August 23, 2003

'APPY 'OLIDAYS

Jacques Chirac says an uncaring French population is responsible for thousands of heat-wave deaths:

With critics accusing his Centre-Right Government of mishandling the crisis, he tried to shift blame for the high death rate on to French society as a whole.

Mr Chirac suggested many families and neighbours had gone on holiday and left the elderly to die.

"The tragic consequences of the heatwave show how necessary it is for our society to become more responsible and more attentive to others," he said.

So where was Jacques while French oldsters were dying all over the place? On holiday in Canada. Mark Steyn has more:

In Paris this spring, a government official explained to me how Europeans had created a more civilised society than America - socialised healthcare, shorter work weeks, more holidays. We've just seen where that leads: gran'ma turned away from the hospital to die in an airless apartment because junior's sur la plage. M Chirac's somewhat tetchy suggestion that his people should rethink their attitude to the elderly was well taken. But Big Government inevitably diminishes its citizens' capacity to take responsibility, to the point where even your dead mum is just one more inconvenience the state should do something about.

Posted by Tim Blair at August 23, 2003 05:04 PM
Comments

I bet this is how Soylent Green got started...

Posted by: Jeremy at August 23, 2003 at 05:58 PM

Someone wanna tell me once again about how great European Style Socialized Medicine is?

Posted by: nofixedabode at August 23, 2003 at 06:04 PM

Oh yes, health care is so bad in France that when all the Australians that go there to steal jobs and work illegally get sick they fly home to Oz for treatment

Do they heck.

Posted by: Analogue Voter at August 23, 2003 at 07:21 PM

Have you ever seen French plumbing? I think the last maintenence was done by the Romans.
Heatwave+French+Bad plumbing= better get those gasmasks out, and real soon.

Posted by: Habib Bickford at August 23, 2003 at 09:52 PM

Mildly OT: I found on CounterPunch (no stable of right wing death beasts) an article worried about France's nuclear arsenal and what it could do with it.

Posted by: Andjam at August 23, 2003 at 11:46 PM

There are jobs to steal in France? Huh.

Posted by: Jerry at August 24, 2003 at 12:12 AM

If there are any jobs to steal in France, Ana, I sure haven't heard of any... let alone any Australians moving there en masse to take them.

Of course, this is a leftist's standard debate tactic... make a totally bizarre and off-the-wall claim, like declaring that the IDF is specifically slaughtering Palestinian babies to bake pita breads with their blood, and pretend it's axiomatically true in the hopes that one's opponent will debate the argument "on it's own merits" rather than bringing in outside facts (namely, that they never did that).

Posted by: Tatterdemalian at August 24, 2003 at 12:43 AM

It's the Jooos and theier damned weather machines.

Posted by: AG at August 24, 2003 at 12:44 AM

MAN, what a great day for schadenfreude!

Posted by: Bruce at August 24, 2003 at 02:31 AM

Chirac = "Center-right"? Compared to what?

Posted by: Ken Summers at August 24, 2003 at 04:09 AM

Tim, you're just posting this so somebody can win at Blair Bingo, aren't you?

Posted by: Ambrose E. Burnside at August 24, 2003 at 10:52 AM

The French healthcare system is so much better than the sacred cow NHS we have in the UK, though. About 40,000 "excess" deaths every winter we manage...

Posted by: ks at August 24, 2003 at 12:27 PM

Damn French SURRENDER MONKEYS!

Posted by: roscoe.p.coltrane at August 24, 2003 at 06:14 PM

Just to point out, Andjam's link is a satire.

Posted by: John Nowak at August 24, 2003 at 08:26 PM

Illegal Australians in France stealing jobs?

AV, you need to realize you're mad.

Posted by: John Nowak at August 24, 2003 at 11:46 PM

John,

When it comes to the far left, how can you tell?

Posted by: Andjam at August 25, 2003 at 12:38 AM

In terms of content alone, it's hard to tell, I agree.

"J'ai parlé faussement des armes nucléaires dans le Québec. Ceci est, après tout, une satire," was, however, a bit of a giveaway. "I spoke a falsehood about nuclear arms in Quebec. This is, after all, a satire."

Posted by: John Nowak at August 25, 2003 at 02:41 AM

Just in France a few weeks ago buying some property (yup, I'm a rich white male who knows who to play the system) and it was rich, clean and fat. Even the so-called depressed enthic tension suburbs of Paris like Chateau Rouge made Parramatta and Broady look like...welll, Parramatta and Broady.

And people sing and whistle on the streets (when was the last time you heard that here?) and their men are committing suicide at a far lower rate than here.

OK, they're feeling pretty hot and bothered at the moment - but it also means you get see more exposed, and more exposed, frog chicks.

The wine was pretty damn good too, as was the cocaine at about $A75 a gram.

Their rock bands still suck though.

Posted by: Elitism For The People at August 25, 2003 at 03:36 AM

Re: "Oh yes, health care is so bad in France that when all the Australians that go there to steal jobs and work illegally get sick they fly home to Oz for treatment

"Do they heck."

This comment is so incredibly stupid that I cannot believe that someone capable of using a computer actually made it. There has to be some sardonic joke or irony here that I've missed. Could somebody explain it to me please? Thanks!

Posted by: nofixedabode at August 25, 2003 at 03:50 AM

nofixedabode,

Firstly the Frog public health system is much better than here in Oz.(and I know from first hand experience: motorbike accident in Charonne.)

And secondly, I'm very disappointed you didn't respond to my far more provocative post.

Posted by: Elitism For The People at August 25, 2003 at 05:12 AM

What's so provocative about the idea that French rock bands suck?

Posted by: Andrea Harris at August 25, 2003 at 09:17 AM

Château Rouge is a Métro station, not a suburb. The real shitty suburbs are extra-muros. No need to go there.

Posted by: Ferg at August 25, 2003 at 02:18 PM

Chateau Rouge is not a depressed high-ethnic tension suburb of Paris; it is a subway station in the 18th Arrondissement inside Paris itself.

I've never noticed anyone whistling or singing on the streets.

Inventing new imaginary friends every time someone points out you're making stuff up?

Posted by: John Nowak at August 25, 2003 at 03:36 PM

Isn't that exactly what I just said?

Posted by: Ferg at August 25, 2003 at 04:10 PM

Sorry, Ferg. I certainly wan't implying you were wrong.

A little touchy about credit, are we?

Posted by: John Nowak at August 25, 2003 at 04:35 PM

Just seemed a little peculiar, like you hadn't read the post immediately preceding your own.

Yours is clearer, though -- I shouldn't presume people know what Paris intra/extra-muros means.

Disclosure -- lived one Métro stop from Château Rouge for a year.

Posted by: Ferg at August 25, 2003 at 04:41 PM

You are right -- I should have started the post with "Ferg is correct. In fact, Chateau Rouge is not even outside Paris ..." My bad.

I guess the big point here is that Mr. Elite pointed his finger at the edge of a Paris map, couldn't tell a subway from a suburb, and invented this little fantasy about buying land in "a Paris suburb."

I'm presently in Puteaux; the nearest Métro stop is La Défence.

Posted by: John Nowak at August 25, 2003 at 04:55 PM

Ah, that's a fairly nice area, isn't it? Don't really know Puteaux, but am familiar with Neuilly.

Posted by: Ferg at August 25, 2003 at 05:04 PM

Re: "Elitism For The People"

Nah, I got your joke. (Or rather, your attempt. Don't despair, a true talent for humor is rare.) But I'm still at a loss on that first comment. There must be something there that I've missed...

Posted by: nofixedabode at August 25, 2003 at 09:24 PM

Does the anti-french campaign still continue?
Mr. Bush, you did a wonderful job with your country.. Chirac's a beginner in comparison :D

Posted by: whotda at August 26, 2003 at 12:34 PM

Fer: Yes, Puteaux's pretty nice. Neuilly is beautiful -- like some of the back streets in San Jose.

Posted by: John Nowak at August 26, 2003 at 03:53 PM

John,

Touche.

Posted by: Andjam at August 27, 2003 at 12:03 AM