DADvocate

When I saw the story about Chirac storming out of a European Union summit meeting because of the use of English, it reminded me of this story of a French general who knew English but refused to speak it. He inadvertently got the true opinion of an American solder regarding the French military.

Absolutely Hilarious.

Regarding Chirac -

PRESIDENT CHIRAC stormed out of the first session of a European Union summit dominated by a row over French nationalism because a fellow Frenchman insisted on speaking English.

President Chirac and three of his ministers walked out of the room when Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the leader of the European business lobby UNICE, punctured Gallic pride by insisting on speaking the language of Shakespeare rather than that of Molière.

When M Seillière, who is an English-educated steel baron, started a presentation to all 25 EU leaders, President Chirac interrupted to ask why he was speaking in English. M Seillière explained: “I’m going to speak in English because that is the language of business.”