So President Sarkozy was filmed yesterday telling a man to "clear off then you stupid sod" or words to that effect. The man didn't want to shake his hand at the Agricultural Show in Paris telling him that the he didn't want the President to get him dirty! So unlike the home life of our own dear Queen. He's a bit of a Prescott it would seem.

good one.

Recently took the train to Périgueux, saw a couple of gendarmes on the corner of the street, thought nothing of it, saw three at the next corner and thought Px was well policed. Saw a whole group at the next corner and wondered what on earth we were walking into so I stopped and asked. it turned out President Sarkozy was expected so my friend and I decided to forgo our first coffee of the day and do the gawping/curiosity bit. In due course the President came along the crowd at whistle stop speed (no stately Prince Charles' handshakes here) and did a two hand touch and grasp to as many people as possible. I was one of the 'lucky' ones, probably because there was a group of vociferous supporters behind me and so he headed in our direction. It was all very different from forty years ago when I joined a similar crowd and saw President de Gaulle standing very upright (and incredibly tall for a Frenchman) in his open top state car. I am way beyond the 'won't wash my hand for a week touch'. Was that what the man meant when he said shaking Sarkozy's hand would make his hand dirty??? Dordogne is known as a die-hard Ségolene supporting area so it wasn't surprising that there was a vociferous red flag waving element present. I don't know enough about French politics yet so I don't know who I support but my friend, an ex British policewoman, did comment that there was something rather disprespectful about barracking a President when he visits an area. What do you think?

As opposed to, perhaps, a giraffe?

Well I suppose giraffes do have long noses. Is it true they make a 'non, non, non' sound while they munch??

It has always sounded more like "Vivre le Quebec libre" to me. But I'm not an expert.

Apparently when Chirac was faced with a similar situation he dealt with it in a more traditional Presidential manner. A man called him a connard and the President immediately replied by shaking his hand firmly and saying with a smile: Chirac.

Sarkozy was interviewed and asked about what he said to the man the day before yesterday. The text was sent back to the Elysée to be checked as is usual form and returned with the addition of a little phrase to the effect perhaps I was ill advised to respond in this manner. He clearly just forgets his lines now and again.

I wonder how we would reply if insulted publicly in such a manner.

Produce a glove, a quick slap across the face and demand a duel at dawn. Then as he stood aghast at the mounting tension and excitement, mount a horse and ride off into the sunset.

We had fab French neighbours who filled us in on French politics when we regularly got together to "put the world to rights". These people were great, very "old school", retired gendarme and head mistress, and they favoured Monsieur De Villepin (that bloke with the caramel coloured face and strangely imobile sprayed-on silver hair - he looked a bit like Dracula in a suit) and thought Mr Sarkozy a "marionnette" who played to the gallery.

Everyone gets out of bed the wrong side sometimes and, although I am not supporting M. sarky-whatsit here, remember when Prince Philip (referred to in our house as "the Duke of Hazzard") called chinese people "slitty-eyed" and caused a furore?

Having taught for 17 years, I can understand how easy it is to occasionally let the facade slip and find yourself in hot water. A colleague once referred to a student as "not the sharpest knife in the drawer are you sonny" only to find himself hauled in front of the Assistant Principal who, having ticked him off cos he had to, quietly agreed with him, but said "think it, don't say it, and for Christ's sake NEVER write it down".

Good advice methinks, just harder to put into practice than some may think, especially if, like politicians, one spends 90% of one's life under scrutiny by (mostly) hostile observers armed with tape-recorders who are out ta get ya.

My ex was MP for a constituency in the south west before I met him, and used to regail us with endless stories about slip-ups he had made, even on national television which always came back to haunt him. The worst thing about all this is the pussy-footing about trying to get out of it that goes on.

And what about the Archbishop of Canterbury recently, with his observations about adoption of some muslim law or other? Bet he's sorry he had that 5th glass of Red the night before ....

Monsieur S should admit he said it, apologise, say he had "mal des dents" and give the Agricultural fraternity a fat subsidy.

Pas de problem!!

Andy