One in three Britons would prefer to live in France

Carried out during French Wines Week in London, a new ICM poll¹ reveals the impact of the French lifestyle on the British.

According to the survey, a third of British citizens say they would rather live in France than the United Kingdom. Italy and Spain come third.

Of those aged under 50, one in five British citizens would have preferred to have been born in France rather than the United Kingdom and two out of five would be prepared to cross the Channel and set up home in France.

In their quest for a better life, the British are attracted by the wealth and diversity of France's culture and of course her gastronomic tradition. Even when asked for their favourite breakfast, three fifths of those under 50 would opt for coffee and croissants rather than a full English.

Over the past decade, France has been captivating more and more people from across the Channel. Another reason for this fascination is the success some French celebrities have been having in Britain: the "Thierry" factor (Thierry Henry), films such as "Amélie Poulain" and "The Da Vinci Code" are contributing to this British passion for France.

For more information on French Wines Week in London and on French Wines, visit their website: www.frenchwinesweek.com

¹Poll commissioned by French Wines involved interviews with 1,010 people aged 18 and over in the UK during August 2006.

http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/One-in-three-Britons-would-prefer.html

"Solar is the big one," said Borloo.

Or the big cop-out. Solar can be the big one if expanded on rooftops; the one concrete measure mentioned is beans:

One measure will be to build 300 megawatts of capacity through large sun farms that will be set up in each region.

...which is big only compared to:

France ranks fourth in the EU for installed solar capacity, after Germany, Spain and Italy. Capacity rose from six MW in 2006 to 18 MW in mid-2008.

In Germany, capacity will be about 4,300 MW at year-end (with an expected 1,500 MW added just this year). Meanwhile:

In wind power, the goal is to increase the amount of installed capacity by a factor of 10, from 2,500 MW in 2007 to 25,000 MW in 2020, with the backing of a new roster of laws.

That addition in wind would generate about 200 (two hundred) times more than those giant solar farms totalling 300 MW capacity... people should really stop being awed of giant solar farms.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}