French Mustard

The French are really quite extraordinary. Not only does Sarkozy call our Prime Minister an 'obstinate kid' if you read the papers or a 'petulant child' if you listen to the BBC but now the head of the Banque de France is saying that France's rating should not be down graded but that ours should be instead. What else are they going to throw at us? I know that earlier this year they were complaining how unfair our victory over them at Agincourt was as we had used weapons of mass destruction, i.e. longbows, that had apparently been ruled illegal by the medieval version of the European Court of Human Rights or something. As usual the French are exercising their ancient right of special pleading which of course they have always done whenever they have felt hard done by. Nobody likes being downgraded but the thing no Englishman has ever understood is why the French believe themselves to be so special. Are they cleverer than we are? Are they more inventive than we are, more cultured, more intellectual, better dressed, better educated, etc? Not really, if we're honest, although I have to admit I would not know how to measure these things. If we were to take the number of Nobel Laureates as a measure the French would lose. They have 58 and we have 120 - over twice as many as they have. This is a ridiculous comparison though and who cares other than the touchy French as demonstrated by the undiplomatic statement of that low flying frog about Cameron and the petulant remark by the head of the Banque de France. Perhaps it is our indifference to them that makes them unhappy with us. Perhaps it is because we look out to the world whereas they only look out of their backyard. Perhaps it is our easy going manner. Perhaps it is because we share a common heritage with the anglosphere which is of greater significance than the heritage they share with the francosphere. Whatever it is it is bemusing or would be if you wanted to waste time worrying about it. If it's any consolation to them we are still happy to drink their wine.