Why are the French Getting an MP for London?

[Sysman]

They're simply ensuring representation in the French parliament of French citizens who live outside France; nothing to do with the EU or any of that stuff that makes some people paranoid. Italy does something similar and Britain considered something similar until Tony B Liar discovered most expats are tories and then decided to take away the vote after 10 years of non-residence.

Move along, nothing to see here.

Yep. When I lived in France and there was a General Election in the UK, my French colleagues were horrified that I wasn't allowed a vote, because being able to vote as an expat was normal for them.

Thatcher introduced voting rights for expats in the mid 1980s on the grounds they were likely to vote Tory. Before Blair took that right away again I heard rumours that the taxman might do some of his famous "deeming" on the issue and "deem" expats who took up their voting rights as being UK resident, so I chose to keep out of that loop.

[Mich the Tester]

Pachman has single-handedly exposed a nefarious world-conspiracy that will have dire consequences for us all. The notion of having a parliamentary representative for a sizeable French population in our capital is, obviously, a first step towards the dissolution of our sovereignty, the advancement of the Cheese Empire, and the worldwide abolition of deodorant.

Pay heed, with fear and trembling, wailing and gnashing of teeth, to the birth pangs of a terror that will enslave us all.

That or get out more.

Your choice.

On the bright side there'll be tankerloads of wine and promiscuity for all.

[Sysman]

I'm not confused about anything and, frankly, your insults about my intelligence are just tedious.

These French people who come here.
What sort of demographic do you think they fit into? I'll tell you - by and large they will be largely of the professional classes. Not economic migrants escaping hardship.

I've met French people from all walks of life who have lived in the UK.

[Old Hack]

Meanwhile, in Berlin....

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the EU needs a political union even if it means some countries integrating faster than others.

Speaking on German TV, she called for "more Europe", including a budgetary union, saying "we need a political union first and foremost".

"Step by step we must from now on give up more competences to Europe, and allow Europe more powers of control."

Pach's worst vision

[DodgyAgent]

Meanwhile, in Berlin....



Pach's worst vision

Everything is unravelling. Either the Euro breaks up or Germany controls the finances (and therefore everything else) of the rest of the Eurozone.

[Mich the Tester]

Everything is unravelling. Either the Euro breaks up or Germany controls the finances (and therefore everything else) of the rest of the Eurozone.

Yep, some of the SPD and CDU might go along with handing over powers to Brussels, but a large chunk of Mrs Merkel's party is the Bavarian CSU and I'm sure they are slapping their thoroughly conservative and rather wealthy knees at the thought of handing power over to everyone else. Bugger that, they don't even trust Berlin, never mind Brussels or London.

[Old Hack]

Yep, some of the SPD and CDU might go along with handing over powers to Brussels, but a large chunk of Mrs Merkel's party is the Bavarian CSU and I'm sure they are slapping their thoroughly conservative and rather wealthy knees at the thought of handing power over to everyone else. Bugger that, they don't even trust Berlin, never mind Brussels or London.

Hehehe, WHS

Stuff like this brings governments together, or brings them down...

End game approaching.

[Mich the Tester]

Merkel is playing to the electorate; I think she knows that eventually she'll have to cave in and let the ECB step in or offer Eurobonds, but first she has to show the German public that she's tried every other alternative because Germans have a deep seated fear of central banks doing things like Quantitative Easing or money printing. She'll give in eventually and she's just trying to soften up Germans to accept it.