Why have the French never fogiven us.......

[R1Geezer]

for saving their sorry ar5ses?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8328282.stm
Ok the above was link is history but why do they find it so difficult to acknowledge their freedom is down to allied sacrifice?

[jake-the-peg]

Probably because it is passing into ancient history

There is no one left from WWI now and anyone who fought in WWII is now very old.

Give it up - move on

[TTG]

I work with a lot of French people. They are great. Good sense of humour A bit too laid back sometimes. You have to keep prompting them for answers sometimes though!

[another-view]

This "news" story is 65 years old.

[R1Geezer]

jake and co, they hated us for it at the time, hence the link, I don't think they've ever been happy with being liberated. Yes it's old now but that's why I posted the link.

[Sqad]

Sinking of the French Fleet at the port of Mers-el-Kebir didn't help.

http://www.digitalsur...inkingfrenchfleet.php

[Quizmonster]

Perhaps the quote from Clare Boothe Luce, the American playwright, journalist and Congresswoman fits the bill..."No good deed goes unpunished."

[sprayer]

As I have always said the only good thing to come out of France is the ferry back to England..

[bookbinder]

From what I see in the newspapers, there seems to be a lot of French people who find it difficult to say "thank you", as if they were demeaning themselves by so doing. There is a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude over there. Just look at how juvenile some sections of French society are when they don't agree with some rule or regulation. They block roads with their tractors, they burn British meat, they set fire to bales of hay or straw in the Champs Elysee. That sort of thing makes them seem like juveniles who won't be told what to do, and stroppy juveniles don't want to say "thank you", either.

[craft1948]

I quite admire the French and love parts of their country. They seem to stand up for their beliefs and also are intent on maintaining their national identity.

[tonyav]

They also send their illegal imigrants over here.

[birdie1971]

That’s a bit harsh Geezer. The French people didn’t surrender, the French Government did. Listen very carefully; I shall say zees only once… surely you’ve heard of the French Resistance?

[ludwig]

'Probably because it is passing into ancient history '. No it isn't. There are plenty of people alive today who have relatives that fought and died in WW2. The repurcussions are still being felt.

First of all De Gaulle was a xenophic arse who hated everyone and everything that wasn't french.
Secondly, they didn't like us much to start with, but the fact that we keep telling them at every opportunity how they should be grateful that we liberated them doesn't help. It probably explains why they've spent the whole post war period toadying up to the Germans while going out of their way to show contempt for anything American or British.

[anotheoldgit]

They seem to condemn us for retreating to Dunkirk and then escaping across the Channel.

What did they expect the British Expeditionary Force to do? Stand and fight to the last man, against overwhelming numbers of German troops.

But it was also French troops that managed to escape to England at Dunkirk, with General De-Gaul also safe in England he was able to form the Free French Army.

They should feel indebted to us, for much British, Commonwelth, and US blood was spilt, to liberate them.

It seems it is only the Belgium's and the Dutch that appreciate us.

[jno]

Contempt for anything American? What about the way they love Jerry Lewis? (Or more broadly, the admiration of directors/critics like Truffaut for a wide range of American filmmakers?) The cultural influence of America isn't as strong in France as here, but perhaps that's because we don't stand up for our own culture so much - our problem, not theirs. That they and the Germans didn't feel feel like invading Iraq, for instance, just shows that their leaders had a lot more sense than ours.

For what it's worth, a friend of mine was in Normandy for the last big D-Day anniversary. He said they welcomed the old Tommies with open arms, all the free food and drink they wanted (and some of the old soldiers could drink all night and still be smart on parade next morning). No shortage of gratitude there.

[Avatar]

Well, of course, you know why the Champs Elysees is lined with trees? So that invading armies can march in the shade.