Watch Your Language

The slightest thing will set off the French these days. First sheer boredom seems to be the instigation of recent riots by youths, followed by a law which allows bosses to fire their employees. Now its using English in the presence of a French politician:

PRESIDENT CHIRAC stormed out of the first session of a European Union summit dominated by a row over French nationalism because a fellow Frenchman insisted on speaking English.

President Chirac and three of his ministers walked out of the room when Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the leader of the European business lobby UNICE, punctured Gallic pride by insisting on speaking the language of Shakespeare rather than that of Molière...

When M Seillière, who is an English-educated steel baron, started a presentation to all 25 EU leaders, President Chirac interrupted to ask why he was speaking in English. M Seillière explained: “I’m going to speak in English because that is the language of business.”

Later, it was reported that Chirac torched Seillière's car. (Not)