Vive la France! Where the strike is a national pastime

HAVING just returned from a trip to France I can confidently say that ‘La Republique’ resembles not so much a modern European country as a covenant with anarchy. During my short stay, I endured air-traffic control strikes, petrol worries, train strikes and the usual non-existent taxi and bus service. Despite the fact that fewer than 3% of French workers are in trade unions, the country seems to perpetually teeter on the brink of one strike or another.

But as 70,000 Irish soccer fans arrive in France for Euro 2016, I can confidently say that the main priority of the government is the security of their visitors.

I witnessed for myself a very impressive French security forces exercise in the beautiful harbour of Collioure in south-eastern France.

I seemed to be the only one surprised as more than 100 heavily armed French marines proceeded to jump off the end of the pier and then navigate through an underwater obstacle course before landing on the beach.

They were then lined up on the beach and graded individually by their commanders. It was a very impressive display that didn’t raise an eyebrow from the locals sipping their coffee and smoking their Gitanes.

There will be more than 100,000 members of the French security forces on duty during the Euros over the next three weeks.

But Irish visitors should acquaint themselves with some of the French idiosyncrasies that bedevil the country.

Get used to the fact you probably won’t be getting a taxi. They are few and far between. The only time you will see a group of taxis on the streets of Paris is when they are protesting at the arrival of Uber.

So be thankful for the number of taxis in Ireland and also for our very impressive local and national bus services. While cities like Bordeaux and Paris are well served by public transport, getting from one city to another is impossible unless you use the train.

Bordeaux, where the Irish will descend next weekend, has its own ‘Luas’, but without the ugly overhead wires because the city’s powerful former mayor, Alain Juppé, insisted they go underground!

We are well used to travelling between our own cities in modern and relatively inexpensive buses but this service does not exist in France due to the stranglehold the national railway company SNCF has on the state.

The French love movies, books and art, especially those created by themselves. Cigarettes are cheaper, and they smoke much more than in Ireland. Bizarrely, up to quite recently the tobacco industry was owned by the state.

You will pay €23 to see a doctor who, if you are stressed out by the constant strikes, can prescribe a fortnight in a rejuvenating spa!

Petrol and diesel will set you back about the same as in Ireland but if you stay longer you will discover that there is no car tax and no rip-off insurance.

And if you ever wondered where all our cars go that fail the NCT because of a stray dog hair on the back seat, you will find them careering around the beautiful tree-lined rural roads of France.

The French are proud of their great country, so much so that most receipts still carry the ‘franc’ equivalent 16 years after the introduction of the euro currency.

So just do as the French do: be vigilant, shrug your shoulders, sip a glass of wine and enjoy the spectacle.