Red Letter Day!

As all men of learning know, I dislike the French. I am English, so this is to be expected. I am also in possession of both my testicles, and so it is even more expected. I am also on record as not appeasing dictators, and so it pretty much a given.

Stop the press! I have now found four French people who I don't despise that much!

Yeah, freaking red letter day!

Okay, who are these French people? Well, in no particular order!

President Nicholas Sarkozy

Yes, indeed - the first citizen of the French Republic. An odd choice, you might think. Why is he so honored as being a Frenchman I do not hate? There are two reasons;

i) Carla Bruni. Seriously, tell me that is not awesome.
ii) Sarkozy "French Fried" Obama at the UN. Let's get this clear right away - a French President lectured the President of the USA about too much appeasement! That is about as likely as Jenna Jameson lecturing the Pope for poor sexual morality. But, it happened and, more importantly, was justified!

These two things make Nick Sarkozy okay in my book. Or, at least, not as bad as the rest of his countrymen.

Luc Besson

The famous French director. Why is he not on the list of "people who suck" along with the rest of France?

i) Leon : The Professional
ii) The fact he (as revealed at the end of this fine video) is perhaps the only person in Hollywood to have a) objected to the Hollywood sympathy towards the rapist Roman Polanski and b) to condemn Polanski. These are, in fact, two different things - it is possible to object to the support while not condemning. Luc has done both. And also made a very fine film or two (see i) above).

In fact, let's put these two things together - Luc Besson made better films than Polanski and never raped a child. In fact, in one of those co-incidences, the extended cut of Leon contains scenes where Mathilda asks for the older Leon to sleep with her, but he refuses. Prescient? Or just moral?

You be the judge.

Jacques Pepin

The famous celebrity chef! Okay, why is he on the list of French people I do not despise?

i) He is Jacques Freaking Pepin! I feel nothing more needs to be said.
ii) He hasn't actually lived in France for decades.

The case rests, m'lud.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Perhaps an unusual choice. However, he is justified by two reasons;

i) He's not actually French. He was from Corsica, which is the bit of France trying (sensibly) to get away from the mainland and trying to get confused with Sardinia.
ii) Under his leadership, thousands of Frenchmen were killed in 1812.

So, there are four French people (or, three and a half, if we count a Corsican as half-French. Hang on; he was a short guy. Three and a quarter?) I do not despise. Quite an achievement.

This should not, however, be interpreted as prejudicial towards my general, erm, well, prejudice towards the French. They are a scum people, from a scum country, which is mostly made of suck and the rest made of fail.

Carla Bruni, however, is still the hottest Head of State Spouse currently alive. And would probably vie with Princess Grace for the hottest HoSS of all time.