This should cheer the British up a bit. A French author compares France's sense of humour and courage to that of the country which France most tries to compare itself to - Britain..
French morale hits a new low
By Henry Samuel in Paris
31/01/2008
Telegraph
French morale is at its lowest ebb in two decades, according to new research.
Quality of life in France is envied the world over but government figures show the "morale of French households" is at its gloomiest - minus 34 points - since the study began in 1987.
Mr Sarkozy has asked two Nobel Prize winning economists to draw up new ways of measuring success and well-being
French people's belief that their living standards will improve has declined steadily since President Nicolas Sarkozy took office last June, and has been exacerbated by rising fuel and food prices.
But the real reasons are to be found deep in the French psyche, according to Gerard Mermet, a sociologist who publishes a highly respected study on the national state of mind every two years.
"Collective pessimism is engraved in French culture. We are regularly found to be the most pessimistic nation in Europe", he told The Daily Telegraph.
In his work Francoscopie 2007, he suggests that France now suffers collectively a form of "hypochondria" because it knowingly plays up its economic and social ills, while glossing over its strengths.
However, the gloom had reached new depths since Mr Sarkozy's election - after a bright start - because of his attempts to reduce the overbearing role of the state.
"What do you expect me to do? To empty the state's already empty coffers or to order companies to whom I have no right to give orders?"
Mr Sarkozy asked earlier this month when quizzed on how he could boost French spending power.
"France is moving away from the nanny state towards more autonomy", said Mr Mermet.
"Some people are happy about this, saying it's better to be in charge of ones own life and destiny than to depend on others. But it is painful for some social categories and in general in France we're not used to it. So perhaps the pessimism is a sign that we want to delay its arrival," he said.
It also stems from the fact the president's ambitious electoral pledges to "break" with the economic gloom of the Chirac era and rekindle French self-belief have not yet borne fruit.
What the study by INSEE, the government statistics office, fails to show, however, is that while the French are collectively miserable, they are individually happy.
"In all studies if you ask the French about the state of the country, they say 'it's bad" but when you ask them if they are personally happy, the vast majority - around 85 per cent - say 'yes'," said Mr Mermet.
"They really don't see why so many foreigners admire them. It's a shame. They should look around to realise how lucky they are."
Perhaps with this in mind, Mr Sarkozy earlier this month asked two Nobel Prize winning economists to draw up new ways of measuring success and well-being.
But any Frenchman in need of a lift is strongly advised to read a "Loving Dictionary of France", by well-known author Denis Tillinac, which lists the reasons to love France and what makes it unique.
These include the ability of the French to laugh out loud at anything, however crude or trivial, while "British humour, subtler than ours, lends itself more to a smile.
Courage can be found everywhere, he goes on, "But panache is French".
"It is the cherry on the cake of bravura", and historically aimed at proving French "aesthetic superiority over the British, when bravery is equal". Panache is often mistaken by the foreigner for "arrogance."
However, Mr Tillinac's greatest love is for France's "superior woman".
"She is surely neither the easiest to live with nor the gayest. But the Frenchwoman is by far the most elegant. The most careful about her appearance, until the gates of death".
BRITAIN VS FRANCE - To make our French "buddies" feel worse, here's how France currently compares with comparatively booming Britain
Population
France - 60,876,136 (July 2007 est.)
Britain - 60,776,238 (July 2007 est.)
GDP
France - $2.244 trillion (2007)
Britain - $2.472 trillion (2007)
GDP growth rate (2007)
France - 1.8%
Britain - 2.9%
GDP per capita
France - $33,800
Britain - $35,300
GDP - composition by sector (2007)
France - agriculture: 2%; industry: 20.7% ; services: 77.3
Britain - agriculture: 0.9%; industry: 23.6% ; services: 75.5%
Number of workers
France - 27.76 million
Britain - 30.1 million
Unemployment rate
France - 8%
Britain - 5.4%
Public debt
France - 66.6% of GDP
Britain - 43.3% of GDP
------------------
Source: CIA World Factbook
telegraph.co.uk
French morale hits a new low
By Henry Samuel in Paris
31/01/2008
Telegraph
French morale is at its lowest ebb in two decades, according to new research.
Quality of life in France is envied the world over but government figures show the "morale of French households" is at its gloomiest - minus 34 points - since the study began in 1987.
Mr Sarkozy has asked two Nobel Prize winning economists to draw up new ways of measuring success and well-being
French people's belief that their living standards will improve has declined steadily since President Nicolas Sarkozy took office last June, and has been exacerbated by rising fuel and food prices.
But the real reasons are to be found deep in the French psyche, according to Gerard Mermet, a sociologist who publishes a highly respected study on the national state of mind every two years.
"Collective pessimism is engraved in French culture. We are regularly found to be the most pessimistic nation in Europe", he told The Daily Telegraph.
In his work Francoscopie 2007, he suggests that France now suffers collectively a form of "hypochondria" because it knowingly plays up its economic and social ills, while glossing over its strengths.
However, the gloom had reached new depths since Mr Sarkozy's election - after a bright start - because of his attempts to reduce the overbearing role of the state.
"What do you expect me to do? To empty the state's already empty coffers or to order companies to whom I have no right to give orders?"
Mr Sarkozy asked earlier this month when quizzed on how he could boost French spending power.
"France is moving away from the nanny state towards more autonomy", said Mr Mermet.
"Some people are happy about this, saying it's better to be in charge of ones own life and destiny than to depend on others. But it is painful for some social categories and in general in France we're not used to it. So perhaps the pessimism is a sign that we want to delay its arrival," he said.
It also stems from the fact the president's ambitious electoral pledges to "break" with the economic gloom of the Chirac era and rekindle French self-belief have not yet borne fruit.
What the study by INSEE, the government statistics office, fails to show, however, is that while the French are collectively miserable, they are individually happy.
"In all studies if you ask the French about the state of the country, they say 'it's bad" but when you ask them if they are personally happy, the vast majority - around 85 per cent - say 'yes'," said Mr Mermet.
"They really don't see why so many foreigners admire them. It's a shame. They should look around to realise how lucky they are."
Perhaps with this in mind, Mr Sarkozy earlier this month asked two Nobel Prize winning economists to draw up new ways of measuring success and well-being.
But any Frenchman in need of a lift is strongly advised to read a "Loving Dictionary of France", by well-known author Denis Tillinac, which lists the reasons to love France and what makes it unique.
These include the ability of the French to laugh out loud at anything, however crude or trivial, while "British humour, subtler than ours, lends itself more to a smile.
Courage can be found everywhere, he goes on, "But panache is French".
"It is the cherry on the cake of bravura", and historically aimed at proving French "aesthetic superiority over the British, when bravery is equal". Panache is often mistaken by the foreigner for "arrogance."
However, Mr Tillinac's greatest love is for France's "superior woman".
"She is surely neither the easiest to live with nor the gayest. But the Frenchwoman is by far the most elegant. The most careful about her appearance, until the gates of death".
BRITAIN VS FRANCE - To make our French "buddies" feel worse, here's how France currently compares with comparatively booming Britain
Population
France - 60,876,136 (July 2007 est.)
Britain - 60,776,238 (July 2007 est.)
GDP
France - $2.244 trillion (2007)
Britain - $2.472 trillion (2007)
GDP growth rate (2007)
France - 1.8%
Britain - 2.9%
GDP per capita
France - $33,800
Britain - $35,300
GDP - composition by sector (2007)
France - agriculture: 2%; industry: 20.7% ; services: 77.3
Britain - agriculture: 0.9%; industry: 23.6% ; services: 75.5%
Number of workers
France - 27.76 million
Britain - 30.1 million
Unemployment rate
France - 8%
Britain - 5.4%
Public debt
France - 66.6% of GDP
Britain - 43.3% of GDP
------------------
Source: CIA World Factbook
telegraph.co.uk
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