Relationship between France and UK

Mamie

Sorry Kali2 but which bit of my post suggests my experience is very different from yours?
I said that the people I talk to think he is a clown and not a serious politician.
However I don't think people are obsessed by it. Why would they be? I think that shows up in the level of TV reporting too.

This bit Mamie ''I don't get the impression that people in France give the UK much thought to be honest. ''

as it is not my experience at all.

tickingbird

*Kali*. 'on ne peut pas avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre' you can't (still) have the butter and the money (as you have sold it)...

Being pedantic here but it actually translates as “We can’t have the butter AND the butter money”.

Well yes, as a professional translator, I am fully aware that word for word translations are rarely appropriate.

Lincslass

Coastpath

Because to keep trotting out nonsense about wars that ended centuries ago makes us look really ridiculous, gloating and as though nothing positive has happened since for us to be proud of.

Who is trotting that out, oh yes a remainer commentator no one else.

My post was in direct response to another post in which the fact that 'we won the war' was mentioned. The subject was also explored on here on another post recently - and also this for example twitter.com/Jacob_Rees_Mogg/status/1455608415154225157

for "UK " read England ,I dont know any Scot ,Irish or Welsh person who complains about "the French" not now or any time in my 67 years

The relationship between France and UK is only of interest to those who want to generate column inches in the press.

Sorry Kali2 but which bit of my post suggests my experience is very different from yours?
I said that the people I talk to think he is a clown and not a serious politician.
However I don't think people are obsessed by it. Why would they be? I think that shows up in the level of TV reporting too.

It was as important to me as it was to you to mention it to begin with Maizie and it would appear, also important to you to mention that it was "an Allied army, of which the British was not a major component".

Kali. 'on ne peut pas avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre' you can't (still) have the butter and the money (as you have sold it)...

Being pedantic here but it actually translates as “We can’t have the butter AND the butter money”.

Kali2
Do you live in Europe Do you live in the uk?
From my experience here in the uk I can assure you that the butcher, the baker, the candle stick maker, Uncle Tom cobbly and all are not talking about it and if we wanted to call Boris every expletive under the sun we wouldn’t cover our faces. We would shout it loud and proud.

Smileless2012

Historical fact is not "a load of guff" Maizie if it doesn't matter then why did you bring it up in the first place? A pathetic opening line to your post @ 10.44.

I asked you why the English would need to get over the Napoleonic wars. A rather pathetic attempt on your part, to call me pathetic, to avoid a perfectly reasonable question based on your post.

If it doesn't matter then don't mention it.

Oh, gawd. It was a throwaway line to suggest that some English antipathy to the French goes back a long long way.

Why it should be important to you to point out that the English had a hand in beating them at the battle of Waterloo (it was an Allied army, of which the British was not a major component)?

Kali2 Thé Twitter clip explains it all
Like those I know who voted for Brexit and immediately looked into their family history to find an EU relative so that they could travel with ease, I got a French one, (but I wasn’t allowed to vote). So when French people say your PM, I reply, he’s not mine, I am French.
Just thought, I have never had any French person here make a reflection on this matter.
I don’t think anyone can work with Boris because history shows he cannot be trusted even if he has signed the papers.

Mamie does live in France, and I do respect her experience. However the fact her experience is very different from mine, does NOT mean that mine is not true and valid. Just different.

And yes, relatives and friends in the USA, OZ and NZ do take an interest in what is happening- and also despise Johnson and are very concerned- many because of the GFA- and it is clear there will be NO commercial or other Agreement with the USA as long as the GFA is threatened.

MerylStreep

Mamie

I don't get the impression that people in France give the UK much thought to be honest.
The people I talk to think Johnson is a clown and not a serious politician. Intellectual ability and political debate are important here and "too clever by half" would not be something French people would say.
Macron is serious and intellectual and my impression is that he would not suffer fools gladly. I think the fact that he got on so well with Angela Merkel tells us a lot.
I certainly don't pick up any animosity towards the British people as a whole.

Thank you ? Mamie for giving a clearer picture.
My friends in Spain/ Portugal and Eastern Europe know nothing about it. Why would they?
As for the whole world is watching again ? No they’re not.
Perhaps our posters with family in Australia/ USA could tell us what they think because the whole world is watching
if it is being reported I imagine, like the majority of us, they don’t give a stuff.

Do you live in Europe? Do you talk to locals, day in, day out ...?

I do. They do not necessarily understand all the 'ins and outs'- but they know one thing- that Johnson is a clown, a fools, and cannot be trusted- and in all walks of life- and they tell me, yes, constantly. They hide their faces and say 'il est totalement cingly votre Johnson, hein' ...They are just ordinary people, farmers, shop keepers, my hairdresser, my doctor, the carpenter and roofer, friends ...and more.

Just what I meant Meryl though thinking about it there could be a mishap in translation?
The whole world? Tout le monde? Which in English just means "everybody" here and there. That might sound more palatable, though still incorrect.
Yes, a more reasoned post from Mamie.

Petera

Josianne

his cake and eat it
Another difference on the subject of taste between us, the French say have his butter.

Seriously I can't see the whole world watching what Boris is up to. My Breton farming friends really don't give a stuff. Maybe they are too busy eating Brittany butter and just take it all with a pinch of salt (Guérande, of course).

"avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre", literally have the butter or the money from the butter.

Actually the whole proverb is 'on ne peut pas avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre' you can't (still) have the butter and the money (as you have sold it)...

We have always been at odds with France.

We used to cross the Channel every year when De Gaulle was in charge. The local gendarmes were always there at the first junction stop sign to see if the wheels on the English cars actually stopped and if not we had an instant fine!

One year, however, we were greeted with a goody box of cheese, wine, pate etc. Not sure what we had done right that year but De Gaulle was in a good mood!!

Mamie

I don't get the impression that people in France give the UK much thought to be honest.
The people I talk to think Johnson is a clown and not a serious politician. Intellectual ability and political debate are important here and "too clever by half" would not be something French people would say.
Macron is serious and intellectual and my impression is that he would not suffer fools gladly. I think the fact that he got on so well with Angela Merkel tells us a lot.
I certainly don't pick up any animosity towards the British people as a whole.

Thank you ? Mamie for giving a clearer picture.
My friends in Spain/ Portugal and Eastern Europe know nothing about it. Why would they?
As for the whole world is watching again ? No they’re not.
Perhaps our posters with family in Australia/ USA could tell us what they think because the whole world is watching
if it is being reported I imagine, like the majority of us, they don’t give a stuff.

Historical fact is not "a load of guff" Maizie if it doesn't matter then why did you bring it up in the first place? A pathetic opening line to your post @ 10.44.

I asked you why the English would need to get over the Napoleonic wars. A rather pathetic attempt on your part, to call me pathetic, to avoid a perfectly reasonable question based on your post.

If it doesn't matter then don't mention it.

Smileless2012

Well you're the one who referred to it Maizie in your post @ 10.44 so if it was pathetic to mention it, why did you?

You just proved my point, Smileless. "The English don't seem to have got over the Napoleonic wars." So you trot out a load of guff about how we won the battle of Waterloo... As if it mattered...

Coastpath

Because to keep trotting out nonsense about wars that ended centuries ago makes us look really ridiculous, gloating and as though nothing positive has happened since for us to be proud of.

Who is trotting that out, oh yes a remainer commentator no one else.

Josianne

^his cake and eat it^
Another difference on the subject of taste between us, the French say have his butter.

Seriously I can't see the whole world watching what Boris is up to. My Breton farming friends really don't give a stuff. Maybe they are too busy eating Brittany butter and just take it all with a pinch of salt (Guérande, of course).

"avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre", literally have the butter or the money from the butter.

Well you're the one who referred to it Maizie in your post @ 10.44 so if it was pathetic to mention it, why did you?

I don't get the impression that people in France give the UK much thought to be honest.
The people I talk to think Johnson is a clown and not a serious politician. Intellectual ability and political debate are important here and "too clever by half" would not be something French people would say.
Macron is serious and intellectual and my impression is that he would not suffer fools gladly. I think the fact that he got on so well with Angela Merkel tells us a lot.
I certainly don't pick up any animosity towards the British people as a whole.

Coastpath

Because to keep trotting out nonsense about wars that ended centuries ago makes us look really ridiculous, gloating and as though nothing positive has happened since for us to be proud of.

This ? Smileless

200 years on you still seem to think it matters. Pathetic.

Josianne

^his cake and eat it^
Another difference on the subject of taste between us, the French say have his butter.

Seriously I can't see the whole world watching what Boris is up to. My Breton farming friends really don't give a stuff. Maybe they are too busy eating Brittany butter and just take it all with a pinch of salt (Guérande, of course).

le beurre et le prix du beurre ... et la laitière aussi

Butter and the butter money... and the milkmaid too)

I can assure you the whole world IS watching. I have coffee with my neighbours a couple of time a week, 2 are farmers and 1 a cleaning lady. And each time they say 'il est complètement tarré votre Johnson, totalement gaga' tapping the side of their head, toc toc.

They are not at all interested in politics- but they know about Johnson. And they regularly say he is even worse than Trump.

Same with all our friends- from Uni Professors, business men and women, farmers, engineers, butchers, bakers, builders, CEOs of major companies ... they all know what he is up to- and they all say he is mad as a hatter!