Hate the French ?

[cynthia]

Re: Frogs and morons

Well said that Fruitbat. Mind you I'm a agadruin reader myself. Personally wouldn't like to write for any of 'em......but then I'm never likely to have the opportunity, so that's probably just sour grapes!

 

[Bergman]

Re: Frogs and morons

Absolutely right

They cater for a market. Someone buys the 4 million copies a day.

Perhaps the education system is the real culprit. It certainly is to blame for the British inability to speak foreign languages.

Jerome K Jerome writing at the end of the 19th century made the point that the English schoolboy studied French for 4 years and was a great disappointment to his parents when he could not hold a conversation with a Frenchman.

I studied French for 4 years in the early 1960s - and I couldn't hold a conversation with a Frenchman.

My son likewise in the 1990s.

A ridiculous system wastes everyones time. Languages should be taught from junior school - like almost every other country in Europe.

PS I agree about Parisiennes - they all seem to hate everybody - rest of French I have come across seem fine.

 

[johndf]

Re: Frogs and morons

Likewise I've always found France to be a very welcoming country - I'll be there for a five day holiday next week. asfor Parisiennes, I understand that nobody dislikes Parisiennes more than the French do!, oh and Parisiennes might not like foreigners, but they prefer them to the French.

 

[tcm]

yes, the only close resemblance was the passive "suppport" of tanker drivers at high fuel prices. I don't think that democracy is binary, it isn't simply a case of marking an X on a piece of paper every 4-5 years. I blame the telly which "tells" everyone what "everyone else" thinks. Ban all opinion polls?

 

[claymore]

Re: Frogs and morons

So, let me see if I understand this..
Jerome K wrote about you in the 19th Century, you then went and dissappointed your parents and now your son has done the same to you?
regards
JS

 

[jtwebb]

Re: Hate the French Customs?

I love France and most of the French. I exclude the Customs who have boarded me on my last two trips. They check everything and on the last occasion, just as we entered the UK side of the Dover Straits, they simply ripped the carpet fittings out of the floor, clambered through bedding and left hatches off. I have not yet managed to repair the damage. The French Embassy have ignored my letter of complaint. This was in this Jan which might be unusual but we also met Dutch Customs and Belgium Police who were much more reasonable.

J Webb

 

[Guest]

Re: Frogs and morons

Oldgit - I did specifically say in my original post that I was not very inclined to defend the behaviour of the tabloids these days, so it is incorrect for you to refer to them as "The papers you defend". This is because I am not defending them, especially against the charge of xenophobia!

Anyway, a proper reading of that post would reveal that I was merely asking you to think before dismissing the people who work for them as morons.

I respect The Sun and The Mail and The Mirror for making an excellent job of what they set out to do. But I don't endorse their aims, necessarily.

Journalists' papers of choice tend to be the Telegraph, Mail and Sun, regardless of politics, because they are the most skilfully put together - and the Telegraph has excellent news coverage, if you can stomach its editorial line.

 

[Col]

Re: Hate the French Customs?

That's rather alarming. Any thing to make them suspicious, such as young, all bloke drinking party? Were you flying a courtesey flag ? Were you a bit gung-ho in the harbour ?

 

[Guest]

Merci les voileux!

Great to see more compliments than hate about froggies, especially when you are one of them. I often heard myself complaints about french sailors and France arrogance but after all it might be a lot to do with being shy about not speaking english at all or very well. Also, anybody's attitude is a reflection of oneself behavior ; Look how people are smiling back at a smiling face !

Considering french administration ; AGREE ! Even we complain about its dumbness and lack of efficiency...

A bientot sur l'eau ...

 

[Jeremy_W]

Re: Frogs and morons

Certainly the Torygraph used to have excellent coverage of minority sports and a great breadth of news coverage. I'll stick with the Grauniad, though it hasn't been the same since Suzanne Moore left to join the Mail on Sunday!!! Still a single mum with two kids and London house prices needs the dosh, I guess. She does a great job of contradicting Peter Hitchens every week.

 

[Bergman]

Re: Frogs and morons

Hmmm

Perhaps the problem is that educationalist find that attacking the questioner is less demanding than addressing the issue.

 

[david_e]

Ahoy Boitaleau, welcome to the forum! Roger, I am with you on this thread but maybe it should have titled - Love the French!

 

[claymore]

Re: Frogs and morons

Very Droll.
I made my point in my first posting to the thread - fairly early on if you read it in flat mode. The comment about Jerome K Jerome was a throw away to what I considered was the beginning of a bit of drift. Your view of educationalists is a tad jaundiced, perhaps as a result of a negative experience or possibly just an unsubstantiated opinion.... to which of course you are perfectly entitled. I never think of myself as an eductionalist, I certainly don't interact on the forum as one - this is about matters boating and whilst I've done a bit, there are others around who have done much more, I have picked up some really good advice over the past 10 months that I have been a participant.
I think that what educationalist should do is challenge - whether that be the questioner or the issue is of less relevance as it stimulates debate whatever

 

[jtwebb]

Re: Hate the French Customs?

No. Two wrinklies taking a boat home (although my crew would question wrinklie being ten years younger than me). We had the French courtesy flag and the RSYC defaced blue ensign. We had come from Dunkerque with a receipt for the marina. We were very accurately on the correct course to cross the TSS and had taken correct avoiding action by slowing down when we encountered freighters. We had carefully chosen a track to the East of the ferries. They were out to cause trouble. They ordered me below and tried to make my crew make a mistake (he reckons) by distracting with a load of idiotic questions. Many were answered by the heap of documents they also went through. I shouted at one point as one idiot put his hand blind into the locker which had the rotating prop shaft. Apart from that I was as co-operative as one can be when your boat is being damaged by a bunch of ****. There is also the point that they boarded just before leaving French waters and left when we were well in English waters. I know as we had a portable PC running Seapro with the track displayed.

J Webb

 

[Col]

Re: Hate the French Customs?

Sorry about damage caused etc: Luckily I've not had that sort of trouble, even when we've been a bit late getting the customs forms posted. I will have to be wary.
How long were they on board for, and did they say what they were looking for?

 

[jtwebb]

Re: Hate the French Customs?

It was the French Customs, not English even though we were in UK waters for most of the time. We were definitely in UK waters as my friend on the helm was avoiuding shipping coming from the East. They hardly spoke at all so I do not know what they were looking for. Four of them trampled over my boat for about 20 minutes. Runour has it that they are on commission, hence the attempt at inducing the helm to make a mistake for which we could be fined. They even checked my First Aid certificate but that might have been because they did not know what it was. As far as I was concerned we were complying with all the requirements of the UK where I live, where the boat is registered and whose waters we were in for much of the time. It was simply an abuse of power which has left me with a very sour taste and a damaged carpet and fittings.

J Webb

 

[Guest]

Agreed after all we brought Beneteau, Janneau, Cousteau, wine and cheese to the sailing community and zis little accent zat everybody love !