportation of Roma (gypsies) who are Romanian nationals continued unabated this week, as Sarkozy prepares to host what some are calling an “anti-gypsy summit” in Paris next week between 5 of the EU’s biggest pow...
Old PUPS, new tricks
Any Francophones out there interested in minor political parties may be interested to know of a short piece on pensioners' parties in the newsmagazine Alternatives internationales, which, roughtly speaking, seems to a cross channel version of t...
Garde à vue : pourquoi la France est-elle mauvaise élève ?
Le Conseil constitutionnel français a rendu le vendredi 30 juillet une décision qui fait l'effet d'une bombe dans la procédure pénale française. Grâce à la fameuse question prioritaire de constitutionnalité, le Conseil s'est prononcé sur la...
The Roma of France: beware of oversimplification
We could easily agree that the plight of the Roma, as accurately and alarmingly portrayed by George Soros on this Social Europe website, remains a human tragedy of unprecedented historical proportions. The Roma’s unremitting story of poverty, (se...
Expelling the Roma: Is It Legal?
The recent police operation in France leading to the expulsion of thousands of Roma citizens of Romania and Bulgaria has been a hot topic in the news for some time. Now Euractiv reports that Italy has also plans to expel … Continue reading U...
Gypsy Gotev
The Roma expulsions from France are stirring controversy. It is difficult not to take sides. What I dislike most in the whole story, is hypocrisy. Sarkozy has a low rating and is obviously trying to please his core right-wing electorate. As the presi...
The Roma repatriation
It is a desperate way to survive. In many European cities you can find women begging for money. Many of them are Roma. They squat on the Champs Elysees. They stand by the Brandenburg gate in Berlin or in the...
The month that’s in it (II)
Well that was a tawdry exchange, wasn’t it? A phone-call would have sufficed. But no, that would be so discreet as to be pointless. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, currently holidaying in the Cote d’Azur, needles the European Commission Preside...
The month that’s in it
Ah, the depths of August. The EU capital is a shadow of its usual self. Parking spaces are easily found. Crossing the Rue de la Loi road in front of the European Commission’s main building is less of an adventure. Commission spokespeople – few in...
French duo John & Jehn: 'in England, no-one cares about boundaries'
On 29 March a duo like none of the other new faces on the French music scene released their second album, 'Time For The Devil’. Fans of Joy Division and The Velvet Underground, the couple live and compose in London, which might be why their album e...
Europa ist führungslos cries Helmut Schmidt. He’s right. But why?
It seems it’s the season for high level German politicians of yesteryear to have a go at the EU. Former Bundeskanzler Schmidt is quoted by Euractiv.de (Google translation here) as saying: Es ist im Augenblick keine Führungsperson da. Das...
Woerth/Bettencourt: efforts to cap the well fail, storm approaches
This week’s Canard Enchainé has a cartoon likening the Woerth/Bettencourt scandal to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This annoys me, as I’ve been making the same joke to anyone who will listen for weeks. So what happened? Well, just to...
Aux barricades
Pour notre drapeau.Well something like that.You know, I can understand the French anger at people using the tricoluer as loo paper, but making it a criminal offence is wrong. Thumping someone who does so maybe allowable.
The burqa ban: Liberty by coercion
The recent decision of France’s lower house to ban the full-face veil in public places has, yet again, brought the veil debate to the forefront. Belgium took the lead on the matter, but as the reoccurrence of the debate in practically every Europea...
Wolfgang Schäuble attends French Cabinet
OK, so the cartoon is in pretty bad taste, but it is extraordinary that the German Finance Minister is taking part in a full Cabinet of the French Government, and hasn't happened for a few generations.He is there to demand greater compliance with the...
French Deputies ban marriage in attempt to eliminate domestic violence
Yesterday the National Assembly in France voted by an overwhelming majority to ban the institution of marriage, as it was found that domestic violence took place within this form of relationship. The large majority was due to the abstention of the Pa...
Belgium and France in race to ban the burqa
Who will emerge victorious? Belgium and France are currently falling over each other racing to be the first country in Europe to ban full face coverings. Whoever wins the race, both bans are guaranteed to eventually become law. The bans are illustrat...
Sarko pleads his case as l'Oréal crisis deepens
The scandal that has rocked the French political class for weeks came to a dramatic climax last night, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy took to the airwaves to assure the public he is innocent of the charges leveled against him. The allegations ar...
ECLAC and AFD Sign Cooperation Agreement
The Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, signed an agreement with the Executive Director for Operations of the French Development Agency (AFD), Jacques Moineville, for inter-i...
Can Erol: First Round is Over: The desperate of all: France, Italy and Switzerland
Italy’s Riccardo Montolivo (rear) reacts, after Italy’s missed goal chance, during their 2010 World Cup Group F soccer match against Slovakia at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg June 24, 2010. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon It was quite certain...
Francois Fillon, Britain's missed opportunity?
A French budget hawk, in need of allies...
French football player seen scratching his behind
A French unnamed football player was seen scratching his behind as well as some nobler parts of his anatomy when walking in the corridors of his hotel in South Africa. The FFF (French Football Federation) is now considering what action they should...
France says Africa must be on UN Security Council
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday Africa should be represented on the U.N. Security Council, promising to back reforms when France takes the helm of the G8 and G20 groups of big economies next year. Speaking at the launch of the 25th Af...
Keeping the dream alive
One of the more interesting aspects of EU politics at the moment is the crumbling Franco-German axis. The frictions between Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel – which are well documented by now - defined today’s EU summit in many ways .As we outli...
De Gaulle and Churchill have a message for Sarkozy and Cameron | Timothy Garton Ash
Two great leaders, and mythmakers, set France and Britain on divergent trajectories. This 18 June, it's time to reconnectIn London tomorrow, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron will join French and British veterans to celebrate the 70th anniversary of...
FT video: Tensions between France and Germany
As the EU prepares for its summit at the end of the week, the FT’s senior foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman chairs a debate with Mats Persson of Open Europe and Charles Grant of the Centre for European Economic Reform. They discuss t...
‘Agenturitis’
An interesting article in Die Welt today takes a look at how French Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche has broken a long standing taboo (shock horror) by openly criticising an EU body.The story begins in a Norman Rockwell-esque fashion – with Lellouc...
The French perspective: the new French food law
Recently I had the opportunity to talk to some French agriculture and food policy advisers. This was very informative in the sense of understanding where we differ. The French stance on these matters is a product of their own values which in turn r...
EU: Stability programme France
France has traditionally called for strong eurozone governance or even government, but good practices start at home. Have they? The latest EU Council opinion on the French stability programme spells out the need for corrective action. For some back...
It’s comparative advantage, stupid!
On the French agricultural minister...
