04 April 2006 Blog Home : April 2006 : Permalink
Thousands of people throughout the country are today cursing the French Air Traffic Control Strikers for ruining their holiday/business plans.
On behalf of every holiday maker & business person heading overseas today that has been indefinitely delayed due to this strike action, our boss Philip Meeson puts the following questions to the French:
Philip also added, "Whilst France is undeniably a beautiful country (with equally good food and beer I hasten to add) we are appalled and quite frankly tired of the Air Traffic Controllers old fashioned attitude to dealing with any issues they may have."
In short we urge the French Air Traffic Controllers to get back to work or get another job.
Oh and there is a great picture... Needless to say the BBC has managed to find all sorts of francophiles with their sense of humour gland removed to complain:British Euro MPs said the Jet2 boss was damaging Anglo-French relations.
Labour MEP Robert Evans said: "These cheap and derogatory remarks are beneath even a budget airline. We really have got to be more mature in our relationships."
Chris Davies, the leader of Britain's Liberal Democrat MEPs, said: "This is a stupid and crass remark, given that we want the French to visit Britain as much as Brits want to travel to France.
Although shockingly for a Lib Dim, Mr Davies then goes on to say something sensible:"But there is no doubt that the French are cutting their own throats by striking at every opportunity."
The problem is that this is a classic case of Anglo-saxon misunderstanding of the French. The French are striking to ensure that there are no new jobs or investment in France so asking that they go "back to work" is truly a horrible insult. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't riot in protest and issue a FatwaWrit at the European Court of Human Rights against those who repeat such a deadly insult. You might think that this is a trifle peculiar at first sight but closer examination shows that this is a natural consequence of France's rejection of "Anglo-saxon" ways. After all if Anglo-saxon countries have high levels of investment, high levels of employment and fast economic growth then clearly the French are duty bound to want the opposite just to show that they are not influenced by those darstardly yankees and their perfidious british lap-dogs.What may have helped lead to his latest problems today is the cabinet struggle to succeed Mr Chirac - and Mr de Villepin's bitter rivalry with his nemesis and cabinet colleague, the equally ambitious interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy.
Short, saturnine and possessed of a ferocious energy, Mr Sarkozy has outmanoeuvred his elegant rival at every turn.
He has portrayed himself as the man who has the strength to put France on the path to reform.
Standing up to the trade unions may have been Mr de Villepin's way of trying to outmanoeuvre his rival - to prove to voters on the right that he, too, is a politician with the resolve to reform France, a politician worthy of being elected president next year.
Yet so far, he appears to be failing in both aims.
President Chirac announced last Friday that the CPE would come into law - but amended in discussion with the trade unions and others. Not at all the non-negotiable position his prime minister had been demanding, leaving Mr de Villepin's future hanging in the balance.