Why only three times in ten years? It’s so quick and easy. ‘Half Frog kids’. How can three words show such a lack of respect.
As you have only just mentioned the fact that you don’t think that Britain is currently the laughing stock of Europe, I believe that you are making a pretty bad attempt of hammering it out. I believe that you need to read more widely too.
[quote=“Aquitaine, post:101, topic:16618”]
Why only three times in ten years?
My apologies, the number of times they have visited that they can actually remember.
Yes it is…but when do you go ???
To who ? Is it any of your business ?
Because you are only listening to what you want to hear.
What would you like me to read ?
Anything that would broaden your mind.
Is it just me that didn’t notice the “where” on first reading the question? Made me laugh.
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Yes it was just you, most of us can read.
That is irony for you.
Mark Alsop, I’m retired and living in France, as is my wife. My wife and I “earned a living” for a combined total of 106 years, during which time we paid income tax, never at any time received state benefits except “Children’s Allowance” (at 5 shillings/20p a week per child), and contributed to the state pension and superannuation schemes throughout.
It’s an affront to people like us for you to imply that we are non-contributors to the economy of our chose homeland, France. We are EU citizens and support the local economy and the National Finances with our earned income. We are not drones or leeches, our presence here (it is generally borne in on us by locals) enhances the life and livelihood of this part of rural France.
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No it’s called skim reading Mark, there was so much off topic rubbish written by one of the posters who seemed to want to “debate hard” that I resorted to skimming through the posts so as not to waste too much of my life.
Mr Goble
This thread is debating whether or not the UK is a laughing stock of the EU. I am batting quite hard to say that the UK is no different to other EU countries including France. It’s been hard work.
I don’t really understand what you are saying to me in relation to the thread.
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Did you ever actually read the newspaper article or the one published in Der Spiegel that was linked the other day? You on one side of the debate are saying, I think England is no different to any other country, while the press around the continent are making fun of the very unfortunate situation that has arisen in recent weeks. Well done it is great that you are standing up for the country that you left behind so many years ago, the one you have been so willing to slag off in the past, but in your imaginary debate you are behind by a very long way. Just because you say something doesn’t make it right especially when the evidence says otherwise. It’s hard work for you because you’re up a creek with no paddle and are clutching at straws and trying to magic up smoke and mirrors.
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Mark
It’s this comment that I take exception to: “An awful lot of French live in the UK for a reason. They don’t go there to retire like the British do in France. Retirement is one thing, earning a living is another.”
The implication is that living in France in retirement on one’s earned income is not a reason; or is in some unspecified way deemed by you to be an illegitimate or qualitatively different reason. Perhaps if you explained yourself better I would understand that you don’t intend to deride those of us who have chosen to live here now that we no longer work for a living. You have a peculiarly terse and, to be generous to you, a rather dismissive style. And you seem to me to be peculiarly obtuse when challenged about this. But it takes all sorts.
I have no idea whether the UK is the laughing stock of the EU, Experience suggests that there is a very wide range of opinions amongst EU citizens about the UK across a multitude of criteria, some hostile to the point of derision, others diametrically opposite. The majority, I would conjecture, have no seriously considered opinions one way or another, and I don’t see that it really matters, except as a mildly amusing distraction for those of us with time on our hands, like you and me.
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This is an astounding assertion you make about educational elitism. 50% of the current intake of Conservative MPs were privately educated. One third of the current Tory Cabinet were educated at Oxbridge. If that’s not the result of educational elitism will you tell us how you would otherwise characterise it?
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One forum how many times? Six? Seven?
Well it will be hard to persuade people that all EU countries are the same, because they’re not. They all have different weaknesses, different strengths, different national characteristics, different economies, different politics. Greece isn’t much like Germany. Portugal isn’t much like Ireland. The UK has always been one on its own - not part of the euro, not part of Schengen, not part of mainland Europe - and now it’s the only one that is leaving. So how anyone can say that the UK is no different to other EU countries, beats me.
In what ways is it similar?
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This is a community @anon44939055 you have the ability to create content as you see fit, instead of complaining that it does not exist why don’t you concentrate your energies on writing some?
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Morning all.
France is an easy and very attractive country to retire to but moving to France as a young/middle age professional to find work is a much bigger challenge. There are so many barriers to entry into the employment market in France which I think makes the whole ‘EU’ thing a bit of a joke. Conversely, it is very easy for young French professionals to move to the UK to find work because there is a different attitude towards employment. Probably more easier than to find work in France. Even setting up a viable business. That is why I guess that there are more French in the UK than British in France.
In another corner of the WWW, I have lost count of the number times myself, Anna (from here) and others have tried to explain the difficulty to people looking to find work in France. Before you even get started to look for work, even the basics of renting a flat in cities is a struggle if not near on impossible for expats.
I am not really talking about MP’s and CEO’s etc. I am talking about general elitism at all levels in companies in France. This stems from the ‘cadre’ system which does not exist in the UK.
I think you will my dear fellow that a lot of people have impersonated me as a joke. I have not been on that site for probably 2 years now but have been banned many times during that period !!! Work that out.
I refer you to the answer I have given above.
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Haven’t a clue which of the many things you have said above you’re me referrring to. I can’t find anything that seems to answer what the similarities are. I can see many things you have said that are pointing out differences.
[quote=“anon44939055, post:115, topic:16618”]
France is an easy and very attractive country to retire to [/quote] and the UK is not at all an attractive country to retire to. So there’s no great mystery or surprise about why Brits tend to retire to France but the French don’t retire to the UK, is there.
Lordy lord.
If you had read properly earlier in the thread I said that France, Germany, UK are all equally a laughing stock. That is the similarity.
France projects itself as the centre of the EU but that is a joke and laughable. The UK on the hand has embraced more the original ‘concept’ of the EU than all countries put together.
It is not surprising that the only truly EU country (UK) wants out.
The point is, who are we laughing at ?
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At the moment? At this moment in time I am laughing mostly at you. A reason for everything yet an answer for none. I presume your comments about the UK being such a typical EU country are no more than bait.
What’s the saying? Starve the troll?
Mark, do you not mean psychotherapist?
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OK I admit it, I skim read.
I don’t actually agree that France and Germany are laughing stocks but then we all have different senses of humour.
I take it you mean the UK has clung to the old EEC “common market” concept, which all the other countries have moved on from. I think that’s true. But if you’re part of a community, standing still when the rest of the community is going different places isn’t really an option.