Sorry for the delay in publishing this story, but better late than never! Peter
Strike in France.
This week, the newspaper headlines were devoted to the strike in France. There were a lot of people in the streets to demonstrate in many towns and to show the French government they are displeased with the economic situation. The newspapers explained why people were demonstrating: unemployment, purchasing power, tax increases, civil service decrease, relocations… and so on! More than one million people marched in the streets with banners and shouting slogans against the Government and the Politicians like in England I think!. A poll showed that 70% of French citizens agree with the strikers. This situation has not changed whatever the governments in power for the last 20 years. The explanation is maybe that the majority of our Politicians come from the same school: the National Administration School (Ecole Nationale d’Administration: ENA). They all have the same way of thinking and same behaviour and practically all of them are civil servants without risk. If they are not re-elected, they are back in the French administration with a good promotion! You find them in the left-wing and right-wing. The one thing they are able to do is increase taxes, contributions…There is an old French expression to describe this:
It’s white bonnet and bonnet white*(c’est blanc bonnet et bonnet blanc in French). This means it’s the same thing. Why that: the bonnet is always white whatever the place of the adjective (why the name bonnet has been taken: I don’t know). In French the most common expression is ” bonnet blanc” but in poems or in old language the place could be before the noun. But if you say that nowadays you are taken for someone a little bit old-fashioned!!
* do you have a similar expression in English?
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