I wonder who that’s addressed to? As potentially more offensive than anything in this post! I imagine most people who have responded have done all that, plus holding down jobs and running businesses here…and some speak French excellently.
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Oh I do! and I always tell them how appreciative I am.
To be honest certain aspects of bureaucracy are worse in the UK, the planning process for instance. As for bureaucracy try the Philippines, India or Egypt .
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Quite a lot of French bureaucracy I think is absolutely fine. Laughing laugh at idiosyncrasies doesn’t mean that underlying service is rubbish!
Bureaucracy in the Philippines is smoothed if you enclose folding money with your documents!
The worst bureaucracy I’ve ever encountered was in Oman, closely followed by Saudi.
After those experiences, France is relatively stress free.
I can agree with you in the Philippines! Having said that I like the place, and the people. I only spent a few hours in Oman so can’t comment. I had a couple of unpleasant experiences from officials looking for money in Kuwait, including a police raid on my hotel bedroom about 1am to see if I had a woman in my room. I hadn’t. A customs official searched my luggage asking where the whisky was. I said I don’t drink it. He was disappointed, and asked me to make sure I brought two bottles next time, one for me, and one for him. Somebody offered a six figure bribe in the UK once. I made my excuses and left.
I do know the name of the person who was dealing with our dossiers, ours and our other English friends and I can say that the only similarity is that your Christian name begins with the same letter.