Talk politics.

French court throws out Hollande's tax on rich

That piece of news aside for a while, I'd say Francois Hollande is a true champ! No other French president has ever managed to lose his popularity so quickly. The disappointment from his rule is growing like an avalanche, and the reforms that he promised are nowhere in sight.

At the turn of the new year, the French president tried to do a face-lift to his image by presenting his Algerian visit as "a historic act". The bad news is that since the socialists took the presidency earlier this year there haven't been any tangible results. So he thought, maybe the sight of the cheering crowds in Algiers would do the job for him and show the world how loved he really is. But the problem is, the enthusiasm of his own compatriots has passed very fast, and his approval ratings are in a free fall.

( Read more... )

Is Bernard Arnault really seeking Belgian citizenship to avoid tax?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/11/bernard-arnault-belgian-tax
Headlines about flight of French 'wealth creators' fit a rightwing narrative, but it's worth taking a closer look at the facts

According to Forbes, French businessman Bernard Arnault is the richest European. He's the CEO of Louis Vuitton, the company that sells luxurious goods like Vuitton and Bulgari. The problem is, he recently applied for Belgian citizenship, a move that coincided with Hollande's proposal for placing a harder tax burden on the wealthiest people in France. The obvious conclusion of the public was that he's doing this to avoid paying more taxes. Arnault himself is denying these allegations, stating that he'll keep paying his taxes as per the French tax code, not the Belgian one.

Still, the whole thing has already caused a huge scandal in France and actually prompted a debate which, despite all the mud-slinging, is worthwhile IMO. The pressure on Hollande has been increasing with mounting criticism that he's risking to cause a mass exodus of capital from the country with his demands for imposing heavier taxes on the richest. Meanwhile, Arnault wasn't spared the outrage either, the left-wing media like La Libération slinging shit at him like "Get lost, rich jerk!", as well as accusaions of not being patriotic. For which he's going to sue the newspaper, by the way.


( Shit's starting to stink more and more )

France and Revolution. The two words go together like raspberries and champagne. And the tradition is about to come true again, yet again Paris in the focus of a new tide that promises to change Europe. Or not.

The date of the event is set - May 6, when the French will elect the next host of the Palais de l'Élysée. And, unless some miracle happens, this time it won't be Sarkozy. It'll be Francois Hollande. Or maybe not. But more likely - oui.

Actually several events will happen tomorrow simultaneously. There'll be a vote in Greece too (you know, the place where the avalanche started). Its outcome will determine the fate of the new deal on the Greek debt and the rescue plan of the Big Three (EU, IMF, ECB). And that'll determine if Greece will avoid a chaotic default and will stay in the Euro zone.

There'll be another two elections tomorrow, in two important EU countries - Germany and Italy. Sure, they're just partial and regional elections but they're not uninteresting either, because they'll show where the winds are blowing, what the moods are on the policies in those countries. We should also add a couple more events from the recent days - the collapse of the Dutch and Romanian governments and the political turmoil in the Czech Republic. The common thing about all these is that they're a result of the rising discontent against the fiscal orthodoxy which prescribed severe austerity as the ultimate medicine against the crisis. People obviously are pissed with this.


( All of this points to one direction )

I'm sure most of you have already heard about this:

French police have shot dead a self-declared Al-Qaeda militant wanted for a series of killings of soldiers and Jews, ending a tense 32-hour siege in the south of France.

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Now, may I venture with a somewhat crazy conspiracy theory? Do bear with me. (Mock macros are very welcome).

( So here's the scenario... )

France is shaking from yet another huge scandal on the top floors. No, this time it's not about DSK and his inability to keep his dick in his pants. But it's about another potential Sarkozy rival on the coming presidential election. And that's kinda suspicious. But do bear with me.

Turns out Dominique de Villepin and Jacques Chirac himself (!) had been receiving multiple suitcases of money from Africa while they were in power. But why does this fact surface just now? As usual, things are not as simple as they seem on the surface.

For decades, lots of French politicians had secretly received enormous amounts of cash from various African leaders. That's what the French-Lebanese lawyer and unofficial Sarkozy advisor Robert Bourgi is claiming. Between 1997 and 2005 he himself participated in the exchange of suitcases involving then French president Chirac and then foreign minister De Villepin. The cash amounted to 20 million euro in total. The bribes were coming from the heads of state of Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo and Gabon. The present foreign minister Alain Juppe was also involved in the scheme. Apart from cash, Chirac and Villepin also received many gifts, like an African mask and 200 diamonds (wow!)

Bourgi knows the suitcase scheme pretty well. The African leaders were offering gems and cash in return for diplomatic and military support. But until now the only ones who knew of the scheme were those who participated in it.

( Read more. It's spicy! )

I'm sure most of you have already heard the news. IMF chairman Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested in NYC and charged for sexual assault after a complaint from a chambermaid that he had welcomed her in his hotel room naked and made two attempts to sexually assault her, once in the bedroom and then dragging her in the bathroom and doing it again. He's been detained and will answer in court.

Several thoughts instantly spring to mind for those who are somewhat familiar with the guy.

1. Conspiracy theorists type 1: Well-done! He's part of the NWO cabal who's ruling the world with an iron fist, this is great news for freedom-loving, democracy-adoring people around the world! It shows that nobody is above the law, even if they're one of the most powerful persons in the world!

2. Conspiracy theorists type 2: How convenient! Strauss-Kahn has stated his intention to run for French president against Sarkozy on the side of the Socialist party, and now he's been set up to have his reputation destroyed. Sarko is clearing his way! Back-stage traps FTW!

3. Cautious believers: This guy has surely got a long history of being a "womanizer", and this isn't his first time, so let's assume it's just his umpteenth exploit. He's using his position of power to get away from justice. Let's remember how he embarrassed his superstar wife earlier last year when he was found in a proven act of infidelity when he "deviated" with an employee of his. He's probably guilty and should be duly charged.

4. Moderate skeptics: What about the "innocent until proven guilty" principle? Set up or not, unfaithful or not, only the court can prove it. And if it's his testimony against this woman's, they should be weighed equally. No political biases involved, no nothing. The expertise will define who's right.

5. Realpolitik cynics: Yet another victory for Realpolitik. Sarkozy removes a potentially dangerous opponent out of his way. Of course Strauss-Kahn will still get away because, hey, he's the IMF chairman. But even if/when he does, people would no longer trust him and they wouldn't vote for him any more. Even if he still runs, the Socialist party in France won't support him, so either way, Sarkozy wins. He'll get his expected showdown vs Le Pen-daughter, and people will again choose the lesser of two evils.

And so on and so forth.

Your take?