The brave French people

[123everton]

Now that France is on strike, were are all the posts praising the French for their bravery and steadfastness against things they feel are un-French and lamenting that we're not more like them?
Or is it only Muslim and Gypsy bashing that they're to be esteemed for?

[fredpuli47]

And the French are good at winning battles. They lost a very few two good'uns though (Verdun and Waterloo for example) in a pretty impressive run. Apart from Napoleon overrunning Europe, from Spain to as far as Moscow, which is more than Hitler's army did, they replied to Agincourt (1415) with Patay (1429) and Castillon (1453) driving us out and ending the 100 Years' War , they were constantly big trouble for intending opponents for hundreds of years.

Shame they have such a tradition of mass action at home which successive governments do nothing about.Still,what's happening now is a tradition and not some shocking novelty.And it's a good day out for the demonstrators !

[mike11111]

A la lanterne!

[Prudentia]

brave french people, .......never met one........neither did any of my relatives who fought and with one exception died in two world wars, sorry, cannot relate to this.

[Zeuhl]

prudentia

what a sad post.
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[modeller]

# Come the revolution where will you be cowering. #
In Vichy France maybe ? They would feel at home there.

[mike11111]

Listen I vill say zis only wernce. Ve still have ze painting of ze Fallen Madonna with ze big boobies by Van Clump.

[Zeuhl]

Perhaps with those great english aristocrats and patriots Sir Oswald Mosely and Edward Duke of Windsor (nee Saxe-Coburg-Gotha)

By the way, didn't the froggies win a battle near Hastings a few years back?
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[Prudentia]

having lived in france on and off for over eleven years in the past, I feel I have the authority to comment. I always found them self indulgent, selfish and totally arrogant and never, ever giving any acknowledgement that were it not for the allies, the disgraceful vichy regime supported by almost all the french, other than our northern french brave resistance, would have succeded in their vile and selfish ambition.

[mike11111]

I agree with Pru to a certain extent. Their attitude towards the British re WW2 is in stark contrast to that of the Dutch.

[Zeuhl]

I'm sure there is a lot of truth in that, but if it hadn't been for the English Channel who knows how this country would have dealt with German invasion. I'm sure resistance would have been fierce and courageous but as the Germans would have preferred a settlement to fighting the English who knows what kind of compromise could have been settled on particularly if the likes of Churchill had been removed and more sympathetic members of the british royal family and establishment.

Unfortunately, after VE, allowing a resurgence of french nationalism and pride was considered preferable to the alternatives - one of which was a Soviet backed communist take-over.
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[mike11111]

Indeed. The Communist Party was a very powerful political force in France, as it was in Italy.

[MrJabezClegg]

There were plenty of brave French people in the war. It is easy to speak now with no German gun pointing at your head.

http://www.scrapbookp...er/Tour/Monument.html

[Zeuhl]

That's true - and they still are of course.

Historians seem to judge that the Communists were capable of seizing power in 45 but were 'stood down' by Moscow. It seems Stalin did an unwritten deal with USA/UK that he could have free hand east of Berlin if he laid off western europe.
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[Prudentia]

the dutch were the most valiant of all, selfless and totally commited to the cause of freedom, my east anglian relatives gave hospitality and accommodation to many. a truly brave and wonderful people.

[Zeuhl]

Hear Hear. Three cheers for the Dutch. Great people.

Though to be fair, they have had more than their fair share of opportunities to get used to being invaded. And in WW2 they also had their share of collaborators.

Geography is a b1tch!
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[Prudentia]

Unlike the french the very few dutch collaborators were sought out and dealt with very swiftly by the dutch government, and never made any impact on the progress of WW2.

[mike11111]

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, who acceded to the throne in 1890 at the age of ten, disliked and distrusted the British. When Holland was overrun by the Nazis King George VI sent a battleship to rescue her. She arrived in England with only one suitcase, and was immediately accommodated at Windsor Castle and given free rein to broadcast to the Dutch people from exile. She altered her opinion of us somewhat after that.

[Zeuhl]

Pru

explain please - you seem to have two ideas mixed together

<<were sought out and dealt with very swiftly by the dutch government>>

when? the Germans were in charge during the war. do you mean after the war? Bit late then.

<<never made any impact on the progress of WW2.>>

Try telling that to the Dutch Jews and Dutch resistance who were betrayed by them
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[jomifl]

I shall say this only once, I ave nevair eard zuch a load of boules from zuch a zad eap ov zenophobic racists dans ma vie. Allez trouver une vie! any zing would be bettair zan wot you ave.