St Tropez

Phew it's hot or rather has been. Hotter I understand in London than it was over the weekend in St Tropez where I was lurking for a few days. Each evening the heavens opened down there and I don't think the temperature ever rose above 220. There was a lot of talk amongst those I met about their recent Presidential election. The overwhelming message seemed to be that there is great dissatisfaction with the EU and the euro, that this adversely affected Sarkozy's chances of winning, that Hollande was not popular and would not have won if more of those who voted Le Pen in the first round had voted Sarkozy in the second round and that depending on whom the UMP chose as leader that person would be elected President in 5 years time. The people I spoke to were anxious that Fillon should become the UMP leader. Someone else I spoke to set up and runs a charity in France for abused children and has relied entirely on donations from wealthy donors to keep the charity going. The lady concerned has decided to close down the charity since she believes it immoral to ask those who will be paying the new 75% tax rate to donate on the scale they have been doing hitherto. The lady concerned also believes fewer of her donors will be able to donate in the way they have previously anyway as they simply will not have the means to do so. If I understood the lady correctly it seems that there is no tax relief on charitable donations in France and that none is expected to be introduced. Socialism provides for all by reducing everything to the lowest standard and of course by stopping individual acts of kindness. The rumours of the wealthier French seriously considering moving to London, Brussels and Geneva certainly seemed to be based on fact if the conversations I had were anything to go by. Furthermore there was a general consensus that no politician knows anything about anything other than how to talk and that their arrogance, ignorance and stupidity in forcing the euro on an unsuspecting public was criminal. Despite the disaster that is the euro it is still desperately over valued. A small piece of goat's cheese, a moelleux and a demi pression came to £25 in a small back street bar.