Bit rough! Do you think the "don't like it up them" comment is acceptable?
That's your opinion John and you are entitled to it.
Unfair IMHO Catherine. Have I missed something? David's "they don't like it up them" rant is very offensive and deserves sanction yet Al gets clobbered.
Yes Al, you have contravened our T&C so your account will now be revoked.
Actually it was just on the C4 News, 29,000 French landed on Gold beach.
Not get personal, how can you not when somebody defames very people to whom, in part, we owe the freedom we enjoy today, are quite happy to take advantage of their hospitality and so close to the last time the sacrifices of those that gave their lives on D Day will ever be remembered officially with such reverence.
Such comments about the French as "they don't like it up em" is deeply offensive and shows a certain level of contempt towards our hosts. There are clearly double standards at work here, in a decent forum such comments would be stricken and the person reprimanded yet you reprimand me in public, how unprofessional is that? I can assure you that I will not have a problem in repeating these double standards elsewhere. Because of these double standards I of course expect to have my account removed whilst this ‘person’ is allowed to remain and would expect nothing less.
I can also reccomend The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. A ripping good read and very relevent this year 
Try reading Triumph and Tragedy by Winston Churchill.
Now, now boys. Maybe since is almost the centenary of General John French running away and leaving the French in the lurch, much to the shock of Kitchener, we should also include that in the debate.
Don't get personal please Al. Facts will suffice.
From a French website "On June 6, 1944, the Free French forces deployed land on Sword Beach and are composed of two troops and a section. There are 177 soldiers (1st Battalion fusilers), plus the captain Philippe Kieffer." That was D Day wasn't it? Of course there were many other FF troops, and actions, but not that many on the actual beach landings on the first day. I have had quite a few friends in the Resistance. One told me how few were in it until the beginning of '44. Churchill and Eisenhower spent a great deal of effort on trying to keep de Gaulle out of the way until a beach head had been established. BTW LeClerc's division landed on Sword beach on 1 August, almost two months after D day. Referring to Dunkirk most of the French evacuated to England returned to France shortly afterwards, but some did stay. I have French friends from the Ile de Sein where the almost all young men of military age did go to England to join FFF. I think you will find my facts are correct!
Quite right, there are a few 'stories' such as de Gaulle's arrival well after the event and claim of 'One France' liberated by the Free French and resistance, conveniently forgetting the larger, better armed US 2nd Armoured Division and 4th US Infantry Division who were the real liberators of Paris. Indeed, the UK and USA even asked the French not to include their African troops and no member of the US Army of African ancestry entered Paris. The 'order' originating from Washington was to keep it white. de Gaulle complied.
I laughed my head off when my daughter came home from school with the USA-free version that stated that the Allies turned left into Belgium and did not even help liberate France. What about Normandy, I asked. Only French said she, or teacher had said. The problem is that primary school teachers have no proper teacher training. The way they teach and what they teach along with the way they sometimes treat children leaves very much to be desired. Some are very good for all of that.
Bloody hell where do you get this rubbish from, 200 French troops involved in D Day! Seems quite obvious to me that you know nothing about it.
Over 400,000 Free French troops participated in the D Day landings many of them as part of the 2nd Armoured division (under General LeClerc) who landed on Utah beach. Other groups they served in were the SAS and of course the French 1st army in the middle east (over half of it was bought out at Dunkirk). They also fought with the British army in the South of France, North Africa and Italy in large numbers. Then there were an estimated 100,000 FFI (resistance fighters) who attacked communications centres, railway lines, bridges etc and caused general confusion amongst the enemy on D Day which made the rapid advance of the allies once off the beaches possible. If your going to 'have a go' at the French at least get your facts right.
Everyone who took part in the D Day landings should be remembered including the French and those from our colonies like India, Canada etc.
I think a lot of it is small town mentality too Nikki. A kid in my son's primary was also referred to as 'etrangere' (he was from Brittany..) and I have seen local kids making monkey noises at the one black family in the village.
What's the latest news anyway? xx
Good stuff Nikki! They don't like it up 'em! You can find some voluble anti expat types round here too. They don't mind taking their money for old houses when many French would not buy them any way, and they like the big contribution expats make to local taxes and businesses by use of principal or secondary homes. Tomorrow's a good day to remember the efforts of so many Americans, Brits, Canadians etc etc. I think there were up to about 200 French troops involved in D Day and de Gaulle was deliberately informed late to prevent him from fouling the whole thing up!!!!!! Back to education you can find bad teachers anywhere. However it's not acceptable to be told to eff off back to England if you don't like it here (by a member of the Amicale Laique I got out of his car in a river one night after he had had an excessive session!) I think I might visit the local bar tomorrow night and toast the memory of Normandy- after all few of us expats would be living here if it were not for those who made such heroic efforts.
A misunderstanding..........
I realise you wish to defend your countrymen but being told endlessly by your teacher that you have no right to be in the class because you're foreign isn't a misunderstanding. Perhaps if you also consider the fact that the inspector has been out already following a complaint by a french lady with 2 British boys going through the same problems - the same teacher has been slapping the 6 year old around the head - you may reconsider your 'advice'.
What do you make of the fact that my 2 8 month old kittens (inoculated and sterilised, unlike most around here) are currently fighting for their lives in the vets due to being poisoned by my delightful french neighbour because she doesn't like cats? Maybe that's just a misunderstanding too.....
I'm taking bets on which situation, child injured by teacher or cats poisoned by neighbour, will be taken more seriously by the authorities...Oh yeh, that's right, I don't have rights here I'm an etrangere.......
Bonne journee.
(forgive my lack of accents and graves, I can't get them to work when I type directly onto this site)
best thing is to phone the inspectorat and ask for a face to face appointment. We got one very quickly, in fact they were more concerned that we couldn't make it quicker. A letter will just sit there. If you want action you need to see them.
SOS Éducation
Association Loi 1901 sans but lucratif
120 boulevard Raspail - 75006 Paris
Tél. : 01 45 81 22 67 - Fax : 01 45 89 67 17
Maybe they will take your case up- they have a website
Sorry to hear all this- getting no response or an ill informed response from a mairie is about par for the course. I had to threaten mine with legal action once after I found that they and a local notaire lied to me and they eventually had to pay me 7000 euros in damages- but only after I got a lawyer from Paris involved (they had to pay their fees too). It was not an education matter and your situation must at best be very worrying
Update:
We took the route of writing to the school inspector, asking for ‘advice and help’ in resolving the situation with regard to having a child and no school: almost 4 weeks on still no response.
We asked the 2 local private schools for a place: no places.
We asked the next local public school for a place: won’t entertain us until we have the ‘dérogation’, not even a visit to look around!
We asked the mairie for the ‘dérogation’, permission to remove him from the old school: 3 weeks on, 3 phone calls later no response.
In all our communication we have highlighted the fact that this is a 6 year old child in his first year of school and we just want a solution for him to be able to go to school.
In response to the messages you have all posted many thanks.
We are off to Montpellier next week, a change of scene for a few days and a visit to friends will do us the world of good. And maybe we’ll see an opportunity there, before a definite decision to return to Scotland.
Brian, thank you so much, I found the info in French, I’ve been keeping it up my sleeve, although I don’t think it’ll make much difference to the fonctionnaires around here, they just don’t care. And more importantly, YES YES and YES again to independence for Scotland! The NO campaign, with it’s disinformation is doing more to help the independence cause than the yes campaigners!!
Bonne journée!