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I wish the British were more like the French

Bob McC said:
cold winters...
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my mother eats the occasional xmas dinner outside in s.france - Cerét, close-ish to the Spanish border. I'd take a french winter over any Portuguese winter never mind the UK. Winter is horrible in Portugal, I'm already waiting for it to be over. one can enjoy temps of mid 20s during October before the plummet of cold.
 
richgilb said:
I wonder how the British would enjoy starting work half an hour earlier, finishing half an hour later just so everyone can have a 2-hour lunch, in which time you can't get anything done, other than go home for lunch. Because everything is shut for lunch.

In this aspect, I wish the French were a bit more like the British. My business partner does it nearly every day...leaving me the Brit with a sandwich in front of my computer.
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that’s right, it’s called lunch break...
I’d leave your desk, you’ll be as successful as Canute trying to change it.
 
ks.234 said:
The British seem be stuck in the mindset of the conquered.
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Strange, as it's the British who haven't been conquered for nearly a millennium yet the French have; by the British in part (or English, to be exact) and by the Germans (twice or thrice partially or wholly). I think it's the British sense of 'don't rock the boat and survive' against the French 'rock the boat in protest and bugger the consequences'. Could be wrong here, but I believe the French record of recent (i.e. last 60 years?) strikes and damaging protests probably far outweighs the British record. Hasn't got them anywhere economically.
 
Bob McC said:
that’s right, it’s called lunch break...
I’d leave your desk, you’ll be as successful as Canute trying to change it.
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Indeed...I have an Americanized French friend here and he says he is exasperated by it...He daren't even stay in the office and work extra hours for fear of being called a scab etc.

I'm still undecided which culture has got it right on this one...but currently I don't like it. The best meal of the day is the evening meal, not lunch...who would want to have going back to work hanging over you during a decent meal and glass of wine.
 
Mike Reed said:
Could be wrong here, but I believe the French record of recent (i.e. last 60 years?) strikes and damaging protests probably far outweighs the British record. Hasn't got them anywhere economically.
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I thought France had one of the most successful economies in Europe coupled with a good quality of life.
 
richgilb said:
I wonder how the British would enjoy starting work half an hour earlier, finishing half an hour later just so everyone can have a 2-hour lunch, in which time you can't get anything done, other than go home for lunch. Because everything is shut for lunch.
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When I worked over there most days people bought a sandwich and ate it at their desk.
 
I thought the two hour French lunch break was for a proper lunch with the mistress. Three course, non?
 
Snufkin said:
I thought France had one of the most successful economies in Europe coupled with a good quality of life.
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It's certainly very similar to us in many ways but there's a lot of poverty in some cities and having c double the land area they have problems associated with that as we do in Scotland.

Poverty might look a bit more benign to the tourist in summer but winter in Marseille is grim and the state appears less supportive. Housing is a major problem.

Living on a poor housing estate in a big city is just as bad as here.

They are more restricted by bureaucracy; don't try moving house if you're being treated for anything.

Unemployment is about double ours and anecdotally i'd say the black economy is more important.

The concept of a two hour lunch with a quick bottle of house wine is totally alien to my family in France.

Having said all that they seem quite happy!
 
It seems that most of the protestors come from the weightier French public sector which has more privileges to lose than the private sector.

This sector is also more easy to organise and hold the country to ransom.

I'll be surprised if this industrial action doesn't succeed in its protest.

British workers are in a less powerful position. See what happened to the postal strike.
 
I doubt Macron is in a strong enough position to have his own winter of discontent, many thought he was the best option last time round but still felt disenfranchised having to choose between two right wing candidates.
Hope it's sorted soon, my daughter flies back next week.

Last time she took the train they declared a strike mid journey so she was stuck at Lyon for 8 hours with a three month old child.
 
vuk said:
when do we simply acknkowledge that capitalism has been a catastrophe?
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What can you when people are at the helm? We're just not all that.

This world could collapse and people will still cling to the idea of sustainable growth. It's just insane.
 
bob said:
I'd rather work through lunch and go home at 2, I worked like this for the last 15 years. Start at 7 finish at 2ish and be home no later than 3 everyday. Missed the traffic going to work and missed it coming home.
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I work through lunch and don't get to go home early, usually 6-5, I'd love to go home early.
 
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