Will France shut Sarko up today?

[Gromit]

"You have lost a good opportunity to shut up." Nicholas Sarkozy famously said to Cameron and the British. Now it looks like he may be ousted as President.

Which would you rather have. An anti-British Sakozy or a Socialist running France?

[rojash]

Not sure that Sarkozy was anti-British - he was just fed up with the Brit's attitude of "we don't want to be in your club, but we do want to tell you how to run it".

[anneasquith]

im not too sure he will be ousted, only because his opponent does not appear to have sufficient experience in government.

[emmie]

a socialist running France, who will most likely see an end to the odious kissing backside, hand holding partnership with Germany.

[jno]

if people don't like France and Germany being friends, they should remember what happens when they're enemies.

[tonyav]

Makes no difference to us, they are all surrender monkeys.

[emmie]

Sarkhozy has been spending the taxpayers money, now where have we heard that before, on lavish dinners and expensive fripperies, and i think the austerity measures that have been heaped on the French people will see him ousted. And i don't think the times his wife has been on the front pages of every magazine, newspaper has helped much.

[emmie]

They are only friends when it suits them, and quite frankly i am amazed at the pact they have had in the EU. Old enemies don't become friends overnight, nor do many older French people forgive their German hosts once upon a time. It does affect us in the longer term, and i can see discord right across the EU, Greeks, Spanish, British, French, and many more having a bad time of it, austerity measures are creating bitterness and frustration.

[coccinelle]

It'll be a case of: out of the frying pan into the fire...

[Brenden]

I certainly would not rule Sarkozy out of the running, but I would like to see the back of the Merkozy union.

[bazwillrun]

Hollande is odds on fav a the moment.


"today I am you friend tomorrow your enemy"

historically it never changes !

[emmie]

Brenden Merknotsakhozy i reckon.

[jake-the-peg]

Yes I think Hollande is going to have a big effect if he gets elected

It'll kill the fiscal compact dead ( before the Irish get a chance to )

And cause significant discord between Germany and France.

Still he's certainly right that austerity does not seem to be generating growth (there's a surprise) expanding state spending and getting people back to work may be the way forward as long as he doesn't over do it.

We'll have to wait and see what happens in the first 6 months.

Could be good for us though - if they borrow and grow their economy our trade balance into the Eurozone could benefit.

Thing is without the fiscal compact the Euro won't be able to stablise

[jomifl]

Most French who are voting for Hollande are doing so because they don't like Sarko. They will perhaps change their minds when taxes go up and Germany stops financing Europe.

[Gromit]

Conservative Austerity Governments aren't a vote winner.

[emmie]

No they are not. But then again look at what the current coalition here have inherited, it wasn't ever going to be easy to pick up the pieces.
And i can see discord in France with regards to Germany, the alliance they have had will be quite different with a socialist leader..

[Gromit]

Em10

France has had a Conservative Government and the Socialists have inherited a similar mess that the Coalition did. The truth is that the financial crisis was Global and it is daft to blame the Labour Party in the UK or Conservatives in France for something which was largely out of their control.

Sarkozy has been dumped because the austerity and no growth path that he has followed hasn't worked in France. Just has it has not worked here.

[jd_here]

Congratulations to M Francois Hollande and good riddance to M Merkel....sorry....Sarkozy

[DTCwordfan]

Gromit - the Labour Party was naive, ignorant and downright irresponsible - and their actions in the final months were morally bankrupt. Get Real.

[Gromit]

You sound happy in our double dip recession dtxf.

No one saw that coming did they.

// naive, ignorant and downright irresponsible // seems to sum up the current shower also.