Please remove this discussion of the wild colonial boy to the following thread, created for the purpose:
Understanding Paddy
Sorry but these Irish stories come in 3's...(quite true btw)
We were catching a small boat from Clifton to the island of Innish Bofin.
On the quayside the Captain was selling tickets. "All those with tickets can get on the boat".
And with hardly a pause
"And all those without tickets can get on as well because we sell tickets on the boat too"
...............
Later on he sells me a ticket (while the boat was underway) and promptly tears it in two.
me "Do I need this for the return trip? "
him "No, only the boat".
[I'm sure they think up these little things during the winter for the confusion and delight of tourists]
Best thing I did in Ireland was hop on a boat bound for the Skellig's. Liked the island, loved the boat, steered by a happily smoking man into waves higher than the boat, a gunwale about five inches higher than the benches everyone sat on, no life vests, people vomiting and falling down on the floor. It was great, just a great ride -- and no American tourist outfit would ever have got away with it.
There are a great many very meaty historical bones being chewed over on this thread and it's very good to read.
I have no axe to grind with anyone but just for the record I would like to make a few points about English/Irish matters.
The problems/troubles are obsene in both political and social ways. Yes they are historical and like all forms of bigotry, inc. white vs black you don't eradicate them overnight or by simply passing new legislation. It requires sensible education to change opinions. It does seem pretty stupid to my mind that an island as small as Ireland should be broken into 2 seperate countries. Let the whole place be run from Dublin.
There are a vast number of Irish nationals living in England quite happily and with no problems. They also have the right to vote in English elections at every level. I've worked with and socialised with many Irish people and never seen any problems.
My wife's 1st husband was Irish, he had a Canadian girl friend. The 4 of us had a good understanding of things and we were all good friends. When we all got remarried to one another, change partners and dance, we all went to the other's big event.
My wife and I honeymooned in Southern Ireland in 1979 and we were made welcome everywhere we went and had a great time.
It's very easy for any of us to find fault with other countries, but what do we base our opinions on ? TV, press reports or experience of visiting or living in another country. The Brits, except for me, go to the Costa Del Sunstroke for 2 weeks in the summer and expect it to be just like England only hotter. And it is, I am reliably told. It's been said that some Americans expect the rest of the civilised world to be just like home and when it's not, they get upset. So as the old saying goes,----- when in Rome just get on with it.
Americans often say the French are rude, but when I was in France last year, the only rude people I noticed were Americans.
Americans mocked French-speaking waiters to their faces, insisted on ordering in English, refused to count out Euros & used credit cards instead, and generally made fools of themselves. I was appalled. So to make up for it, I learned a few phrases...the chief one being "excusez-moi."
I find it always helps to learn, ahead of time, some of the social niceties of a foreign country. For instance, in America, people consider shops and restaurants to be public places and we do not speak to the owners or employees until spoken to. In shops, we often reply, "No thanks, I'm just looking," when greeted. This is considered very rude in France and Italy (and other places, I'm sure) where shops and restaurants are treated as extensions of the owners' homes. It is customary there to greet the owner upon entering, and to compliment his/her establishment. This one small piece of information made me a lot of new friends in France, and I was never once treated like an "ugly American."
patiodog, would that happy smoking man happened to have been Des Lavelle? Just wondering...
David Marquand:-
...France started to throw off US tutelage a long time ago. For her the decisive moment came when the Americans forced a halt to the Anglo French Suez adventure. Unlike the British who drew the conclusion that they must never again lose their hold on their American nurse, the French turned to Europe, an independent nuclear deterrent and Gaullist assertiveness.
...For a brief, brilliant moment France spoke for the international community as well as for the core countries of the EU. Chirac's threatened veto ensured that the UN did not become a rubber stamp for the Americans, and exposed the Anglo-Americans' contempt for legality to the light of day.
Darn ol' froggies, why couldn't they run rull-over when our exalted George II tol' 'em to . . . what, do they consider themselves to have independent sovereignty? Are they tryin' to say they think for themselves, an' have a right to do so? Sheesh . . .
cavfancier wrote:patiodog, would that happy smoking man happened to have been Des Lavelle? Just wondering...
No, but that hat looks familiar...
Hmm....that's Des alright....quite the local legend and renaissance man....will move this to the Paddy thread.
Quite the stickler about proper categorization, the clown is.
I expect he's not much of a succotash/chili/gumbo/mush kinda guy...
How are Frenchmen different?
If you can find some other
interesting numbers please let me know...
Without having read through the entire thread (something to do with time pressure I think)...
French men are way over-rated when it comes to sex.
I don't like french food.
Now what are les savants up to? Hope no one's enroute to La Belle France.
Air chaos as France strikes
Thousands of flights have been cancelled
Travellers to and from France are suffering a day of chaos as air traffic controllers strike against proposed pension reforms.
Members of the CGT union walked out at 0600BST, forcing the cancellation of up to 80% of French flights.
Teachers, hospital staff, postal workers and telecommunications employees were among thousands of other workers who joined the strike.
I understand the strikers - they're defending their rights. But they're taking the air passengers hostage
Frederic Biagianti
Stranded passenger
The Channel port of Cherbourg was blockaded by striking education workers. Nearly all roads into the town were blocked with burning barricades or human chains.
In the southern city of Marseille, bus and train drivers joined the strike, while in Paris some rubbish collectors stayed away from work for a second day.
But the impact on flights was among the most severe.
Air France said it would operate only about a third of its short- and medium-haul flights, although its long-haul flights would be less affected.
British Airways was operating only 17 of its normal total of more than 100 flights.
The French are protesting in large numbers.... but even more will attack the government if it doesn't have the courage to carry it out
Francois Fillon
Social Affairs Minister
"We're only running a few services today and, where possible, we will put on larger aircraft," said a BA spokeswoman.
Budget airline easyJet cancelled 50 of its 70 French services.
An easyJet spokesman said affected passengers could get a full refund or transfer to a flight on another day.
Budget airline bmibaby, which is based in the East Midlands, has cancelled all of its flights to and from France for the day.
Passengers booked on flights to Paris, Nice and Toulouse are being contacted by the airline and given alternative travel arrangements.
Dutch airline KLM said it had cancelled almost all the day's flights to and from France.
Tunnel alternative
"I understand the strikers - they're defending their rights. But they're taking the air passengers hostage," said one stranded passenger, Frederic Biagianti, marooned in Paris after flying in from the Dominican Republic.
Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel put on extra shuttle trains to cope with extra demand and P&O Ferries reported large numbers using its Dover to Calais vessels.
Thousands of teachers took to the streets
"This is normally a time when we carry a good number of passengers as its the school half-term holiday and we are certainly pretty busy today," a Eurotunnel spokeswoman said.
"We have increased our passenger shuttle frequency to four trains an hour."
The disruption is the latest in a string of protests by French public sector workers, angry at government plans to reform the pension system.
The bill outlining the changes is expected to be approved by the French cabinet on Wednesday, and presented to the French parliament in a few weeks' time.
The pressure on Raffarin is strong. It's up to him now to speak and to announce precise measures that are neither prevarications nor stalling tactics
Patrick Gonthier
UNSA education union
The proposed law would mean workers having to contribute to state funds for longer in order to qualify for a full pension. That could delay some people's retirement beyond the normal age.
Teachers, who are also angry at decentralisation plans, staged mass rallies on Tuesday in Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Nice, Toulon, Grenoble and other cities.
"The pressure on Raffarin is strong. It's up to him now to speak and to announce precise measures that are neither prevarications nor stalling tactics," said Patrick Gonthier, secretary-general of the UNSA education union.
The government insists the pension reforms are necessary to cope with increasing demands on the pension system.
But unions have staged a string of strikes and protests against the plans.
On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people, mainly teachers and other public sector employees, marched through central Paris.
An open-ended protest by train and Paris metro workers is due to begin on 3 June.
Keeping the peace
France's second largest union, the French Democratic Labour Confederation, has already accepted the bill.
But two other key unions, the CGT and the FO, have warned of continuing unrest if the government does not negotiate.
Social Affairs Minister Francois Fillon said: "The French are protesting in large numbers against the pensions reform, but even more will attack the government if it doesn't have the courage to carry it out."
Tuesday's air traffic controllers' strike continues until 2300BST.
I went into a small hotel in Dublin. I was on foot, coming from the railway station. I was carrying a suitcase.
"I'd like a single room, please" I said to the 2 men who were there.
"We've no single rooms left" said one
t was beginning to rain, I was tired.
"How much is a double, then?" I said
"We've no double rooms either" he replied.
McCarthy's Bar is a great read, I can recommend it if you haven't tried it yet.
It contains the following joke:
On MasterMind (TV Quiz programme) the Questionmaster says
"Pat O'Reilly, from Dublin, Ireland, you have chosen as your specialist subject the Uprising of 1917 and the birth of the Irish Free State. Your first question:
What were the main causes of the uprising?
"Pass" said Pat
Who was the first Irish president?
"Pass", said Pat
How many were reputed to be in the post office in O'Connell Street during the famous gunfight?
"Pass"
At this, a voice was heard from the back of the hall:
"Good man Pat, tell the bastards nothing."
Old joke, McTag, but still a good one . . .
bobs,
Interesting posting re France and its people. Have Frenchmen always been big on strikes?
Yes, they are legendary. Why do you think they change governments so often? Not easy if the solution is a guillotine. It's easy to lose your head over a thing like that.
