Sarkozy hinting at a common EU immigration policy with UK

[forest]

I dont know if anyone heard Sarkozy's speech in London in last hour
My ears ******************************ed up when he mentioned Schengen and started the need for a common EU wide immigration policy including the UK and hinted that he means this in terms of schengen.

On Sky News afterwards they mentioned this and hinted that the UK maybe warming to idea.

I wonder will this be picked up in the press or not and lead to debate on the issue in the UK
link

[seabhcan]

Cool.

I generally hate Shark-aussai's guts but this would be a positive move.

[forest]

It’s a start (assuming anything comes of it)
I will be interested in seeing if it gets any media attention over the day or two.
Maybe the UK could “Peg” itself the Schengen in the same currencies are pegged (eg.DDK _Euro) or for that matter how Ireland’s Immigration policy is “pegged” to the UK’s one

[seabhcan]

It’s a start (assuming anything comes of it)
I will be interested in seeing if it gets any media attention over the day or two.
Maybe the UK could “Peg” itself the Schengen in the same currencies are pegged (eg.DDK _Euro) or for that matter how Ireland’s Immigration policy is “pegged” to the UK’s one

Interesting idea - but it wouldn't solve the common visa problem.

Ireland has copied the UK's visa list for 80 years but foreigners still need to get two different visas to visit the whole of this island.

[Squire Allworthy]

Never over look the power, interests and influence of the City of London. Murdoch may own the press, but in many ways what London wants London gets. Does the financial and business sector want a policy of isolation with Europe or even want to risk such? NO.

Many British own homes in Europe and many British live and work overseas. Even in Britain there is a growing sector who identify with not just Kent or Yorkshire but also Gascony, Andalucia and Tuscany. The interrelationship of trade business and travel increases with each year.

On a practical level cooperation makes sense and on a political level the governments there have to start to run counter to the rantings of Murdoch's empire.

[seabhcan]

Never over look the power, interests and influence of the City of London. Murdoch may own the press, but in many ways what London wants London gets. Does the financial and business sector want a policy of isolation with Europe or even want to risk such? NO.

Many British own homes in Europe and many British live and work overseas. Even in Britain there is a growing sector who identify with not just Kent or Yorkshire but also Gascony, Andalucia and Tuscany. The interrelationship of trade business and travel increases with each year.

On a practical level cooperation makes sense and on a political level the governments there have to start to run counter to the rantings of Murdoch's empire.

Its not just Murdoch's influence. The UK has long had a far more liberal policy on immigration and of fostering disident groups for future export. Many groups and individuals who would be classed as terrorists are readily given visas to the UK. MI5/6 sees to it, as they might come in useful in the future. Talk to any Indian and they'll give you details of the umpteen pakistani terrorist who got into india via British visa/asslym and then a UK passport.

If the UK joined Schengen, they would face a French/German/etc veto on giving visas to individuals with shady pasts.

Of course, from Ireland's point of view, all these undesirables can hop skip and jump into the Republic whenever they like.

[newswire]

He thanked the British for their self-sacrifice to free France in WWII.

They want some common agreement on Energy as well and have promised additional troops to Afghanistan.......France wants to become a strong power again.

Nuclear Energy was hailed as the power of the future by Sakozy......and even hinted at reform of CAP.

Interesting speech.

[Squire Allworthy]

seabhcan

Interesting point and I know quite a few people who have benefited by the liberal policy, but there has been a real tightening up recently. Also to their credit their policy has been fairly liberal for many good reasons.

With regards India, I have always thought that Britain's interests in that region were served by cooperation with India. The Pakistani problem is probably as much to do with keeping an eye on potential trouble as anything else. Though the English play a long game.

[seabhcan]

seabhcan

Interesting point and I know quite a few people who have benefited by the liberal policy, but there has been a real tightening up recently. Also to their credit their policy has been fairly liberal for many good reasons.

With regards India, I have always thought that Britain's interests in that region were served by cooperation with India. The Pakistani problem is probably as much to do with keeping an eye on potential trouble as anything else. Though the English play a long game.

I'm not sure that the UK has ever had a consistant and uniform foreign policy. There are different competing groups and some get there way in some policy areas from time to time - usually when their aims happen to coincide with the aims of another interest group.

Their policy is tighting up but not consistantly. Ordinary asslym seekers are being expelled but those under the protection of the security services still have that protection.

The UK gov has said they didn't join Schengen because they wanted to maintain control over their own borders. The press portrayed this as meaning tighter borders, but mainland EU already has far stricter controls than the UK. So their policy must be motivated by a desire for weaker border controls.

As an example, when I lived in the UK I could, as a student with limited income, invite my pensioner mother in law to visit from Russia. She was granted a visa simply based on an e-mailed word document from me, with a pasted in signature.

My friend in Italy had to put up a 3,000 euro bond and sign a sworn affidavid to do the same.

Schengen would mean some strengthening of the UK visa requirements (however, Italy is at the other extreme, most Schengen countries are somewhere in between).

In Ireland we have the worst of both worlds, no access to the Schengen database, and at the whim of UK immigration decisions with no protection from the MI5/6 information on who they let in.

[Squire Allworthy]

seabhcan

I know someone who can't get a visa for his wife! OK she is from Thailand but don't jump to conclusions she actually owns a hotel business. There may be reasons I don't know about but struck me as odd and in recent times increasingly common.

Take your point re the spin on lax rather than tougher. There is also a financial reasons for the more lax approach. London was a good place for wealthy non residents. Less so now.