Alex Armstrong

I agree. I’d like to believe that too but a combination of the farce of the last 9 years, their complete inability to “do detail” and their performative cruelty makes me, shall we say, deeply sceptical.

Yep. For my 80 year old mum, a French citizen with settled status who had the temerity of having me and my brother in the 70s, been in the UK since 1971 and who collects a state pension of 50p (I kid you not), collected the child benefit to which she was legally entitled, this would mean expulsion.

I completely agree. We owe her so much and her life and her achievements should be celebrated!

side by side picture of Wemby and IG-11 taken from my YouTube shorts feed...

From my Youtube shorts feed... Wemby as IG-11...

It's tough to answer that. I would argue the PS has lost more than it has gained by allying itself with LFI but on the other hand their electoral survival was questionable. LFI knew this and bullied them into submission. Their apparent drift away from LFI is, I think, good news, but will it hold?

great question with a few potential answers. Some because of a personal animus ignited since EM's time at Bercy and some because the Macron line was incompatible with the patchwork of electoral promises sewn together by NFP/NUPES and were therefore threatened with a challenge for their seat by LFI.

quite. And yet Brexit was somehow about "democratic accountably"...These people are liars.

…is the correct answer.

Absolutely, as those who had to go through the initial uncertainty of a digital settled status process will attest. What’s wrong with a physical card that can then be leveraged on digital platforms?

He's was my constitutional law lecturer at King's in first year in 1993. For this immature, completely "je m'en fout-iste" student, he was a real draw and I turned up religiously.

Spot on. Mélenchon absolutely does not accept the existing constitutional setup in France and seeks actively to destroy it. Le Pen is his best bet which is why he has systematically refused to work with anyone occupying the centre ground.

Philomena Cunk against a collection of classical statues. "Antigone's death is even more tragic than it actually is, which makes her a tragic hero"

Philomena Cunk looking thoughtful. "Goya continued to paint tapestries until 1792 when serious illness left him dead for life"

Philomena Cunk looking thoughtfully into the distance. "Society is slowly becoming more contemporary now"

Philomena Cunk looking into camera on a beach. "Diderot's Tahiti represents a typical male fantasy in which attractive young women are eager to engage in sexual activity with the French"

@gralefrit.bsky.social You have to see these! A friend of mine has been collating a series of images entitled "Things my students have written turned into Philomena Cunk quotes" and they're just glorious.

The kings of performative misérabilisme…

note also that (in France at least) a new law makes it punitive to get anything other than a light, EU-made EV as a company car.

Exactly and having driven a Tesla for 4 years, I can tell you that while the battery, motor and electronics are good, the build quality and comfort are appalling. Will now be switching to a European EV, which have come in leaps and bounds...

Is this the same Nigel « Don Khaki » Farage?

I'm so sorry to hear that David...❤️

I agree! Thank you David and fully agree with the sentiment ☺️

That's very cool indeed. No such luck here in the 92 but modern kilns can be a decent size and single phase!

That's absolutely lovely - thank you! I was looking at some of your posts and St Antonin Noble Val is a lovely place - we went there a few yers ago and it is really charming! It also helps that the area is well known for its porcelain (my wife is a potter specialising in porcelain).

The wealth tax you are being asked about is based on the value of your real property (Impots sur la Fortune Immobiliere). It replaced the "Impots sur la Fortune" which covered all assets (real property and other assets such as shares).

Completely agree. When I ask my fellow countrymen what alternative they would vote for if not him, I usually get some unspecific drivel about how he "forced" "decent" people to "vote blanc" or "les extremes" "pour se faire entendre" because reasons.

I hope you love it! It is one of the memorable games I’ve played in years…

And it’s clear to me that they’ve swapped the shovel they were currently using at frantic speed for a mechanised digger.

See also Arène Venger and the tectonic shock that accompanied his arrival at Arsenal in 1996.

100% agree. It’s the way stuff is taught. In sport, look at a video of Vincent Collet picking up a 19 year old Victor Wembanyama (so no slouch) on his shot mechanics using dry technical analysis and that’s French sports teaching in a nutshell. Not sure Urios is cut from the same cloth but heh.

Stade Toulousain running multiple switch moves, the Légion parade-marching at 75% of everyone else’s pace with axes and gigantic beards, running Olympic cycling past the café from Amélie - it keeps France busy doing the impossible and, if you look at French history, this is very much A Good Thing.

The UK-India FTA & reactions to it pretty perfectly sum up the incoherence & dishonesty of Brexit as a trade/economic policy. Objectively, it's trivial compared with the cost of Brexit. Symbolically, it's claimed by different groups of Brexiters as both a justification and a betrayal of Brexit. 1/4

Put them carefully into a saucepan, fill up with cold water so that the smallest bit of the egg peaks over the surface (i.e. do not completely smother), put on the heat on a medium/hot setting (7 on my induction hob, out of 10). Set timer for 15 mins. Cool under a cold tap immediately.

He’s spent too much time with Kim Jong-un.