British Afghan envoy sparks French stir

Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Britain's ambassador in Kabul, has a reputation for holding strong opinions and making them heard. He may not, however, have wanted his views on the state of the allied effort in Afghanistan to be published in a French newspaper.

This nightmare for any diplomat appears to have happened today. Le Canard Enchaîné, a satirical weekly that often publishes embarrassing leaks, has printed extracts from a cable from the French deputy ambassador after a meeting with Sir Sherard.

The French Foreign Ministry tells us that it deplores the publication but does not deny the existence of the cable. According to François Fitou, the French deputy ambassador to Kabul, Cowper-Coles, 53, thinks that the war is lost and the allies should leave the country to a dictator. That is hardly the view of the British government -- or of President Sarkozy.

The French Socialist opposition holds about the same dim view on the Afghan campaign, in which France has some 3,000 troops. French military officers have been arguing the same points privately.

In his cable to President Sarkozy's office and Bernard Kouchner, the Foreign Minister, Fitou summarised Sir Sherard's thinking thus, according to le Canard.   

The British ambassador and his deputy have in turn contacted me to pass on their analysis of the situation before the Franco-British meeting on Afghanistan. These were their main points:

-- The current situation is bad. The security situation is getting worse. So is corruption and the government has lost all trust. Our public statements should not delude us over the fact that the insurrection, while incapable of winning a military victory, nevertheless has the capacity to make life increasingly difficult, including in the capital.

-- The presence -- especially the military presence -- of the coalition is part of the problem, not the solution. The foreign forces are ensuring the survival of a regime which would collapse without them. In doing so, they are slowing down and complicating an eventual exit from the crisis (which, moreover, will probably be dramatic.

Ambassador Cowper was also quoted as telling the French the following:

The reinforcement of the military presence would have a perverse effect: it would identify us even more clearly as an occupying force and it would multiply the number of targets (for the insurgents).

We have no alternative to supporting the United States in Afghanistan... but we should tell them that we want to be part of a winning strategy, not a losing one.

"Within five or ten years from now... (it would be positive) if Afghanistan were governed by an acceptable dictator... This outlook is the only realistic one and we should prepare our public opinion to accept it... In the short term we should dissuade the American presidential candidates from getting more bogged down in Afghanistan.... The American strategy is destined to fail.

Since posting this, we have heard from British sources that the meeting with Fitou took place but that the ambassador's quoted remarks represented a "parody" of what he said. Our sources take particular exception to the line about installing a dictator, which the ambassador never uttered, they say.    

Comments

[Roger Goodacre]

This career diplomat doesn't seem to have much luck. First he was appointed ambassador to Israel, then shuffled on to Saudi Arabia (whatever else, he's surely unique in occupying those two posts consecutively), now he's drawn the shortest of straws in Afghanistan. Maybe he felt the need to say something indiscreet but off-the-record, but with a good chance of it leaking out, to manoeuvre himself out of job with limited prospects.

[Ritchie in Strasbourg]

Afganistan is more about oil. China could befriend the people there and will do business with anyone. They will enroll Chinese prisoners to construct a pipeline from Iran through Afganistan, to supply China with oil. Any trouble in Afganistan keeps the Chinese from getting Iran's oil more easily.

[Don]

Sounds like the American left's evaluation of Iraq 2 years ago. Even 1 year ago they alleged Bush/Petreaus were "cooking the books". Now, Iraq and Iraqi democracy appears won.

Afghanistan is no Iraq. BUT, an aggressive strategy that shuts down "the insurrection" would eliminate the "increasing" difficulty of life in the capital, etc. There is no alternative to victory. Thousands of American and coalition volunteers are willing to win--let the West's politicians be so.

[John Gregory Flinn]

Sadly, this reminds me of the position in South Vietnam before the Tet offensive led to that messy departure by the US.
I recall similar descriptions of the regime there, the military situation and a background of economic problems (the inflationary period of the mid-70s) back in the US.
Perhaps the equivalent of a Westmoreland will emerge to outline the domino theory of why the coalition must not lose.
In those days I used to believe the West had a duty to further democracy (à la Kouchner's doctrine) and prevent totalitarian regimes. No more, after so many wasted lives, effort and (political) hubris. Countries like Afghanistan have to find their own way.
That we should "lead them" to such goals is another western mindset that will come to grief.

Presumeably Karzai will go and buy a house in Surrey and live a quiet life....

[Romain]

A very talkative diplomat, who is probably tired of living in Kabul.
You cannot seperate the Afghan issue from the Pakistani : thanks to Sir Mortimer Durand, a wrong line was drawn between Afghanistan and India, at the end of the 19th century. Since July 2007, Al Qaeda and the Pakistani taleban are directly threatening the Pakistani state. The Pakistani army has proven unwilling and unable to fight the militants untill now.
Therefore there is no option out, and the coalition's presence will last for possibly a decade or more.
The strategic issue is real, in the sense that there is no unicity of commandment, and rules of engagement vary quite a lot from country to country.
However Gen. Petraeus is a capable strategist who will mount new strategic steps both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
One question is mind boggling : why nor the soviets neither the coalition ever wanted to destroy the poppy fields, thus cutting off a main source of financement for the insurgents ?

[thinknoworpaylater]

DON - There is no left left in America so I dont know who you are talking about.If you mean the Democrats - forget it. Discursive forms like *shuts down the insurrection* explain nothing . We are fighting another Vietnam here and shutting it down isnt going to be possible. And dont forget the civilian dead - there have been a lot of civilian casualties caused by the war in Afghanistan ( both by *insurrectionists* and American and allied forces which would not have occurred without our intervention. Remember the U.S. support given to those now described as insurrectionists who were the Afghan opponents of the then Soviet backed regime in Kabul has financed and armed these people: are you not being a little hypocritical? If you switch sides often enough even you dont know who you are.

[richard.jones]

Romain,

I think destroying(presumably burning off) the poppy fields - an operation which means taking and holding vast amounts of non-easily defended territory - means the Afghan farmers and families will be left without anything as a substitute crop until at least the next growing season. Thus they will starve.

[Daniel Strohl]

There is a very similar article in today's Le Figaro :
http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2008/10/01/01003-20081001ARTFIG00492-afghanistan-l-hypothese-du-dictateur-acceptable-.php

Le Figaro also reports that a Dutch unit (24 men) turned down an order to make a reconnaissance in Afghanistan. Set forth reason : lack of adequate equipment. An investigation is in progress.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2008/10/01/01003-20081001ARTFIG00433-la-fronde-d-un-bataillon-neerlandais-en-afghanistan-.php

PS : Le Canard Enchainé (qualified above by CHARLES as a satirical paper) have distinguished themselves recently with a few "leaks" - in my opinion more or less organised - also in financial matters. I don't think that it is right now very responsible to use financial matters able possibly to ignite big fires (i.e panics) just in order to promote one's sales and to annoy Sarkozy and the French government.

It should be noted that Le Canard Enchainé is the Vulgate of almost any distinguished (or less distinguished :) "homme/femme de gauche".

Ironically, "un canard" is a derogatory colloquial term for a paper with no particular value ... Of course, the founders of Le Canard were aware of this :).

[Bernard Pereire]

The ambassador is only saying what everyone knows. Even Bernard Kouchner, the Foreign Minister, says the strategy has to be changed, away from military conflict towards building institutions. But what are foreigners doing in Afghanistan for so long. Defending Afghans against Afghans -- that's the official explanation. It's more or less what the English were saying there in the 19th century. Nothing much has changed.

[Romain]

Richard Jones,

We are told 90% of the world's opium derivates are produced in Afghanistan ; knowing that heroin is extremely prejudicial to health, I would think twice. There seem to be vested interest from Karzai to maintain some check and balance in that business. Poppy does'nt feed anyone, and is bought at a very low price from peasants who are forcibly controlled by the talebans.
Afghans will starve anyway this winter, because of draught and poor crops.
It would be reasonably cheap to napalm those poppy fields; less finance for the insurgents,less money for drug traffickers all over the world,food aid will have to be there anyway.
There are enough sources of legal opium to satisfy the world's pharmaceutical industry.

[dada]

"Now, Iraq and Iraqi democracy appears won."

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=S8jIDGYqJko

[richard.jones]

Yes Romain poppy does not feed anyone but the cash they get from sale (agreed a pittance compared with street dealers in the West) does, and when the poppies go so does the support and physical protection offered by the 'opium industry'. The Afghan farmer finds himself trying to keep his land and find something else to grow o it for sustinence (no cash in the system anymore).
I think there are all sorts of historico-political problems in using napalm. I think there would be a massive outcry from the unaligned world and the reruns of the young Vietnamese girl severely burnt by napalm would be on every TV - everywhere. Further, you have to make sure the humans are somewhere else before you drop and anyway doesn't napalm screw up soil mechanics and water tables and so on or is that only agent orange?

[richard.jones]

Perhaps this is what the French wanted to hear the British say. It may even be what the Brits wanted the French to leak for both their sakes. Anyway, Cowper's kids are being repatriated, so somebody is taking it all seriously.
France, even taking into account the addition of another battalion (circa 600 men)and the renowned and globally respected special forces, has never had a major part in the 70,000 NATO deployment in Afghanistan.
I suspect France and perhaps UK are positioning themselves for negotiations with the next US president. Europe is used to the USA paying for its defence (as is Japan for that matter) and as the war gets more and more materiel oriented, and technologically sophisticated (body armour, anti-mine vehicles) and given this is 'preventative attack' rather than Cold War defence old habits die hard.
However with the tax burden of the bailout I suspect the UK and France will have some hard decisions to make. France will have a golden excuse to largely withdraw or replace fighting men with 'nation builders' and UK will certainly require a clearer and stronger set of engagement rules for its current deployment which it cannot increase without enormous backlash under a Labour or a Tory government.

[Romain]

Richard

Napalm is a gellified fuel, a mix of benzine and polystyrene. Unfortunately it would spoil the fields for several years, but nowhere as dreadful as agent orange which had terrible repercussions on several generations.
Since sometime heroin is made directly from the source in Afghanistan, so the benefits of traffickers and talebans are multiplied. There is also a tremendous damage done all over the world by that substance.
The present doctrine is to hit at the top, I believe it would be worth considering on a small scale, on one region.
Paradox is we have to send food aid anyway whilst poppy is cultivated instead of corn rice or anything, and we bear dreadfull consequences.

Charles,

I have not noticed any particular stir up by French press on this story. French MoD rules are followed, except by le Canard.
There is a lot of emotion on Jean-Marc Rouillan's interview at present, and of course the bail out plan. When do they make a bailout Palin plan ?

[do-re-mi]

Daniel Strohl

" Le Canard Enchainé " tape sur tout le monde, right and left of the political spectrum, and it's a welcome antidote to the sycophantic press that Sarkosi and his government are selling us. It started in WW1, anar and anti-militarist, yes it's leftwing. It takes no prisoner, a bit like Jon Stewart on his show.
Not everybody can afford an internet connection to get an alternative view on the sOAp opera we are being sold.Thanks heaven for that. It sells well in London.

[Rick]

Do they teach the art of hanging on, of playing for time, at staff-college? Of managing on scant resources, in manpower and equipment? By this I mean a kind of holding operation that is the intelligent response to an insurgency. Of course they do, and they name it ‘counter-insurgency’. Okay, one can ‘sell’ it to the electorate as ‘nation-building’; and they will ‘buy’ it because they’re not really interested. Informed opinion knows that ‘nation-building’ is a grotesque hyperbole. And such ideas as ‘defeat’ or ‘victory’ are inappropriate in ‘asymmetrical’ conflicts. This kind of warfare’s like refuse-collection, crime prevention, housework…. And there’s an absurd kind of heroism in staying the course.

To what end? Well, instantly ‘caving in’ would have been a masochistic plea for more of the same, elsewhere. By staying on, albeit uncomfortably, in Afghanistan, say, one deprives that position to others (thanks, RITCHIE!) and gives the indigenous people more of a choice than otherwise. The narcotics trade is disrupted… just a bit. One waits for the next general election in Iran and hopes. None of these reasons are ‘clinchers’. And this kind of reasoning is hardly likely to convince those with ‘whiter than white’ consciences, the ‘Not in My Name’ lot. But then, their hands are clean – like Pontius Pilate’s.

The moralisers don’t pay the price: they get a sanctimonious ‘high’. It’s the soldiers who pay with their mutilated bodies and disturbed minds. But it’s not just the military: it’s the tax-payers; it’s the medical services; it’s the near and dear of the combatants. I’m aware I sound like a total anachronism, but do our societies deserve to continue to exist – and, God knows, things look pretty fragile this week! - if we are not prepared to send our young men far away to defend them?

This is not ‘airy-fairy’ stuff because there are plenty of people out there in the ‘real world’ who are prepared to risk everything: would-be economic refugees from far off places; the international Islamo-fascist finishing-school and old students’ associations; or Somali pirates venturing far across the Indian Ocean. Is the EU morally flabby? That’s what I wonder. And I have a pretty shrewd idea of the answer.

[christopher muir]

Wherever he might be hiding, Mullah Omar must be hearing this leaked diplomatic information with enthusiasm. What better news could be delivered to him and his followers? Whether these details should have been released by Le Canard is a tricky question worth pondering about.

[Daniel Strohl]

DO-RE-MI,

Yes, I know que le Canard Enchainé tape sur tout le monde. Mais quand même plus sur la droite que sur la gauche; je les soupçonne même d'être très heureux lorsque la droite est au pouvoir - ça leur permet de mettre leurs convictions en accord avec les sous qui rentrent dans leurs portefeuilles ... Une bonne conscience, ça permet de bien dormir la nuit et d'avoir l'esprit inventif le matin :)

Regarding sycophantic press, I presume you are alluding to Le Figaro and TF 1. What about Marianne, Le Monde, le Nouvel Obs, Libération, l'Huma :), A2, FR3, Rue 89 and tutti quanti ?

As of the left leaning press, I have no objection whatsoever against it. I read the internet versions of Le Monde and Libération (the latter had recently the good idea to change their character set - the old one was "horripilant", at least for my ageing eyes :).

However, I have some problems with le "service public" (financé par la redevance que tout le monde paye, droite et gauche confondues), i.e A2 and FR3, who have some difficulties to conceal their left-leaning sympathies. However, they try hard. May be they are pushed so by their boss (de Carolis, not Sarkozy) who in my opinion makes a good job to increase neutrality and badly needed efficiency notwithstanding some stubborn leftist unions qui freinent des quatre fers ...

[Daniel Strohl]

CHRISTOPHER,

"Whether these details should have been released by Le Canard is a tricky question worth pondering about"

Allow me a paraphrase : "Scoop sans conscience n'est que ruine de l'âme"

[richard.jones]

To Mr. Muir,

Sauf que ça soit une histoire totalement remaniée!

[do-re-mi]

Peut-être que Le Canard tape plus sur la droite parce que la droite a été au pouvoir depuis des lustres. La Gauche est tellement nulle que c'est pas la peine de gaspiller de l'encre même si le Canard est vache quand même. My mother is on the centre-right and my father is on the left so we have healthy balanced screaming matches at the dinner table. The " service public " Tv is a joke, and my mother swears that some negative stories she hears sur France -Inter early in the day, around 6.am are never heard again. The problem is that the Service public voice has always been la " voix de son maitre" what ever the master was.
I got told that under Mitterand things got looser.
TF1 is scary to me, not because I am leaning left or contrarian but because it is so crap and dire. A2 or FR3 might look like lefties next to TF1 because TF1 is so reactionary, but the info is not that great either.
I know some people are struggling to pay bills, for some buying a paper is getting to be luxury, an hebdo even more. Le Canard is cheap enough and a welcome a thorn in the side of power.
If you get your Info from le service public you might get the feeling it might be wise invest into a bomb shelter because the end is near. Maybe Carolis is a good guy but the powers that be are not going to let their mouth-piece go, just like that, getting rid of publicity is going to make an independent thought even harder so soon A2 and FR3 will not be lefties but more like TF1, then people will watch the news even less. And in the worst case it will be like Fox News.

[dot king]

Do-Ré-Mi : I think France inter is freer than you suggest - Daniel Mermet seems to have a free hand on most subjects - for example.

The quality of public TV is improving - the last two nights' filmed biography of Françoise Sagan was excellent.

I agree totally about TF1, apart from the occasional film, it's about the worst that bad TV has to offer.

[Mary Fernandez]

Sounds like the British Basrah strategy before the surge.

[Blendi Progri]

What a guy!
At least a straight talker amidst the incoherence and misinformation. Well done @ Sir XXX..XXXX...XXX.

What a GUY!

[Daniel Strohl]

DO-RE-MI, DOT

DO-RE-MI, you are may be a little bit pessimistic regarding our information system. It has vastly improved. Under de Gaulle, we had a "Ministère de l'Information", led by Alain Peyrefitte - I just checked with Wikipedia to be sure of the name and its spelling. It is correct (I am brilliant this evening :).

He also wrote a best-seller - "Quand la Chine s'éveillera". I think it was a good and prophetic book, but I did read only a few pages of it at the time. If I find a copy of it at a bouquiniste, I will read it to compare what Peyrefitte said and what actually happened 30 or 40 years later in China.

PS : we watch J-P. Pernaut's news bulletin on TF 1 at 1 pm because he does not convey "the feeling it might be wise invest into a bomb shelter because the end is near" :). Everyday, there are interesting reportings on small villages, regions, ancient crafts etc. But may be this is interesting only for elderly people like
me :).

Otherwise, I am not a fan either of TF1 and Star Ac and Koh Lanta and so on ... Plus stupide, tu meurs !

[Rick]

I suppose I asked for it, MARY FERNANDEZ.

Remarks from your part of the world lack authority though. Just who has let the rest of the world down?

[dot king]

"the feeling it might be wise invest into a bomb shelter because the end is near" :). Everyday, there are interesting reportings on small villages, regions, ancient crafts etc.
DANIEL

If someone is going to drop an atomic bomb one day, I want to be right where it drops, plop underneath please.
Seriously, Fr3 local news has the kind of reports you mention to and can also be seen/heard in local language, Langue d'Oc here, with subtitles (thank goodness).
I think the national news and international news have a duty to be just that, for me TF1 doesn't do it. This said, the other channels leave something to be desired, but are better - IMO.

Question for ROMAIN whom I think lives in the Basque country - recently an English visitor asked if the news was broadcast in Basque in the corresponding region. I couldn't reply of course as I'm not in that region.

[Daniel Strohl]

DOT,

"Seriously, Fr3 local news has the kind of reports you mention to and can also be seen/heard in local language"

This is the case of FR3 Alsace. But they go me on the nerves with their pedantic Strasbourg accent (Strasbourgeois are as intellectually modest as the Parisiens - c'est vous dire ! :)

PS : there are also subtitles, of course !

[do-re-mi]

Dot, Daniel,

Ok I may have been heavy handed with my critic of France Inter. Yes it's quite balanced.

By "the feeling it might be wise invest into a bomb shelter because the end is near" I mean this constant stream of news you get on the state TV channel that scare some people into believing that "le retour de la matraque et du baton " is overdue as the answer to all the ills of the country, followed by "reporting on small villages, regions, ancient crafts etc." reassuring some that life as you know it goes on. Well it doesn't.

As for China, they are doing well, looks like they own quite a bit of America already so they look awake to me. All my clothes come from there, down to my underwear. My father, the Red in the family, claims that their workers one day will put us to shame by reminding us what a unionised force can accomplish. By 2020 China's GDP, according to a CIA's memo will be the second's largest but at some of their workers might rebel, fed up at working long hours for peanuts to make their well connected in Gucci & Prada and us have plenty of cheap clothes or change our Ipod every 6 months, as the labour shortage will be felt.
Greed is good, specially when the tax-payer gets to pick up your debt tab but the class war is not over.

http://www.joebageant.com/

[delia]

I seem to remember that we wanted to build a pipeline in Ouzbekhistan which was to run through Afghanistan onto Pakistan. Anyone remember that ?

[Romain]

Hi Dot,

Yes of course there is a FR3 news in Basque daily, and a longer magazine on saturdays.
I watch TV on adslTV, TF1 is not on it, and I don't miss it a bit.
I am more interested by international news, so I watch Aljazeera most of the time, it is quite remarkable, with correspondents all over the world, far superior to any existing news channel. I also watch ABC,NBC,CBS, to get a more indepth view on the elections, the mean mainstream elistits media from East Coast.
I don't give a pimple to Fox "Six pack Joe" News.
P.S. not to forget David Letterman and Saturday Nite Line show, the cherries on the cake.

[dot king]

ROMAIN thanks, will pass on that titbit, which, BTW will be of no use I can think of to the person who asked . . .

I really ought to do something about the TV I can receive, I've always resisted having a facility that links me to the Beeb and other English language channels, because I've never wanted to recreate "Little England" in my French home - and it's not as if I don't understand French - but what do I find? French people who watch English language TV.
I could have loads of stuff through the computer, but computer and TV are two separate activities in my mind, and physically are at opposite ends of the house - PC top left, TV bottom right.
I shall have to deal with this all by myself, don't worry about me ;D

BTW I have a friend in the UK who would agree with you about Aljazeera being the best for international news.

DO-RE-MI (goodness that pseudo's a pain to type in with its hyphens and capitals :))

Yes, whilst the West was busy examining its cavernous navel for home-grown cotton-wool, China crept up and took over - just about everything. And nothing we say or do influences them or slows them down. Funny old world, eh?

[Daniel Strohl]

DO-RE-MI,

"will put us to shame by reminding us what a unionised force can accomplish."

I don't want to hurt the feelings of your father - but IMHO if China had relied mainly on a unionised force, they would be on an economic level comparable with Cuba's level, but without the cigars and the rum and the music :).

However, each country has its own system and its own preferences. It is their own choice. There must be some reasons why Castro stayed so long in power - in my opinion not only because of his police ...

Any system has good points and bad points. None of them is perfect.

ROMAIN,

Should you change your mind and be interested in TF1 on ADSL, you should subscribe to ORANGE - TF1 est inclus dans le blot :)

[Romain]

Delia,

Yes you are right, bur it is part of a broader project linking Iran gas to Pakistan. It will have to rest for a longtime. All causasus and south Asia affairs are about pipelines, you can't be mistaken.

[do-re-mi]

Dear Daniel,

My father's feelings don't hurt easy, not losing his idealism has made his skin really hard and Chavez is his kind of guy now, Castro is so old news. I love when Cuban talk of the good old times like La Havana was paradise before. (not that it's so great now)
If it wasn't for the unions, some of my ancestors would be still in the mines shoving coal without a paid holiday, social security, or having seen the sea, others would still be tied up to the land while their owners would have the " Barbados" tan as opposed to the "Marcel" one. 1936 is a big date for some.

I know that the Unions can be a real pain in the derriere and a totalitarian force but I don't believe le MEDEF is going to take care of their workers. Paternalism gave great parks in London ( I live near Victoria Park In London so I am grateful) but poor people had to wait till Aneurin Bevan to be able to afford being sick. Bevan had actually worked in a mine as opposed to a clean (well) job networking. Now a Labour guy, who is relax about people getting super rich, sacked twice from government can get another one, despite his strong sulphuric smell. Things must be bad.

Nobody want to call themselves working class anymore, working in a call centre make you middle class but your wage does not.
You know that things are bad when the " middle class" start to complain that it's bad. Oh dear, the second home is Florida is going to be an albatross now that XXL has collapse. Girls can look great thanks to Primark, I wonder if they would buy it if their 7 year old sister spent all day making the outfit. Nobody tells me that working children help their parents, and it's better than they are making clothes for Primark than sold to sex-slavery ( I know one from Thailand who was and it's not pretty). Children should be at school period, because an illiterate citizen is a bad start.

China and India growths are indeed great,but not everyone benefits. It's wonderful if you can put your savings in their national bank for fantastic returns but since they are unwilling to back our debt laden lifestyle anymore, things are going to be a bit hard. In the Uk manufacturing is gone, the Finance sector is in the doldrums ( 30% of GDP), and house prices ( 1/2 of the wealth and the biggest legal pyramid scheme sold to us) are crashing, we are going to be poorer, cheap Chinese noodles are going to have a funny taste and it won't be down to the SMG.
There is a line in a 90's movie called Deep Cover written by Stephen Tolkin, spoken by a crooked greedy lawer played by Jeff Goldblum : "I think you know that there's no such thing as an American anymore. No Hispanics, no Japanese, no blacks, no whites, no nothing. It's just rich people and poor people". Visiting Primark here can keep the illusion for a while.

Having had lots of jobs and worked with people whose company collapsed though the greed and brazen cynical attitude of their CEO,I will mace anyone who channel Milton Friedman for a living, blame short sellers for the ills of the market and expect the tax payers to pay for their folly.

Rant over, lunch calling.

Dot
Cut and paste, that's what I do. Ta

[dot king]

DO-RE-MI, Daniel, Rick, and to anyone who's interested in this potted, though fascinating, life-history.

A Blackburn, Lancashire lad "made good" - the workhouse where his grandmother died, later became the hospital where most Blackburners (yours truly included) were born.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3075171/William-Woodruff.html

[Daniel Strohl]

Dear DO-RE-MI,

Thanks for your interesting post. I am afraid that much of the things you say are true.

Our "bobos" here who complain about everything and criticize everything should have a look around them. They would probably discover that they are rather privileged.

PS : I know that the unions made a big and necessary job in the past. Many of the "patrons" at the time were very narrow-minded. However, now the unions (CGT) defend the "privileges" mainly of the civil servants - they have "un fonds de commerce" and stick to it; "l'intérêt général" is not always their main worry ...

[Rick]

DOT, Martin Pugh’s recent social history of Britain during the Wars ‘We Danced All Night’ keeps referring to Woodruff’s accounts of his childhood. A hell of a fellow.

[do-re-mi]

Dear Daniel Strohl

I think Unions still have a role to play, even if you are not a fan of the CGT guy with a bad haircut, to move forward or kick them in the future because workers in St-Gobain can't suddenly write binary code for Cisco and parking them in a social security depot to keep " la paix sociale" is short termism. It's great that you can make your stuff cheaply in Asia but if people can only buy cheap crap here because they have no money, then how low can we go before the gap between poor and rich get a little too big for comfort.
Being steeped in dogma ( right or left) can hide a multitude of sins, and make you fail to see the wood from the trees. I am always amazed that old Troskists made the best laisser-faire proponents in the Reagan and Thatcher years. Anybody can get into a urinating contest not to lose power. Look up close to the UK economical miracle and you will notice people on long term sick with no hope in hell to get well. The Government can announce with amusing regularity they are going to get them off to work ( and get the Mail readers all worked up about "those leeches" while these same readers keep an eye on their home price or off-shores investments) but if there is no work anywhere or work pay so little to can't live off it, it is just white noise. If nobody looks after these people's anger about being the victims of progress they are just going to vote for a demagogue or an extremist.
The French government has been for a long time like a mother of spoiled child who has given conflicting messages for years and yet is surprised her child expect breakfast in bed past his legal age. A guy who said he was going to change has been elected but it looks like we are going to going the brioche route.

PS: It looks like mace is of no use. I should have bought an Icelandic phrase book and looked up: give me back my money, it's mine. And read Nouriel Roubini's risks of a financial meltdown back in February a little more carefully.

[Daniel Strohl]

Dear DO-RE-MI,

Sorry - I am late with my answer; there are so many threads running in parallel that I overlooked this one !

However, I have good news for you (you probably already know it). If one believes a New York Times article from yesterday, "The British government has pledged unlimited protections for individuals" (for bank deposits in Iceland). See the following link :
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/business/worldbusiness/11icebank.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Hereafter another link : (certains de nos banquiers sont certainement très intelligents, mais il y a des choses qui leur échappent manifestement)
http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2008/10/11/les-bonnes-affaires-de-daniel-bouton-le-pdg-de-la-societe-generale_1105623_3234.html

[do-re-mi]

Dear Daniel,

No sweat, luckily the money in the Icelandic account was small change. It looks like I will get my money eventually, emphasis on the eventually. If I had more then I would carry a defibrillator at all times.
The scary thing this is that a lot more " public money" is stuck in them, that obscene amount is going to emerge later I bet.
I am wondering how the Olympics ( undervalued, typical tender) are going to be financed now, bet everything will be CGI'ed and they will be using candles. Let's brace ourselves for Monday. Looks like Keynes is back on. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/11/marketturmoil-creditcrunch

How come Daniel Bouton hasn't lost his job? Send Henry Waxman to his office, watching Richard Fuld unconfortable is priceless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKsixRnJwj4

And after watching this I am considering Absolute vodka neat intravenously.

http://www.iadb.org/news/videos.cfm?arttype=VI&language=En&parid=7#

PS: My father's finance are fine, left with his heart, right with his portofolio. At least Le Clezio has won a deserved prize.

[Daniel Strohl]

Dear DO-RE-MI,

"watching Richard Fuld unconfortable is priceless"

Yes, indeed ! It is a pity we don't have the same (public) hearings here ! But I am not sure whether all of these "gentlemen" would show "unconfortable" - arrogance surpasses intelligence and "vergogne" in some of these people.

Regarding the Olympics : at least we will not have this additional problem ...