Chirac walks out of talks

[Dundeegeorge]

Aye, there's the rub

True but what do we do about it other than get angry?

What do we do?
What can we do?

[John Galt]

What do we do?
What can we do?

Well, therein lies the problem - we have rolled over for so long we will be really hard pushed to change things in the short term but what it comes down to is the nation working together. Trouble is, as you said earlier, the meeja divides people far more than Government or EU policies. Personally I reckon we should all band together and buy a newspaper - only way to influence the great unwashed.

[Dundeegeorge]

Well now

Well, therein lies the problem - we have rolled over for so long we will be really hard pushed to change things in the short term but what it comes down to is the nation working together. Trouble is, as you said earlier, the meeja divides people far more than Government or EU policies. Personally I reckon we should all band together and buy a newspaper - only way to influence the great unwashed.

So we have to influence the media.
Does Rupert Murdoch have any grandchildren he's particularly fond of?
I can feel a hostage situation coming on.

Note for the hard-of-thinking, oh alright, for chico and BennO, that was just a joke.

And BennO, so was that.
No chico, I meant it about you.

[Hart-floot]

I realise that this will not be a popular opinion but here goes. I think Chirac over-reacted but I support his stand - I think it's a real shame that we don't have the same sort of pride in our country that the French have. We are frequently walked over in EU matters because our politicians roll over so easily and quite frankly they deserve everything they get (or don't get!)

Got to agree with you John, the French take great pride in their country and in their regional identity. Something the English are denied. We have lost too much trying to follow the American social and economic model.
France aint perfect, look at the Banlieue (but then look at the Bronx!) but at the end of the day Chirac stands up for the French national interest and doesnt play poodle to Bush.

[John Galt]

So we have to influence the media.
Does Rupert Murdoch have any grandchildren he's particularly fond of?
I can feel a hostage situation coming on.

Note for the hard-of-thinking, oh alright, for chico and BennO, that was just a joke.

And BennO, so was that.
No chico, I meant it about you.

Absolutely - the media have the power to influence the masses. The only other option is to take Chico hostage and hope God's in a good mood

[OwlHoot]

This is why English people find it so difficult to learn another language - which other language would you choose to be understood worldwide?

Other countries know that learning English is the only way to be understood universally. God knows how many languages you would need under your belt to get by in Eurpoe alone if it weren't for a dominant language such as English.

Exactly - Native English speakers who learn foreign languages often only do it to show off, and they just muddy the waters and confuse foreigners trying to speak English. If one really has to learn a foreign language, it's best to stick to a useful one like Latin or Ancient Greek.

Etruscan is good as well, because only a few dozen words are known with any certainty, and hardly any grammar, so one can become an expert in no time _and_ maybe read a few inscriptions on old pots.

[TinTin]

Proud to be French

Chirac may look and behave like, but he is certainly no fool. He sees himself and his country as the 'guardians' of the EU which they are, without any dispute. For us in the UK, the EU is seen as a legislative body, for the French and their numerous European allies, it is a political organisation where each country competes for supremacy. Anyone that has spent time in France and/or can speak French will know that they are all down to the last man proud to be French without fear of being labelled 'racists'. Their culture, traditions and way of life has not deviated very much over the centuries and neither has their religion (strict Roman Catholics). They are leaning to the right in politics but in social mattters are more left-wing than any socialist. The result : Public sector/local authority employment around 50%, secure private employment 30%, self-empolyed 10%, unemployed 10%. Trouble is the model is slightly outdated, however they still want to keep it. It' s their right to do so, along with keeping all the large French energy, telecom and transport multi-nationals free from foreign takeovers. We at the UK have allowed our large companies to fall prey to anyone, and as a result we'll pay for it sooner or later through higher bills or loss of independence.

[Mordac]

Chirac may look and behave like, but he is certainly no fool. He sees himself and his country as the 'guardians' of the EU which they are, without any dispute.

You berk. The French are the reason that the EU is such a sack of tulipe. They completely ignore all the rules on government subsidies, they have a stranglehold on the CAP, and they block anything they vaguely don't like. Plus a million other reasons I can't be bothered to list, because "I Love The EU" morons like you either won't read it or won't believe it.
The French are the problem, not the solution. Honestly, I fecking despair.

[Dundeegeorge]

Paradigm shift

You berk. The French are the reason that the EU is such a sack of tulipe. They completely ignore all the rules on government subsidies, they have a stranglehold on the CAP, and they block anything they vaguely don't like. Plus a million other reasons I can't be bothered to list, because "I Love The EU" morons like you either won't read it or won't believe it.
The French are the problem, not the solution. Honestly, I fecking despair.

You would be correct if you believed that the EU was built to allow all of Europe to work together and to build some kind of economic superpower which was of benefit to all of it's members.
However look at it from the viewpoint of the French. The EU is a mechanism whereby everybody else in europe pays for France to run their country as a kind of socialist utopia, and where France get to decide how everybody else runs their country (to the benefit of France). Think of it as war without combat (the only kind the French are capable of winning) and you've got the picture.
Note that the above applies also to a lesser degree to Germany.

[xoggoth]

There was a prog on radio 3 about this. Apparently English is now so much the language of commerce and politics that French research papers are published in English and even some large French companies and insititutions insist on English at meetings. No wonder Chirac was so miffed, he knows he has lost. In fact he lost a decade or two ago. Oh dear! what a shame!