You are absolutely correct. I never understood why we have elected officials who dine and speak with us but then do the the opposite of what we have discussed and agreed?
On the other hand, one has to recall that in 1789 the choices were really just 'monarchy or anarchy''?
Hear, hear, Nick! I agree with every word you've written.
The first French revolution was a "Bourgeois" revolution, and new rich let the people starving many times . The real heroes of the time for me are people that have been left in the shadow by the following official historians . ( François Boissel is my hero ) . That's why after 1792 1830 came . That time, the bourgeoisie used the people and then shot . Then came 1848, and the same thing happened . Then for the first time, the people of France ( of Paris ) did a revolution for the people and by the people : the Commune of 1871, the first ever socialist revolution . That time, European bourgeoisie was afraid, the recently victorious Prussian army allowed the bourgeois French army to move, and the worst massive blood bath ened the Commune .
Since then, France is, like every western country, what is technically called a bourgeois democracy . Which means not a democracy . Just remember that the people of France has been asked in a referendum to vote for or against the so called European Constitution . Victory of the No, then a year later, the Assembly accepted the " Constitution " for France . This is obscenely significant .
I have had the occasional daydream since arriving in France. It involves the reintroduction of the guillotine, not for the aristocrats, but for the bureaucrats. For me the interminable struggles with bureaucracy (details of which fill many of the posts on this site, by many different members) are the only 'spoiler'.
Otherwise I believe I have genuinely experienced more evidence of liberté, égalité and fraternité than my politically cynical mind had lead me to ever believe I would.
For me the overwhelmingly pleasant surprise about living here is the level of respect everyone has for each other. It seems to span generations, race, class and creed and I think the UK could learn a lot from the French on this subject.
Hollande was certainly upbeat about the french economy - he obviously knows something the rest of us don't know........
Hollande's optimistic Bastille Day speech and reality seem to be measurably different. He either knows something nobody else does (well he is president, so perhaps) or lives on another planet to other people.
We may reflect ironically on that as a probable truth we can never prove - more the pity.
Also if we had gone into the, as then, Common Market, I am sure that there would not be the political hoo ha there is nowadays.
Just done the rounds of local vide greniers and chatted about 14 July. Several people did not realise it was today, being weekend anyway and their 'life goes on' attitude. One man who cornered me on the topic surprised me totally. He thinks the monarchy should be brought back and all the communes and maires got rid of because he thinks they are corrupt and manipulative across the board. Wow! I did not expect such a blast.
I supposed I concur for a large part with Ben (but Ben physio and tattooist are two people and she was as surprised as me by his views, punk or whatever). You are absolutely right, I think, about fraternity but many people are sceptical - which is a terrible pity.
Jane, agree there; de Gaulle and 5th Republic remain an unfriendly place politically in my mind around 1958 when it began, Indochina, Algeria and West Africa were bloodbaths that we should never forget.
It obviously marks the overthrow of the aristocracy. The monarchy had a stranglehold over the aristocracy and the aristocracy had a stranglehold over the rest of society.
However, whilst no one now has the power of life and death over us, I can't say that I remember Charles de Gaulle and the 5th Republic with any fondness.
Non, Non.Non.
We are going to a large brocante in the next village.
First of all, the origins of this party is the "Fête de la Confederation" of 1790, commemorated for the first time in 1880 under the 3rd French republic needing a symbol to re-unite the peoples.
Being Dutch as is your punk-tattoe-pro physiotherapist (but instead merely growing some grapes, raising wines); these three words are symbols; a lot of people practice them in real life, others don't. If they were just hollow principles that guy would never have been admitted to the French healthcare system
You do have a serious amount of freedom in France, yes there are rules, laws, etc. and that might not suit you when your of the anarchist persuasion.
But I agree with your physio: my adagio when in local council is always: "Apparently all people are equal, but most of them are more equal than the others" (which doesn't give me brownie-points).
Your "independent" friends are however not showing the faults of a system; they actually need the system for the future and well-being of their kid (and the opportunity to criticize it). If not, they would have escaped to a country like Mozambique or Eritrea: everybody for themself. It's easy to criticize a system when you're a part of it and enjoying the benefits.......
Brotherhood is something you create yourself, by actively engaging yourselves in the community, with friends, politics etc. This is in no way a one-way-street. (which I suppose you already know given your academic background ;-))
I won't turn the TV on tomorrow, neither for the parade, nor for Hollande's n-th explanation "pédagogique" (does he really thinks that explaining it again and again will make the peoples accept it?) of his disastrous politics.
I will take my kids to the park on the banks of the Charente where they can play freely with all the other kids, not being bothered about where these kids came from, the color of their skin etc, and probably inviting them to our blanket-in-the-shade to share the "gouter".
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité is neither what I think of France, nor what others might think of it. In the end it's what I try to install in our kids....