Britain hits back at 'unacceptable' French comments

@hatsoff

yes, more good comments, but to drive the point home, it just seems to me that in this case, the ratings agencies are trying to exacerbate the euro crisis so that countries like france will suffer, and emphasizing aspects of the complex scenario that would tend to support the uk/usa axis over europe.

like you said they say that their utterances are "only opinions", but i wouldn' be suprised to see them in court soon if they make fallacious and unsubstantiated claims again...

As for ratings agencies (quick pause while I spit on the floor), take a look at the movie documentary Inside Job. They were all rating CDOs as AAA at the time of the credit crunch. When questioned in congress and accused of knowing these products were junk, they said 'our ratings are only opinions.'

France's downgrade reflects its current exposure to the markets - and the markets don't give a damn about what's good for society.

It's not just a question of debt, but of a country's exposure to the euro currency crisis. If Italy goes the way of Greece, and then Spain et al, then France is more exposed to that because it shares a single currency and needs to use its own funds to rectify that. Britain is not exposed in this way as much as eurozone countries. The EU and the euro are two different issues here.

The only thing that matters here is if GB's is truly more in debt than France. If it is, then GB is being favored for some reason, obviously.

yes, a well made and succinct point.

if the agencies downgraded greece etc because of debt, why the sudden change in criteria?

i would imagine that the high level of support on the continent for the financial transaction tax, which is opposed by britain, might be a factor.

but why is it that the ratings agencies would want to oppose the countries supporting a tax that would help keep in check the type of superfluous transactions that mostly try to game of the system (they are not about "investment"), and end up distorting the market, creating bubbles,etc., which make coming up with accurate ratings harder to accomplish.

A handful of men open their mouths, and suddenly, its France vs. GB! Geez, no wonder nations go to war! Humanity can't quite seem to get past the Hatfield and McCoy mentality.

If France is being treated unfairly, then they are being treated unfairly. And if one is being treated unfairly they have every right to prove it. And the only way to prove it is by naming an example.

Some of these comments read like: How dare France not just sit there and take it while GB waltzes merrily on!

The only thing that matters here is if GB's is truly more in debt than France. If it is, then GB is being favored for some reason, obviously.

So the EU can't compete with other economies anymore and everyone wants to take their balls and go home. Well, boo hoo. There's nothing funnier than a British person being insulted. They take it so calm. France: Better food, cooler people. UK go screw.

France has a higher standard of living than the UK.

Is Cameron following the advice of career politicians in his ministries or just his gut?

Clegg told Francois Fillon to “calm the rhetoric” after France had further fuelled ...

With all the F's in there I was sure he actually told Francois to do something else... ah well

I would also extend my policy to whomever it was gave me the thumbs down. To your thumbs down, sirrah, behold my two fingers up. And broad, bared buttocks.

I would like to offer my unqualified support to the comments above on the topic of whether or not France can piss off.

I have always encouraged them to do so, and these recent developments only strengthen my heartfelt commitment to the policy.

France was one of the few countries who was against the invasion of Iraq.

The elite in France made too much money off of ordinary Iraqis misery under Saddam Hussein to even consider opposition to his Nazi-inspired Baathist rule. And the same elite needed to line their pockets before the Euro collapsed as well.

Gotta love the Frenchies. Game on Brits - an economy built on financial institutions that produce derivatives and other forms of useless paper is living on borrowed time.

France was one of the few countries who was against the invasion of Iraq.

I admire them for that.

the credit agencies are part of the criminal enterprise broadly known as "finance", and london is a hub in the wall st axis of corruption, which it is good to see the european countries standing up to and facing down.

the usa and the uk are funny money economies with governments deeply corrupted by finance cretins and to compromised to extract themselves in time to save their real economies. germany, of course, is excelling at present in terms of real economic activity, and as the french finance minister points out, the french probably have their house more in order than the uk, and perhaps even the usa.

the usa is trying to push a fed reserve model on the eu system, which is obviously a model that only serves the interest of the funny money finance sector.

the UK has to quickly get rid of cameroon and come up with a realistic plan for their economy, not trying to play empire games, wielding finance as a weapon of mass destruction, in league with the white collar criminals on wall st., against the peace loving nations of the world.

Aaah, we hurt the French feelings by not agreeing to a new treaty that cedes even more powers to an unelected bureaucracy in Brussels (even though that would have applied to euro currency countries only). They'll calm down when the markets calm down. Won't be for a while though. Fitch just negatively adjusted its view of their economy. The fact is, France and Germany should have been watching the euro zone more carefully instead of letting it reach a crisis. I don't mind the EU per se, but I'm so glad we didn't join the euro.

Isn´t it great to see how the Euro creates harmony and mutual love in Europe.

A Brit and a French guy are walking along a beach when they find a lamp. They pick it up and a genie pops out and offers them one wish each. the French guy asks for a wall around the whole of his beloved France to keep all the `orrible Engleesh out - poof, its done.

The Brit says "This wall - what is it like?" The genie says it is 1 metre thick and 10 metres high, all the way around France. The Brit says "Fill it up with water".

Or, in short - what tinky, Simon and Scotchegg said.

Britain and France have been having these kind of words for hundreds of years, nothing new in that, except these these days it won't lead to another war.

but what if it did....(Family Guy moment)

LOL! The irony of it is that the economic outlook for both countries is very worrying. France should look itself in the mirror, then again the same should be said for Britain. Then again, the rest can also be said for the whole world including China. X_x

The French are addicted to subsidized and protected industries, and British have nearly 2 generations of folks on the dole who love it there. Not a lot of hope for either one!

France had better be careful. They haven't won a war of anything in over 150 years and the USA won't save their butt in this one either.

France sucks but with a better debt to GDP ratio, a lower inflation rate and higher growth (define growth...) the UK is worth and slowly rolling to insignificance...

The UK needs to pull out of the EU while it still has some Independence.

Yep, France can piss off. I third that.

France can piss off, I second that!

France can piss off

I do hope the UK and the EU countries like France, Germany etc..can turn this situation around ASAP! Time to get more people to work and more people to have more money not just protesting in the streets, protesting is a great way to vent of some steam, but can protesting make you a pizza?? A car? Fix your plumbing?

looks like a brawl between two poor men. Improve economy and finances that will bring smiles to all ! easier said(?)