Sarkozy threatens to pull out of the EU Schengen Agreement.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....legal-immigrants.html

Will Sarkozy's stance help to solve our illegal immigration problem.

[DTCwordfan]

well it makes it more difficult for illegals to get into France if their borders are policed, so yes as they provide a front-line to our borders.

Threats for votes and action are two different things - see that President Sarcastic has moved ahead in the polls for the 1st round.

[d9f1c7]

I don't often praise the little chap but he's bang on this time.

[mike11111]

He is fighting for his political life so is playing to the gallery, hoping to get votes which would otherwise go to the National Front.

[New Judge]

No his stance won't help because there is not a snowball in hell's chance that he will carry out his threat. No senior domestic politician will upset the EU gravy train because they know that, provided they keep their noses clean there is a lucrative second career awaiting them when they eventually are dismissed from domestic politics. The Schengen Agreement is probably second only to the Euro as the "key enablers" to the European dream (sorry, I meant nightmare).

[anotheoldgit]

mike11111

/// He is fighting for his political life so is playing to the gallery, hoping to get votes which would otherwise go to the National
Front. ///

If 'playing to the gallery' is (as I said in a previous thread), giving the people what they want, then he is only doing what he was elected to do, perhaps our politicians should do the same?

[jake-the-peg]

Doing what they want is different to what is good for them.

The Schengen Agreement is of vast benefit to France and Germany in particular.

Huge amounts of goodsand people flow between them on road and rail stopping vehicles and inspecting them would be catasrophic for both economies but particularly the French.

That is if it could even be done now practically.

Mike is bang on - he's getting desperate and appealing to the far right Figaro readers.

Trouble is - he'll get those voters anyway when it gets into the last round!

Cameron scraped in by appealing to the centralists to stand a chance Given that DSK who was his main challanger was so disgraced over those rape allegations it's quite amazing he's not managed to capitalise on that enough.

[anotheoldgit]

/// Huge amounts of goodsand people flow between them on road and rail stopping vehicles and inspecting them would be catasrophic for both economies but particularly the French. ///

We are not party to open borders, and it has not been catastrophic for our economy.

Our illegal immigration problem is the fact that illegals can seep in via France and the fact that if they travel from Brussels to Lillle they can stay on the train to London without passport checks.

http://www.dailymail....d-Belgian-police.html

[rov1100]

The EU borders are like sieves anyway and any agreement seems useless. We didn't belong to the Schengen agreement but they still kept pouring in.

Its strange that nobody has picked up of the thousands of refugees fleeing Syria at the moment. Most of them are heading for Turkey but as we all know that's a stepping stone for the rest of Europe. The refugees must have heard how liberal our country is in providing outsiders with handouts and accommodation so maybe we can expect many to come here.

[Gromit]

Sarkozy will not get re-elected so he can promise anything.

Anyway, it would not make any difference. Illegals would just use any of the other routes, like from the Irish Republic into Northern Ireland and the UK.

http://www.belfasttel...ghtened-16082426.html

That is a huge border which we currently do not control.

[emmie]

no, it will make it worse, close their borders and they will find other ways to get here, and besides he is trying to get himself re elected, so a sop to the right wing i expect.

[DTCwordfan]

want money on that, Gromit?

Sarkozy is now heading the 1st round polls.......and continuing to firm up his support - just like here TINA (there is no alternative) and the voters are realising that.

[emmie]

If you had someone like Jean Marie Le Pen in power i this might well happen, a very hardline right politician, but as NJ says there isn't a snowball in hells chance this would go through they have too much to lose.

[mike11111]

I would not be at all surprised if Sarkozy won. I cannot say that I am particularly enamoured of the man, but it is for the French to decide, not us.

[DTCwordfan]

Tout à fait, mike.....je suis en accord de votre perception en ce qui conçerne ce sujet.

[mike11111]

Zut alors! On parle français ici!

[coccinelle]

Up until a year ago the left wing candidate was to be DSK. He would have got through. However, Hollande just isn't President material and the French are seeing this. There will be a mass abstention on the 22nd.

[DTCwordfan]

Vachement la verité, malheueusement, cocinelle....

[Gromit]

DTCrosswordfan

// President Nicolas Sarkozy is ahead in the opinion polls for the first round but Socialist rival Francois Hollande is predicted to win the second round. //

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...world-europe-17658808

[DTCwordfan]

Nous allons voir, mon chèr Gromit - et, maintenant, votre pari svp - peut être pour une charité non-politique?