François Hollande: Ed Miliband’s embarrassing friend

Time was when Ed Miliband had plenty to say about François Hollande. When the new French President celebrated his victory in May, the Labour leader praised Hollande for his ‘determination to help create a Europe of growth and jobs, in a way that is responsible and sustainable’. He added:


‘This new leadership is sorely needed as Europe seeks to escape from austerity. And it matters to Britain.’

Then, Miliband was keen to work together with his new friend Hollande. Just a few months down the line, though, Labour has a bit less to say about how the French president is a shining example of the centre-left showing leadership and hope in Europe. First there was the noisy exodus of top earners from France ahead of the introduction of Hollande’s flagship 75 per cent tax. And then at the weekend France’s constitutional council rejected the tax. Ministers have indicated that it is unlikely they will produce an adjusted plan for the 75 per cent tax to comply with the council’s ruling before June or even September.

The problems that the row over the fairness of the tax and the ruling itself raise for Hollande are political more than they are fiscal. The ruling has galvanised the opposition UMP, with Gilles Carrez, head of the National Assembly’s finance commission calling for Hollande to drop the tax altogether. He said he hoped that after reflection the government would decide not to go back to a rate that was so ‘absurd’ it didn’t exist anywhere else in Europe. Worse still for a tax that was intended to symbolise Hollande’s insistence that the rich would bear the greatest burden of austerity, the ruling caused tensions in his own party, with one MP, Jean-Michel Clément tweeting that it was ‘a catastrophe for our image’, adding ‘are we competent?’ The tax is now less a symbol of ‘responsible and sustainable’ fiscal policy than it is a symbol of the government’s competence or otherwise.

Guido reports today that Jean Michel Jarre has had meetings in Downing Street about moving to London to escape the tax, and David Cameron and Boris Johnson have spoken repeatedly about rolling out a ‘red carpet’ for those high earners who also plan a move to the capital.

Oddly enough, Miliband has had precious little to say about his chum recently: it’s difficult to imagine the Labour leader jumping to roll out a red carpet to Hollande should he visit London in the near future.. The problem, as Priti Patel predicted on Coffee House a few months ago, is that the 75 per cent tax row in France reminds those in Westminster of the row over the 50p tax rate. It makes it a lot easier for the Tories to argue in favour of a competitive tax regime when France is so kindly offering a demonstration of what happens when taxes become political symbols

Change Miliband for Osborne and France for Ireland.

clarkson wrote:the French president is a shining example of the centre-left showing leadership

He is definitely all of that - and therefore a really necessary lesson in why the left should not be running economies.

Yea, and with the right the population starve to death or live off pay loans, they're bloody brilliant - not! Osborne said we should have done what Ireland did, and they went down the pan.

Sassy as ever the brain dead follower of all that she is told to say.

Have you ever had a single original thought?

Have you ever actually considered the disparity between the current state of France following your preferred policies and those of Britain.

You wonder why I am so disparaging of you. You are one gormless woman.

                 

Spam apam spam spam from the Scatman.

The level of intellectual debate on here from the comrades is exemplary.

Scatmans contributions range from hard core expletives to youtube post. Your not drinking your cider at this time in the morning are you Phil. Just got your giro have you?

Clarkson wrote:Spam apam spam spam from the Scatman.

The level of intellectual debate on here from the comrades is exemplary.

Scatmans contributions range from hard core expletives to youtube post. Your not drinking your cider at this time in the morning are you Phil. Just got your giro have you?

Fartson.

You keep on with the nasty abuse, don't you, so now i will now call you a fucking RW turd cunt.

I don't get a giro, monies are paid into the bank these days, for the infirm and their carer(S)...Plus i get some money from my family. like your wife supports you, you fucking cunt.

Really Scatman my wife is paying for your foul mouth not for me.
She dos a 60 hour week on a quiet week you do sweet FA and she has to pay.

She will delighted to know she is paying all the thousands in tax she does per month for a foul mouthed low life sponger like you.

You should have got a place on benefit street, You could have been the foul mouthed mincer. "Im the only c--ting gay in the street now fuck off while I play with my crayons"

How proud your partner must be of his foul mouthed mincing sponger.
 :D