Poor old President Sarkozy isn’t doing so well in the polls at the moment and it is possible he will lose the forthcoming Presidential elections. Given that the other candidates don’t seem ideal to me I thought I would offer some handy hints to anyone else thinking of standing:
How I miss the pleasures of having small children around at Christmas – the squabbling and bickering, one taunting the other, the other making rude gestures… So in the absence of small children I have taken to watching the news instead, to see the latest instalment in the childish behaviour of French and British politicians. [...]
Running a business isn’t easy at the moment, in France or elsewhere, and everyone would welcome some good advice about how to cope with the difficult conditions. So despite having challenges of our own (don’t get me started on those) I though it would be useful if I went round to all the local French [...]
Because I’m a bit concerned that M Sarkozy might lose next year’s presidential elections I consider it my personal challenge to help France select a replacement with more ‘street appeal’.
I understand that a rather senior position has just become available in France as Presidential Candidate for the Socialist party in next years elections. Apparently Mr Strauss-Khan, the potential candidate, is likely to be otherwise occupied scratching his initials on a cell wall at Rikers Island after allegedly misbehaving in a New York hotel room.
I hope readers are appreciative of my recent efforts to include the occasional photo in entries, to brighten things up a bit… Yesterday I was amused to cycle past the above sign in a street near us – placed, so it seems, by the local farmers union – so I rushed back with the camera [...]
From time to time I have the chance to chat to the waifs and strays that follow our daughters around – a rare chance to get an insight into the views of French youth! Many of them are at the age when the real world is starting to take over from school life… The problems [...]
Following an idea put forward by Eric Cantona recently the 7th December is planned to be ‘bank run’ day. The general idea is that nowadays protesting in the street doesn’t achieve much – but if we all withdraw our money from the banks at the same time the banks will collapse. Whatever we might think [...]
I’m always interested in cultural differences between English and French and how they might have come about, so I was fascinated recently to have a chat with a young French chap who has just got back from a work secondment in Germany, and was talking about the differences between work experiences in the two countries. [...]
I know, politics is boring and I don’t know anything about it, but in a week dominated by strike action in France and the budget review in the UK I can’t ignore it completely. I think the most interesting thing about the situations in France and the UK at the moment is surely the way [...]
France has something of a tradition of taking to the streets – a tradition that forms part of the character of the nation, with ‘the people’ always ready to step forward to battle against injustice. On balance this is surely a good thing, but what one person sees as injustice someone else might see as [...]
Many of you will know that a sprinkling of tropical destinations around the world such as Martinique, Guadeloupe and Réunion are really part of France, and are all no doubt lovely places for a vacation. This of course means that they should be visited and reviewed thoroughly by a member of the francethisway staff, in [...]
I would like to start today’s blog by mentioning my dreams for world peace, an end to hunger and by suggesting it would be nice to all hold hands and solve problems with global warming. Hopefully these good intentions are sufficient for the Nobel Prize committee to send me a nice medal and, more importantly, [...]
From 1 July 2009 the VAT rate on restaurant meals was reduced in France from 19.6% to 5.5%, in an effort to encourage us to all eat out more and bring prosperity to the catering industry. Many restaurants haven’t actually passed on the reduction to their customers, and it is very doubtful whether we will [...]
Well, one day left to decide who to vote for in the European elections – and frankly I haven’t the first idea. So if you’re here looking for guidance you’re likely to be disappointed. because that’s what I’m looking for as well. When I was young and angry I always knew exactly who to vote [...]