Something to make Brendan Barber's eyes light up
Barber being the head of the TUC. I had to look that up - oh how things have changed.
Anyway, our friends across the Channel are aiming for a rather large strike tomorrow:
"Civil servants and teachers are to strike on Thursday and march in the principal towns of France, while railwaymen, without stopping work, will protest in favour of the public services in Paris".
Their main demand is for an inflation-busting pay increase, but teachers are also exercised by job losses, conditions of work and would appear to be a lack of consideration for them ('et le manque de considération').
Will there ever be a French Thatcher with the nerve to face down the unions, I wonder?
Meanwhile, sticking with matters Gallic, Chirac has confirmed he will not run for the presidency again, but he has issued a blood-chilling threat: "If I no longer have responsibilities of this [Presidential] nature..I will try to serve France in another manner".
Anyway, our friends across the Channel are aiming for a rather large strike tomorrow:
"Civil servants and teachers are to strike on Thursday and march in the principal towns of France, while railwaymen, without stopping work, will protest in favour of the public services in Paris".
Their main demand is for an inflation-busting pay increase, but teachers are also exercised by job losses, conditions of work and would appear to be a lack of consideration for them ('et le manque de considération').
Will there ever be a French Thatcher with the nerve to face down the unions, I wonder?
Meanwhile, sticking with matters Gallic, Chirac has confirmed he will not run for the presidency again, but he has issued a blood-chilling threat: "If I no longer have responsibilities of this [Presidential] nature..I will try to serve France in another manner".
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..and yet I noticed the other day that France was rated the best place to live in the world.
How can this be ? why are they not suffering for their silly high tax large state ways.
Depends where one is. Rural France and the smaller towns are quite pleasant, as are certain parts of the cities. However, if you have ever seen La Haine, you will know that the bainlieus of Paris etc are at least as grim as the grim parts of our cities.
Dont be silly nemania, france has the best qaulity of life as the fuckers are never at work, either striking , snoozing or chucking stones at the police.
cheap booze cheap houses and their women talk in that way that causes a twitch in your pants.
Yes C when you drive into Paris it is a quite asrtonishing experience. A lot worse than our cities I would say
"...I will try to serve France in another manner".
Information centre 'no Sangatte'
'Comparisons between Sangatte and a new information centre in Calais made by a Kent MP have been rejected in France. A centre offering food, showers and information for rough sleepers in Calais could be open within months.'
I don't agree with you, Croydonian, that rural France and the smaller towns are quite pleasant if you factor in costs. The cost of going to the supermarket is mind-boggling. You can't buy three or four items for under 50 euros. The electricity company has very high rates.
And the rural young are beginning to be out of control. My village, which was ranked one of the best in the Languedoc, was plagued with young teenagers from surrounding villages - who can legally drive motor scooters from the age of 12 - who gathered in the churchyard, played very loud music,shrieked, shouted and behaved like yahoos until around 2 or 3 a.m.
Yes, we called the Gendarmes, but these kids all have mobile phones now, so a kid on a scooter on the way to the village would spot the Gendarmes' car and phone ahead to his/her mates and they would have gone by the time the Gendarmes got there. When the Gendarmes left, they would be back.
Of course, the village was shocked, but with these mobile kids, there was nothing we could do about it. And, of course, we all said, with expressive Gallic shrugs, "Where are the parents?"
So I am afraid that even in the beautiful, ancient villages,life is becoming degraded.
And nothing's ever open. In the nearest market town, they opened for a couple of hours in the morning, then all the shutters went up and the place was dead until around 2:30. If you blinked, you'd miss the afternoon opening because the shutters were up and the place was dead again at 5 on the dot.
(Oh, and they use that military 24 hour clock. I mean, pulleeze! A bunch of civilians talking about 16:00 hours! How pretentious!)
Verity said:
The cost of going to the supermarket is mind-boggling. [...] And nothing's ever open. In the nearest market town, they opened for a couple of hours in the morning, then all the shutters went up and the place was dead until around 2:30. If you blinked, you'd miss the afternoon opening because the shutters were up and the place was dead again at 5 on the dot. [...]
Hence the need for agrosubsidies: everyone in the country seems to grown their own food, or some of it at least. Little need for shops.
It has its (mediaeval) attractions although I prefer this century. It'll be a while before France gets out of its time warp, produces a Madame Satchaire and gets with modern reality. Until then, we are France's 'partner' in the EU. So... can we leave now?
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