Oh, those french speaking people.

[Cranfield]

Due to industrial action by the French at the port of Calais, the M20 between Junctions 8 and 12 has been closed coastbound and turned into a ruddy great carpark..........................again.

 

This happens too frequently and disrupts the whole south/east of Kent.

 

There have been plans for special lorry parks on the way to the coast ports, just for these instances, but they are no nearer being provided.

Assuming its something to do with money being available to build them, why don't they place a levy on the foreign lorries using the M20 and let them pay for it, instead of the local ratepayers.

 

Rant over, but there will be nothing "Made in France", in my house this Christmas.

[invector]

I can't sell you this brand new Peugot for 50p then?

[Cranfield]

How many miles on the clock ?

[Catamong]

Cranners,

 

It used to be right and proper for us to poke fun at the french, with their poor infrastructure, high fuel prices and run down public services. Not any longer, we could learn a lot from the French, virtually everything in France is cheaper and now works better than here in the UK, they even have a competency test for Rough shooters.

 

They also had the good sense not to follow Bush and poodle Blair into the Iraq fiasco.

 

I'm surprised that you're not a bit of a Francophile, bearing in mind you live in the Garden of England, and therefore don't pop across frequently to pick up some real bargains in the Wines & Spirits department.

 

Cat.

 

P.S. Let's hope the Pug is a Diesel, 'cos you could take it with you and fill up for 69p per litre in Calais, as I did last weekend.

[Poacher]

Bloody cheese eating surender monkeys always causing trouble

[Cranfield]

I will admit that there are many good things in France, their "no waiting list" health service for a start and some very good fiends of ours live just north of Paris and I am Godfather to their children.

So I have no real hard feelings against the country.......most of the time.

 

However, there inability to control their labour movement , is nothing short of scandalous.

Calais can be brought to a standstill, by a handful of protesters, just like Paris gets shutdown when three Farmers and a tractor demonstrate.

 

We have been known to avail ourselves of the £1 each foot passenger, ferry trips and despite my drinking being restricted to a mildly diluted elderflower cordial, Mrs Cranfield does load the trolley with more adult beverages, purely for medicinal purposes (or so she says).

[Catamong]

Cranners, I take your point on their inability to control their labour market, which is strangely at odds with their other policies on law and order, namely a "No nonsense" approach to dealing with troublemakers.

 

If you misbehave, you are likely to get a good sticking, the police patrol most towns in threes and fours, they don't allow the "yob culture" to prevail and stand back whilst the hoodlums create mayhem.

 

They also don't have a "Police Complaints Authority", which we are so used to in this country which presumes that every policeman who shoots somebody must automatically be guilty of either murder or manslaughter and is immediately relegated to an office desk until a full public enquiry is held.

 

We could learn a lot from their style of government, as we seem to have lost the plot a bit over here lately.

 

Cat.