Navel-gazing survey o' the day
This time from Nord-Pas de Calais, La Voix du Nord having commissioned a survey of the locals to see what splendid folk they reckon themselves to be, and the results are in:
N-PDC types (henceforth Picards, it sounds better) are most attached to their communes, and then to France, with département or provincial loyalty weaker. They feel less European or global than three years ago, oddly enough.
Some 88% of Picards are proud of the place, as I suppose one might expect. Note that for the rest of France the North is regarded as being only marginally preferable to some of the lower circles of Hell, and it is to there or the Paris suburbs that first year teachers and other fonctionnaires get sent. And thoroughly miserable it makes them too, as I can confirm from knowing someone who got sent to Dunkerque, itself regarded as the ninth circle.
The pride in the place falls apart when offered the chance to be elsewhere. 6% want to emigrate, 23% want to be elsewhere in France, and just 56% are quite happy with the area they live in. Mind you, if I was offered a green card (so to speak) I'd be outta here like I stole something.
Anyway, Picards characterise themselves as convivial (76%) and hard working (66%). Five per cent think they are creative... And who do they think personifies the best of Picardy / Artois / Flanders? Danny 'Bienvenue chez les cht'is' Boon at 71% Mind you, he is France's second most popular person at the mo', on the back of a rather successful film set in his neck of the woods. Apparently the dialect is well-nigh incomprehensible to even very good second language French speakers, so if it aired here, sub-titles would be de rigueur. Next up is Charles de Gaulle, (42%) born in Lille, but a man who preferred to get out of the region at the first opportunity. Other locals non-Gauls might have heard of are Franck Ribery (23%), who now plays for Bayern Munich..., Pierre Mauroy (22%) who looks to still be an inhabitant and Louis Blériot who was prepared to risk death to get away from the place.
Asked what symbolises the region, they lead with belfries (41%) - well, one appears on the regional logo - Moules-frites (35%) and their dialect (31%). 20% think the channel tunnel symbolises the place. Could you imagine the men and women of Kent giving a response like that?
N-PDC types (henceforth Picards, it sounds better) are most attached to their communes, and then to France, with département or provincial loyalty weaker. They feel less European or global than three years ago, oddly enough.
Some 88% of Picards are proud of the place, as I suppose one might expect. Note that for the rest of France the North is regarded as being only marginally preferable to some of the lower circles of Hell, and it is to there or the Paris suburbs that first year teachers and other fonctionnaires get sent. And thoroughly miserable it makes them too, as I can confirm from knowing someone who got sent to Dunkerque, itself regarded as the ninth circle.
The pride in the place falls apart when offered the chance to be elsewhere. 6% want to emigrate, 23% want to be elsewhere in France, and just 56% are quite happy with the area they live in. Mind you, if I was offered a green card (so to speak) I'd be outta here like I stole something.
Anyway, Picards characterise themselves as convivial (76%) and hard working (66%). Five per cent think they are creative... And who do they think personifies the best of Picardy / Artois / Flanders? Danny 'Bienvenue chez les cht'is' Boon at 71% Mind you, he is France's second most popular person at the mo', on the back of a rather successful film set in his neck of the woods. Apparently the dialect is well-nigh incomprehensible to even very good second language French speakers, so if it aired here, sub-titles would be de rigueur. Next up is Charles de Gaulle, (42%) born in Lille, but a man who preferred to get out of the region at the first opportunity. Other locals non-Gauls might have heard of are Franck Ribery (23%), who now plays for Bayern Munich..., Pierre Mauroy (22%) who looks to still be an inhabitant and Louis Blériot who was prepared to risk death to get away from the place.
Asked what symbolises the region, they lead with belfries (41%) - well, one appears on the regional logo - Moules-frites (35%) and their dialect (31%). 20% think the channel tunnel symbolises the place. Could you imagine the men and women of Kent giving a response like that?
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