Comments on: Vive la difference?

By: P Field

P Field — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:37:32 +0000

The French President, The French and France are only interested in one thing and one thing only, and that is to bleed money from it’s European cousins and member states. Mr.Sarkozy is only here to take more money from us as he is aware taht we are willing to spend billions on Nuclear Power and some planes, this inturn will help the French goverment and it’s workers enjoy a state funded out dated work regime which all European Tax payers are paying for.

By: Geoffrey

Geoffrey — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:27:13 +0000

Unfortunately, the new president of France is no recommendation for his country .. a racist -just remember the way he talked to the young Algerian protesters — even LePen has never used the word “racaille”- who is pompous, irascible, self-satisfied and so lost in self-admiration that he is willing to say anything to attract attention. But that is hardly a trait of reliability. His bed-hopping antics with their veneer of respectability (similar to the serial monogamy of Elizabeth Taylor) may endear him to the millionaires on whose yachts he disports himself, but can hardly be taken as a guarantee of fidelity to his new wife or to his new “best friend” Long spoons and bargepoles come immediately to mind. the French, whom I admire and France where I lived for several years and where I obtained my eduaction, deserve far better than this.

By: David Baskerville Rance

David Baskerville Rance — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:56:23 +0000

Do the French and the English like each other? Who knows. Why are Fire engines all called Dennis? Who will win the 4.30 at Kempton? Whatever happened to Aunty Liz’s cat? When was 1066? Why did the quartermaster at the Battle of Omdurman refuse to give out the bullets? These are the IMPORTANT questions. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz………… . . . . .

By: donald hobbs

donald hobbs — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:05:04 +0000

madame carla bruni-has great knees

By: Severine Dunker

Severine Dunker — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:45:45 +0000

I don’t understand this eternal discussion, actually we don’t talk about that between each other, but we can read a lot of supposed tension “ate and ate“between us and for that I’d like to thank the Press which is doing a great and intense job…So far I can remember especially on holidays in south of France or winter ski, English tourist are just part of our holidays and never ever recognised we could potentially be not friends!

Actually in France we have not only one thing we like from the English are not only one thing but let me list a few:
-The British accent when you speak French is wonderful, we really love it.
-The English music….for me the best, it is like an evidence to me and not only me, I think
-The English actresses leaving in France or not like Jane Birkin, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emma Thompson, Charlotte Rampling, and I forgot a lot, these are wonderful actresses and people.
-All your butter cookies …and after eights
-The English “phlegm” I actually find it somehow “elegant”, “shy” and a kind of “carelessness” a paradox that I find unable to resist
-British humour…très très bon ! Please give us some more
-And of course my preferred English friend Martin with whom we try to have discussion , especially around Rugby or sometimes football but we finally give up quickly, I believe we like very much each other and as well we together love our respective country and respect it

By: Tom Morgan

Tom Morgan — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:15:17 +0000

Nick Dixon…. I said we should have joined the bosch and taken the French in a pincer movement in WW1. Hitler and the NAZI party only rose to power after the heroic victory and subsequent crushing of the German economy with our reparations (and the Wall Street crash of course).

By: Matthew

Matthew — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:48:24 +0000

It is extraordinary how, whenever France and its relationship with Britain is brought up, the the “pro-France” British camp is made up of two groups: the dewy-eyed holidaymaker brigade who’ve been to France once or twice and “had a nice time and drunk some wine in the sun” but who have no in-depth knowledge of France or the French, its politics or its society, and the villa-in-France brigade who love to claim greater knowledge, justify their investment and encourage envy on the part of their neighbours by propagating the tired old myths about the wonderful French health service, cuisine, good roads and lack of yobs. Neither group really knows what it’s talking about. The truth is that France is a society now largely in disarray, with endemic race and integration problems that make pre-Brixton riot Britain look positively progressive, with a crushingly expensive social security system, with (largely as a result of the foregoing) mass unemployment among the highest in the G7, with a stultifying and stultified education system, with (save at the top end) wines that are largely irrelevant and overpriced on the world market, and with a declining cuisine whose reputation is not keeping pace with its rivals (not least because a lot of the best chefs are in England). Sarkozy represents an attempt to reverse the general decline, but his instincts are protectionist, nationalistic and xenophobic (despite being the grandson of an immigrant himself). The first of these instincts is inimical to the British, while the second and the third are distasteful, to say the least. Of course we should do business with the French, and of course we should be on friendly terms with them, but no more so than with anybody else in the EU. We should also be acutely aware of the differences between our societies and our policies that keep us from having the problems that they have got, and which prevent us from gaining any advantages they may have (although I must say I can’t at the moment think of any – and I include their mythical health service).

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:21:51 +0000

In my opinion it’s mainly the politicians, the press and a very small percentage of Brits that are keeping the idea alive that the two nations don’t and can’t get along. Most of the general public get along just fine!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:18:41 +0000

I love France, always have! I have many fond memories of being there and have built up quite a couple of friendships over the years. In my experience the French are quite similar to the Brits, in that they will welcome you with open arms as long as you make the effort to speak their language and are pleasant. It’s not even the French and the Brits that are like that, it’s human nature!

By: Dick Nixon

Dick Nixon — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:55:37 +0000

Tom Morgan…take it easy dude!! You mean you’d rather have Nazi Germany calling the shots??