Presidents & Prime Ministers Part 3 - Nicholas Sarkozy
Continuing todays theme, much as it galls your humble correspondent, the time has now come to cast a beery bloodshot eye across the channel to Weasel-land & up date ourselves on what the garlic munchers have been up to. So without further ado & before we adjourn to a suitable hostelry to quaff pints of finest foaming for the remainder of the day ...
Now I know that we all tend to treat these particular European 'partners' with varying degrees of derision ... if for no other reason that not only is the country overrun with big government socialists, but to add insult to an incomprehensible language … they drive on the wrong side of the road … in absurd little cars & are always surrendering...
Indeed, over the past few weeks I have received many funny images/jokes & have emailed them to chums who I thought shared the same sense of humour. Unfortunately, I seemed to have upset a few people & received criticism for being sexist. So, from now & in honour of the grandeur of France on I am only posting pictures of world famous monuments & other cultural sights which are educational. For example here is a picture of the Pont Neuf bridge in Toulouse
Ok ok ... the sites or is that sights aside - & on a more sober note - over the last couple of days Darth-Sarko has been elected Chief Weasel ...
& we are now faced with the delicious prospect of Jacques The Crazy Frog being nicked for any one of the burgeoning number of the embezzlement allegations that are levelled against him.
However, what of France itself & the new administration ...
France is the euro zone's second-biggest member and home to ten of Europe's 50 biggest companies. But it is deeply troubled. It has the slowest-growing large economy in Europe, a state that soaks up half of GDP, the fastest-rising public debt in western Europe over the past ten years and, above all, entrenched high unemployment.
Over the past 25 years French GDP per person has declined from seventh-highest in the world to 17th.
France's 35-hour work week is one of the shortest in the world; the employment rate for the over-55s one of the lowest; and unemployment has not dipped below 8% for 25 years
Salaries have stagnated in real terms. Public debt incurred to prop up the system has grown faster than in any other EU-15 country, & now amounts to 66% of GDP.
Now now … quiet please in the cheap seats … & while the raucus laughter dies down, it is worth noting some of Sarko's has a bit of form down in the banlieues, home to much of France's jobless Muslim yoofs. Now, these are the same yoofs that during the riots of 2005, Sarko described as scum that should be hosed off the streets because they were indulging in that most traditional of French pastimes ... rioting & burning cars.
With no sense of irony, the same said yoofs have been on the streets rioting & buring cars in protest to being called scum because they were ... wait for it ... yep you are already there aren't you ... for rioting & burning cars.
Its always good to see that notwithstanding Sarko's electoral promises of reform, tradition is being maintained !
P.S. Stephen, thanks for the pic which I think came from The Silverbacks originally)
Comments
what about the tradition of the guilotine? Either on the Yoofs, or on the Politicians, you can't loose 'cause either way, scum are disposed of :P
Posted by: Rhys | May 9, 2007 11:40 AM
What bridge?
Posted by: nbc | May 9, 2007 11:42 AM
I'm afraid I missed the Bridge too.
I was looking the the rather splendid motor boat.
Posted by: Gremlin | May 9, 2007 2:26 PM
I couldn't see the man in the boat.........a great place to park your bike though!
Posted by: Stuart | May 10, 2007 5:25 AM
Somebody should complain to the Paris town council; those roses really need dead-heading.
I'll bet they have greenfly too.
Posted by: The Remittance Man | May 11, 2007 1:53 PM