Europe And More On Paris

More On Paris

I wrote my notes on Paris too quickly; I discover there was more I wanted to say.

One of the points was that Paris seemed to have kicked it's reputation as the rudest city in Europe. I had encountered rudeness there many times, when I was a student there and on subsequent visits. However, I never attributed it uniquely to Parisians. Rather I thought it was a function of a large city. People who work in large cities are usually in a hurry to get somewhere, having to deal with chaotic traffic, etc, and are often tense with no time for courtesy. That wasn't what I found this time.

About 15-20 years ago, when Paris' popularity as a tourist venue seemed to be fading, the relevant authorities at the time conducted a survey to find out what visitors did and didn't like about Paris; the results put rudeness at the top of the dislikes. What's more, a subsequent survey among the French themselves gave the same result. So an official charm offensive was launched. I've no idea whether it was a result of that, or a general change of attitude or simply that we got lucky but my friends and I encountered courtesy everywhere. The Chopin hotel staff were extremely helpful, the staff in the café we frequented were courteous, as were the staff in the restaurants, the one taxi driver we used and, particularly, travellers in the metro. Every time we stepped into a metro car someone got up to offer a seat to friend Ed. I found that moving. Well done Paris.

I noticed too, in the taxi we took from the Ile St Louis back to the hotel, that the driver immediately switched on his Satnav. The hotel wasn't listed but its location, the Passage Jouffroi, was and the route to it was shown, which the driver duly followed. This sprung two thoughts in my mind, although I've no idea whether all Paris taxis are so equipped. Firstly, there was no danger of being taken on a joy ride around Paris at our expense because the designated route was clearly shown. Secondly, the driver must have needed much less detailed knowledge of Paris than he would otherwise have had to have since the Satnav, obviously with a great deal of local data added, obviated this need.

But............Paris is expensive, particularly to a country bumpkin like me. Drinks and meals cost 2-3 times what they cost in Mollans and were notably more expensive than, for instance, in London. That said, getting around by public transport cost about the same; a metro/bus ticket cost about the same as in London with an Oyster card.

European Elections

Having been one of the minority in all major European countries who voted in the elections this weekend I was interested to get the reactions of my French friends here. The gains of the extreme right-wing parties were indisputable but what did they amount to and signify? Friend Patrick was anxious to discount them as being of only short-term significance but did add in our discussion, somewhat alarmingly form my point of view, that the processes in Brussels were opaque and this didn't seem to worry him. Friend Rene was more worried by what he saw as a general move towards populist parties, saying that there was a danger that simplistic approaches to complex problems could gain general support in a generally poorly educated public. Neither saw any imminent threat from extreme right-wing groups except to the extent that their recent success could adversely influence the policies of other political parties.

My own view is that Brussels got the kick up the are that it deserved and, in that respect, the results were good news. I didn't like the trend to the right but saw it as primarily a protest vote. The EU clearly has to change if all the very valuable contributions it has made are not to be lost. That, to me, is a very clear message from the results which should have been conveyed to the elite in Brussels who seem to believe they are above all accountability. If they cannot see this message at least they will have to deal with a bolshie parliament rather than a spineless one.

Three things Rene and I both agreed on. Brussels processes should not be opaque, the European parliament has to become the master of the commission and not its servant and due fiscal (primarily banking) and accountability measures have to be put in place. The European parliament rather than the commission having ultimate power could effect both of these things. That also should resolve the problem of the tiny election turn-out. It's difficult to criticise people who do not bother to vote for a body that has little effective power; currently, voting can easily be viewed as a cosmetic exercise to provide a semblance of democracy. If the European parliament had real power, the commission autocrats would no longer control policy and could be made accountable for their effectiveness. In my view, that would be a giant step forward for Europe.

An Apology

I have to apologise to all grasshoppers, on steroids or not, for a gross calumny. They were not the bandits plundering my balcony plants. The culprit was a family of rats. Returning from a pizza evening I saw a rat performing acrobatics on the vine above my balcony. In thinking about what could possibly raid my balcony from one end to the other, high and low, in a single night the possibility of a rat had not occurred to me. Yet, in a country village, rats must necessarily abound. This was clearly a vegetarian rat and something of a gourmet, since its chosen fodder was plants' new shoots. Happily, a week if rat poison attached to the vine has resolved the problem and the vine and all the plants are now recovering. In fact, the rat poison was doubly effective in that the rats seemed to prefer it to new shoots and so left them alone while consuming the poison before it had its final effect. Maybe the rats weren't such gourmets after all. Again, my humble apology to grasshoppers; may the summer be long and hot for you and may rubbing your legs together be tuneful and not give you blisters.