There's a bit of a discussion going on about that at the moment. I'll find out after we vote in September whether or not I'm an immigrant living in the south or a native living in the north. It's a bit weird really since it won't involve me moving house to be either of them.
The EU has never had it's books signed off by the accountants....never!! Our Government is saintly in comparison. French people are leaving France in their droves due to the left wing government's handling of the economy and the layers and layers of red tape and bureaucracy that hampers all businesses, especially the smaller ones.
France's economy isn't to shabby when compared to the UK. Increase of debt is far less although surely that can't happen with a "left-wing government": http://www.economist.com/content/global_debt_clock Apologies for the link to that socialist rag The Economist.