Back to the 80s

A touch of deja vu  as the week progresses. Feeling like I am back in the Thatcherite 80s with talk of  education cuts, more police powers and changes to health services.
We can only hope the end results are an improvement on the infamous Iron Lady's policies.
Rumblings all over the EU with regards the Schengen  agreement*. Interior Ministers in France and Germany have signed  a joint letter in which they call for the reform of, and ‘temporary suspension’ of the Schengen agreement which allows for the free movement between most member states of the EU.
the reasons stated for such a move are stated as the need to "control the massive flow of immigrants’. The call comes just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the treaty this coming Monday, although many countries signed up in March 1995.

France and Germany believe  that a ‘temporary suspension’ is needed during the present  crisis, both Paris and Berlin speak of ‘provisional’ closure of frontiers, and only when a country in the Schengen space cannot control the flow of immigrants. They say they will give the details to their European partners at the next conference.

 Spain has announced the suspension of the Schengen Treaty and the re-establishing of frontier controls with France ahead of the European Central Bank meeting which is to be held in Barcelona on May 3.
Spain has not yet said how long the border restriction will remain in place, they say it will allow the authorities to act if there is ‘a serious threat to public order or interior security’.

The measure will only affect the frontiers between Spain and France from the Basque Country to Cataluña. Reports indicate that it was the Catalan Government to step up the controls in the face of possible disturbances and the arrival of  protesters from other countries in Europe.

So as I say its just like the 80s, we even have an argument with Argentina going on, all we need now is a poll tax!

* http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/justice_freedom_security/free_movement_of_persons_asylum_immigration