Why France?

The Remittance Man asks, why should so many Brits want to be French?:

According to this article in today’s Telegraph 20% of Brits want to be French. French, for fuck’s sakes!? Great Scot! What has become of the country that France seems like a better option?

He goes on to mention the obvious reasons; warmer climate (once south of Clermont Ferrand), the wine and the food. But, as he points out, there are some downsides, not least the bureaucracy and legal system. Believe me, the French have perfected jobsworthery to the point where it has become an art form. The French petty official makes the London Traffic Warden appear a picture of reason – even when writing out that ticket just 30 seconds after the meter runs out.

So why?

As someone contemplating that very move; someone who already has the pad bought and ready for the great escape; surely I can answer. Well, the first draw is that Mediterranean climate. Knowing that summer will, indeed, be warm and sunny for several months rather than a few days between wet spells. Then, yes, there’s the food (and if you like it, the wine). And, despite the petty bureaucracy, there’s the lifestyle. Rural France trundles on its way much as it has always done. The rules and regulations of government are remarked upon with a Gallic shrug and possibly a “bof” whereupon the French go about their business without giving it too much thought. It seems as if, when presented with rules they don’t like, they simply ignore them. When they have to deal with the state in all its bureaucratic glory, they do so with equanimity. It’s just the way it is, so go along with it with good humour.

One big advantage for me is that the maximum Tone and his band of brigands will be the other side of the channel and if it comes to it, I can ditch my UK citizenship and be rid of the more oppressive legislation that the pernicious ZANU Labour totalitarians seek to force upon us. The French, being French, do at least know when to remind their politicians who is boss. Certainly it is worth brushing up on my language skills for.