France has the biggest State in Europe, with tax at the EU's highest rate of 48.4% of GDP. Her farmers and fishers are heavily subsidised by Europe's taxpayers and by raiding UK waters. These advantages are set to be challenged post-Brexit, and you can be sure that the EU budget process for the next seven year cycle will not have decided anything by June, the crunch date for the Brexit talks. Macron will obstruct and clog up EU deliberations, using his veto as required, until it is clear Barnier is unable to achieve his brief.
Macron's plan is that at this point the remaining EU26 will agree to bung even more wodge in France's direction to enable Macron to pay-off his farmers and fishers and soften pension reform. Add to this even more money that he wants for France now being the EU's only credible military member, for the 26 to buy into his seat at the UN and his Force de frappe. Then he'll agree an EU-UK trade deal.
However, if this much is apparent to us, you can bet it's also crystal clear to the Frugal Five (Austria, Denmark Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden) and particularly to Germany - whose taxpayers will have to pay for France's relaxed lifestyle. Will Macron win? Who knows. Now it's getting interesting.
| EU/EEA, the UK, San Marino, Monaco and Switzerland 2/3/20 | ||
| Cases | Deaths | |
| Italy | 1689 | 35 |
| France | 130 | 2 |
| Germany | 129 | 0 |
| Spain | 83 | 0 |
| United Kingdom | 36 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 24 | 0 |
| Norway | 19 | 0 |
| Austria | 14 | 0 |
| Sweden | 14 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 13 | 0 |
| San Marino | 8 | 1 |
| Croatia | 7 | 0 |
| Greece | 7 | 0 |
| Finland | 6 | 0 |
| Denmark | 4 | 0 |
| Romania | 3 | 0 |
| Czech Republic | 3 | 0 |
| Iceland | 3 | 0 |
| Belgium | 2 | 0 |
| Ireland | 1 | 0 |
| Luxembourg | 1 | 0 |
| Estonia | 1 | 0 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 0 |
| Monaco | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 2199 | 38 |
