France
The wine that made me change my mind about rosé
Some time ago, I wrote that rosé should only be drunk south of Lyon, but one could start on the…
How Macron was outfoxed by a dead Napoleonic general
Skeletons don’t always lurk in cupboards, some of them hide under dance floors waiting for a particularly rousing party to…
Macron's Covid crackdown is a risky bet
Will the French accept compulsory vaccination against Covid? Health passports to get on a plane or train? Children of 12…
It’s the end of lockdown – and the village has gone wild
The village square is a long and pedestrianised oblong shaded along its length by massive pollarded plane trees. It’s known…
The growing extremism of France's Green party
On Sunday evening I met three left-leaning French friends for a picnic in a Parisian park. We’d hardly begun the…
Is Marine Le Pen’s presidential bid doomed?
Nothing went as predicted in France’s regional elections. Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National did not win a single region and…
The electoral humiliation of Macron and Le Pen
Five years ago, Emmanuel Macron was ‘en marche’ to his improbable ascent to the presidency of France. Last night, having…
Boris is in danger of becoming Britain's François Hollande
Last week’s by-election result in Chesham and Amersham was a slap in the face for Boris Johnson. Fortunately it was…
French democracy is in trouble – and the EU is to blame
France’s airwaves have been crackling with indignation this week, as politicians wring their hands at the record abstention in the first…
France's silent majority has rejected Macron – and Le Pen
I popped down to the Salle du Peuple on Sunday to see how the voting was going in the departmental…
Euros 2021: England are easily the most boring side in the tournament
England 0 Scotland 0 Hungary 1 (Fiola) France 1 (Griezmann) The wonderful Hungarians almost took my mind off England’s lamentable…
How to drink in the delights of France (without leaving the country)
It is hard to decide which is more depressing, the extension of the lockdown or the public support for this…
Jason Ricci is my mentor, guru and anointed one
A second week recovering in bed in this pleasant south-facing bedroom. If I sit up, my back resting against whitewashed…
How Les Bleus united France by not taking the knee
For those who lean to the right and live in France, Tuesday nightwas magnificent. Not only did LesBleus open their…
France is divided on 'taking the knee'
Until this month ‘taking a knee’ has not been a French phenomenon. When the Black Lives Matter movement spilled out of…
The art of negotiating with French nurses
‘Ça va, Monsieur Clarke?’ said a nurse when he noticed I was stirring. It was an effort to speak. ‘Thirsty,’…
Macron is wrong. Nato must stand up to China
Joe Biden wants to use his visit to Europe for the G7 summit and the Nato meeting to rally democracies…
France’s Covid stoicism has put Britain to shame
I feel like a teenager again. Tonight I’m allowed out until 11pm. What’s more, I’m permitted to go inside my…
France, football and Marine Le Pen’s war on a French rapper
‘Dans ce rêve où ma semence de nègre fout en cloque cette chienne de Marine Le Pen.’ You don’t have…
The German takeover of the EU is accelerating
Vetoes should no longer be allowed. Smaller countries should not be able to block the will of the ‘majority’. And…
Why is Macron feigning outrage at the Danish spying scandal?
The feigned outrage in Berlin – but mostly in Paris – at the USA’s proxy use of Denmark’s intelligence services…
Will the new breed of retail investors cash in – or crash out?
‘Feed the ducks when they’re quacking’ sounds like advice from a foie gras farmer — but let’s leave gastronomy till…
The curse of surgical stockings
The porter rolled me off the trolley and on to the bed, wished me a good day and departed. My…
Why Boris is loved by the French
Boris Johnson is more popular in France than Emmanuel Macron, which might not be a high hurdle to overcome, since…
A taste inquisition on Stink Street
Walking up through the Stink Street medieval arch with a bag of shopping, I spotted Michael between the oleander branches…
