1 I'm just trying to remember the last time the French actually did anything constructive for the EU or the world in general ? Childish arrogance along with constant bitchin and moaning seem to be the norm with the frogs.

2 Didn't the French sink a Greenpeace ship?

3 Maybe Chirac was just trying to distract attention away from the riots back home....

4 This story and Olbermann story got me suspicious people are warming up for April 1.

5 Caption: Forgot to put in my teeth this morning and who put that banana in front this mic?

6 Chiraq looks like a jerk and stupid as ever why dont they just vote to remove that idiot he is a jerk

7 That picture looks like the Simpson episode where the French are gloating about showing the world that they are not a bunch of frogs and then laughing like frogs with their necks bulging. HON-HON-HON!

8 Hi, Chirac did not walked away because M.Seilliere spoke english (Chirac is fluent in english and has certainly no problem with the language!), but because M.Seilliere, who started his speech in french, suddendly turned to english because he said "english is the language for business". English is no more the language of business than french is the language of poetry, or italian the language of arts. Any speech can be given in any language, in other words, a language is not used according to the content of a speech but according to your audience. In this case, the audience was the european council and as far as I know, the very vast majority of attendants don't have english as their mother tongue. All speeches are translated anyway and english was absolutely not necessary. M. Chirac was right to point out this anomaly, but wrong to walk out, he should have said to the audience "Et maintenant, mesdames et messieurs, we are going to hear M.Seilliere speech". That would have had much more impact...

9 Well, I for one like hearing about Chuck "THE HAMMER" Martel. Still seems petty what happened.

10 I could be wrong, but it's my understanding that more Europeans use English as a second language than other languages. And I think that is the point Seilliere was making. The truth is Chirac has a particular disdain for that very fact. Chirac's behavior implies he is concerned with his own country losing its French identity by adopting idioms not French in origin (as demonstrated with his displeasure over the term "email"), but he must understand that some things are beyond his control. If English does become more widely used as a universal business language anywhere, it's not due to some evil machinations by the US, the Brits or the Aussies. It just simply happened that way. If Seilliere stood up and claimed that German was the language of business, Cirac would have been just as upset. I would venture to guess that Chirac's "nationalist mood" stems from the same problem we have ourselves here in the US with the wave of Hispanics who don't learn English which threatens our own identity. France is being overrun with the Muslim culture, as well as others, and the lack of assimilation of these into the French culture is what has him riled up. I agree with Patrick that if he's upset over Seilliere's statement that's fine, I don't blame him for wanting to preserve the French identity, but walking out was just another of his tantrums. I think he's even more angry because it was a fellow Frenchman that said it. I don't think Cirac knows what to do about the problems facing his own country culturally and he's just lashing out. And I just love that picture of him.

11 "Any speech can be given in any language" You don't really mean you can talk about decent food in English?

12 Not just in Europe Oyster, but all over the world, English is generally the de facto language of business among those who do not understand each others' first languages, except in backward places that are still trying to get camel caravans past bandits in the mountains. In every nation on this planet, someone who speaks English can be found, and this cannot be said of any other language, so English wins. Patrick is just trying to be a multiculti apologist.

13 Such a childish attitude. Not surprising for a 'leader' that pays much more attention to words than to actions....

14 "email" isn't the only technical term the French won't use. I used to build systems and do limited Tech Support at a neighbor's computer business that built network systems for neurosurgeons. One of our customers had just come over from France and could speak english, but he absolutely refused to use 'english' terms that everyone else in the world uses for computer equipment. I can't remember any terms specifically...it's been 8 or so years. I don't know what was worse though, him assuming everyone should use the 'superior' French terms or listening to him whining about how long it took to get anything done. I think they're just mentally stuck in the 1700's, when french was the equivalent for business and politics as english is today.

15 Language is communication. Duh!!! As times and needs change, the sign of a healthy society is one that allows its language to flow with those changes. The french have earned their reputation for being behind the times and impotent in world concerns. (Did anyone else learn in world history class how they lost the homeland to germany during WWII because they cemented their guns into turrets facing the border? Problem was, the germans snuck up from behind! The gunners couldn't defend their position because they couldn't pivot the guns to cover their own backs! And who had to fight and die to liberate them? Well, let's just say, it was a joint effort by people who mostly spoke english. Cemented in! Their brilliance is blinding!!) Their continuing refusal to allow the french vocabulary to expand, even when it means having a stronger position in the world market, is just one more example of their national genius. Maybe the french language will finally lie down and die, living on in other, stronger languages in countries that have maintained enough sense of selfworth to adopt "foreign" phrases into their verbage. Latin anyone?

16 Ha! That picture is practically a fisk in itself. Don't know why you're complaining, Jack. Arabic will be the official language of Paristine before long. I give it 10 years.

17 Posted by: Oyster at March 25, 2006 06:24 AM "Any speech can be given in any language" You don't really mean you can talk about decent food in English? ----- Whatever the language I'd rather talk about the food in england than the obesity statistics in other places

18 Chrirac would never walk out if the speech was in Arabic, the crazy jihadists will be waiting outside for him with sharpened blades and heavy jackets.

19 Chirac would never walk out if the speech was in Arabic, the crazy jihadists will be waiting outside for him with sharpened blades and heavy jackets.

20 Chirac is just lose, france is the biggest money money spender in EU. If they want to quit from EU many people will be very happy..